Much like with my Top Five Restaurants for this year, choosing just five activities was pretty darn difficult. We did so much cool stuff, especially in Bali and Costa Rica, that it was tough to narrow down which ones were the absolute best. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone on the hanging bridges in Costa Rica, and had one of the best spa experiences of my life in Bali, but they didn’t even make the cut! Read on to check out the best activities we experienced all over the world this year!

5. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA

It was a crazy 110 degrees Fahrenheit when we visited this park in July, but it was so super amazing all the same. Valley of Fire State Park is a hidden gem near Las Vegas that often gets overlooked due to the fact that it’s about a 40 minute drive away, whereas Red Rocks National Park is only about 10 minutes. Both offer cool vistas and short hikes, as well as a driving loop where you can get out and stop and take photos of neat geographic formations, but I think Valley of Fire is way better than Red Rocks. It’s typically less crowded, and the rock formations are more interesting. If it wasn’t so hot, we definitely would’ve taken one or two of the easy, mile-long treks around to see more stuff, but it was too dangerous to go at the time. You could easily spend an entire day here, and I would highly recommend driving the extra 30 miles to get here. Check out all the photos and tips here!

4. Walt Disney World, Florida, USA

Oh, man! Did you all even know I went to Disney this year? Yeah, I didn’t write any blog content about it, and mainly all the updates were on Instagram, but we did go this year to focus on some food and some wine at EPCOT in September. Last year, on my top 5 activities list, I promised if I went to Disney, it would make the list every year I went, so here we are again. I particularly wanted to highlight one of the newest roller coasters at WDW that I absolutely loved, and was really surprised by. TRON is a new high speed thrill ride at the Magic Kingdom, where you are basically on a motorcycle, called a light cycle, and you are careened around a futuristic setting. I had heard a lot of negatives about this coaster, from the difficulty getting on and off for larger guests, and the fact that it is so short, at about a minute long. Well, I am definitely a larger guest, though I’m pretty nimble, so I had no problem getting on the light cycle. Also, one minute is pretty much long enough. This ride was so incredibly thrilling, that if it was much longer, it would’ve been a bit too much intensity. I screamed my face off and totally loved this ride!

3. Rum Tasting, Nayara Tented Camp, Costa Rica

Thinking about all of the activities we did at the Nayara Resort in Costa Rica, it was difficult to pick one that was the absolute best. Perhaps somewhat strangely, I didn’t pick any of the really amazing and jungly outdoor activities that we did here, even though they were totally awesome. The Rum Tasting that we did at Henry’s Bar up at the Nayara Tented Camp stands out as my favorite activity that we did at this resort. Our guide, Joseph, was super excited to teach us about the different rums from all around Central America and the Caribbean. We learned a ton and had an amazing time in a super cool setting. If you come to Nayara Resorts in Costa Rica, don’t miss this tasting opportunity! You can read more about it here!

2. The Sphere, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Seeing U2 at The Sphere was seriously one of the absolute coolest things we did this year, and quite possibly ever. This brand new venue in Las Vegas is other-worldly, and an audio-visual spectacle. You don’t even have to go inside this space to experience the visuals, as the outside of is always lit up in different ways for different events, or just with cool patterns. Inside, though, you feel as though you’ve entered a time machine that transported you ahead into the future about 200 years. It is a state-of-the-art concert venue with a ton of bars (so you never have you wait for drinks), very large bathrooms (so you never have to wait for a stall), and just the coolest views all over. The concert itself was amazing, and I’ve run out of superlatives to describe it, so just click here to read about the Sphere and all my tips for when you go. Don’t miss an opportunity to visit!

1. Ocean to Table, Four Seasons, Jimbaran Bay, Bali, Indonesia

This tour was organized by the Four Seasons in Bali, and it was one of the coolest and most memorable for me. It has something for everyone, and all of the folks involved made it extra special. You get up nice and early to go fishing out on the ocean in a small traditional Balinese fishing boat. If you’re lucky, you will catch a few fish to cook up later. We were served a traditional Balinese breakfast and coffee on board as well, which was a really nice way to start the beautiful day.

Next Chef Surya met us at the beach and took us to the Jimbaran Bay Fish Market and showed us around, as well as gave us tips on how to identify the freshest fish and seafood. This market was really cool and we were really impressed with the amounts of seafood for sale!

Finally, we want back to the Four Seasons, to the restaurant Jala, where Chef showed us around the gardens identifying all sorts of spices and herbs we would be using to cook our lunch. We then went inside where we were instructed on how to cook several Balinese dishes and we also grilled up the fish that we (Noah) caught that morning. The food was delicious, and the most special thing about this tour were the folks who guided us throughout, especially Chef Surya. There was so much more to this tour than I have here, so definitely click here to check out more details, and if you find yourself saying at Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay, don’t hesitate to book this tour!