24 Things Unsettlers Have Done That No One Else Has

Here at Unsettled, one of our core philosophies is to inspire each other to live life more boldly in every moment. To see every day as a chance to embrace the unknown, discover something new, and dive into a new adventure.

We do this on every retreat – we’ve faced snow storms, earthquakes, hurricanes, political disruptions and volcanic eruptions – and we’ve also done this in our own personal lives.

Today we’d like to celebrate our community – our alumni and current participants – and the crazy moments in which they’ve pursued a bolder side of life, intentionally or (more often than not) unintentionally.

So, we asked our alumni one simple question: What’s one thing you’ve experienced that (you think) no one else at Unsettled has?

Here’s presenting, our badass Unsettled alumni, in their own words*

The Unsettled Unexpected Bucket List

  1. Started a fire during a job interview! (Yep)
  2. Gave a presentation above the Arctic Circle in Ilulissat, Greenland.
  3. Held Snoop Dogg’s face in my hands.
  4. Was voice over for a TLC documentary on Prince Charles wedding to Camilla.
  5. Hiked almost 20km (12 miles) along the Amalfi coast in flip flops with Kevin Dillion and his girlfriend (Entourage fans?!) and ended the hike with a celebratory dinner, bottomless prosecco and a sleepover in their Praiano villa.
  6. Danced with Che Guevara’s daughter at a jazz club in Havana.
  7. Learned how to play the Chinese zither (guzheng) in Guilin, China
  8. Participated in a project on nude self-portraits in art school…then had to present them to the entire class.
  9. Asked Alan Tudyk to marry me at a Comic Con once. He said no.
  10. It was an after-party for a work Christmas party in Los Angeles. I was happy on booze and somehow started dancing with a very handsome man at a bar. We had a random chat. After a few minutes, I asked, ‘What is your name?’ He said: ‘Jude’. I said: ‘What, like Jude Law?’ He said: ‘Yes, I am Jude Law’. I think he was very amused when I walked away and didn’t make a big deal of it. Turns out, we crashed Sherlock Holmes movie premiere after-party!
  11. Chartered a helicopter to land on Niihau, Hawaii forbidden island that’s closed to tourists. I then hunted for Niihau shells among the seals.
  12. Hunted with pygmies in the Congolese rainforest.
  13. Ran and crawled for 200km in six days in Bhutan through mud, jungle, heat, cold in an altitude of 3700m.
  14. Tested herds of Cape Buffalo for TB in South Africa. And moved elephants and other animals park-to-park for their safety.
  15. Carried a 60lb bag of concrete up a mountain river ravine wearing buckskin I sewed together with a porcupine needle after a two hour ballet class.
  16. Hiked Mount Batur – an active volcano in Bali – up and down, barefoot.
  17. Tricked out a vintage Cadillac hearse with Day of the Dead decals and went on a Christmas road trip through Death Valley and ghost towns of the eastern Sierras.
  18. Was locked up by police on an all-night train behind the Iron Curtain..
  19. Slept overnight on a hidden airplane in the woods.
  20. Flew into a national park in Alaska only accessible by small plane to watch baby bears close-up while they dig for clams.
  21. Made reusable sanitary pads with Tanzanian women.
  22. Trekked in Rwanda and hung out with Silverback Gorillas
  23. Ran from a swarm of bees in the middle of a goat ranch outside of La Ventana, Mexico, and only managed to get stung twice!
  24. Jumped out of a burning plane at 1,700ft. Luckily I had a parachute. The plane didn’t.

*All alum identities have been hidden to secure privacy (and embarrassment).

If you’ve done any of the above, claim your prize in the comments below.

6 Comments

  1. Emily Fano

    I’ve gone gorilla trekking in the Rwandan mountains and I totally have pics to prove it! It’s an amazing experience, btw. Really one of a kind!

  2. John H Burger

    I’ve hand fed dolphins off the great barrier reef at night

  3. Kelti

    I was a volunteer in Rwanda for a year, so had the opportunity to do the gorilla trekking . Had my butt grabbed by an adolescent gorilla!

  4. Shitika Anand

    Hey Emily, that sounds amazing! What’s your best email address? Send it over and we will send you a little something special in your inbox…

  5. Emily Fano

    Hey there! My email is fanoec@gmail.com

  6. Annique

    :)… seems the gorilla trekking is popular. In 2015, after quitting my job I cycled the nile for charity, with Gulf For Good. After the 6 day adventure, I travelled to the border of Rwanda & Uganda and trekked with the gorillas. Most epic moment sitting looking a Silverback in the eyes, while baby gorillas played around us. 😍 have pics!

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