We all have a bucket list buried somewhere inside our heads. At least we all like to think we do. And, given the right set of circumstances, at some hopefully distant point in the future, out it'll come ready to be fulfilled. Truthfully, most of us are just kidding ourselves. A sun-filled two-week packaged holiday to some safe destination half-way around the world - if we're lucky - is likely to be as adventurous as it gets. Ever. Otherwise, think Blackpool, or some other sizzling UK resort, but on a rather long and soggy weekend.
Now, before I'm deluged with an inbox bulging with choice epithets referring to the more sensitive parts of my anatomy, there's nothing wrong with Blackpool. I have to say. Honest. Or any other of England's fabulous Riviera-inspired holiday resorts. Take that as read. But let's be a little bit realistic here. Blackpool ain't no Dubai, is it? Blackpool Tower, 518 feet; Burj Khalifa, 2,722 feet. Dull Victorian wrought iron versus gleaming spire of glass, steel and concrete. No contest!
Granted, using a credit card in the UAE, otherwise known as the United Arab Emirates - capital Abu Dhabi, largest city Dubai - is likely to prove a slightly more expensive holiday proposition than using the self-same card in Blackpool. But if this is one entry to score off of the bucket list, a visit to one of the most vibrant, dynamic cities on the planet, then who's counting?
Different sorts of bucket lists
They're not set in stone. That's the beauty of the bucket list. They're as different as every single one of us. You could imagine a jobs bucket list if you wanted to and the Burj Khalifa might just help you out there. We're talking window cleaning, often considered a boring occupation. But not when you're cleaning the windows of the largest skyscraper on the planet.
It's a heart-in-the-mouth job which starts some 160 floors up. There are an estimated 24,000 panes of glass to get through and the whole cleaning process, which takes around three months to complete before starting all over again, requires nerves of steel and a fair degree of abseiling know-how. Got to be one for the bucket list, surely.
Happy jobs, or not
Other jobs you'd add to the list? How about vicar, apparently the most satisfying job in the country, according to the UK government, that is. The Cabinet Office has been looking at the link between a range of jobs and levels of satisfaction. And the clergy, earning an average wage of around £20,000 a year comes out tops. Maybe it's something to do with being nearer to God or something, making the job a dead cert - excuse the pun - for the bucket list.
Chief executives come second in the list in terms of satisfaction, which probably has a lot to do with the average salary paid of £117,700. Yet, way down the pay scale, company secretaries and farmers figure highly on the list, too.
Publicans and managers of licensed premises, not to mention bar staff, are to be found at the bottom of the index along with debt, rent and other cash collectors. Security guards are also down in the dumps as are industrial cleaners, unsurprisingly. Perhaps someone should tell them to aim for the clouds. Burj Khalifa anyone?