I’ve just been exposed to two experiences I’d really like to experience, if you see what I mean. The first is down to earth. When I was in my mid-20s, I spent a week on a narrowboat with some friends touring the canals (including going up and down using the hand-controlled locks) around Manchester, England.

This was a great vacation. With a top speed of only two miles-per-hour, it really made you slow down and smell the coffee (and the canal). We had an awesome time, and this memory is one I’ll keep forever.

The reason this popped into my mind is that I was just reading the recent issue of AARP magazine. One of the articles was about a company called Revolution Rail. Were you aware that there are hundreds of miles of disused rail tracks around the USA? Well, the folks at Revolution Rail have created Rail Bikes that allow you to ride these rails seeing nature in all its glory in a way that would be hard to do any other way. I would love to do this one day.

The second experience is more off-world. Do you remember when William Shatner got to go to space on board one of Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin spacecraft?

Seeing the passengers unstrapping themselves and floating around in that relatively huge capsule (as compared to the cramped 3-person Apollo Command Modules) blew me away. I wonder what Neil Armstrong would have thought to see this.

Of course, my chances of Jeff inviting me to join him on a future mission are slight. However, I just read about a company called Space Perspective that is planning on using Gigantic Space Balloons to fly opulent orbs to an altitude of more than 100,000 feet (~19 miles or ~31km).

Think of sitting in a luxurious lounge, travelling to the very edge of space, enjoying panoramic views through the largest windows ever seen (or not, as the case might be) on a spacecraft, all while being tempted by “world class” food and beverages. For only $125,000 per passenger, they will even throw in a pair of custom-made headphones (I’m assuming each passenger gets their own—it would be a bummer if you all had to share).

I want to do this so much I can taste it. The only thing holding me back is my lack of $125,000. How about you? Assuming someone else offered to foot the bill, could you be tempted to try either of these experiences?