While a number doesn’t define you, doing certain things for yourself before you turn 30 can prove beneficial to you later on. Plus, during your teens and 20s, you likely have more freedom than you will in the years to come.

Of course, everyone will have different things on their bucket lists, but if you haven’t turned 30 yet, you should consider doing the following things for yourself.

Here are 10 Things To Do Before You Turn 30 You Don’t Want to Regret:

Related article: 25 Things You’ll Never Regret Doing

1. TRAVEL TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES BY YOURSELF.

You have probably spent most of your school years in history or geography class reading about foreign countries, but this won’t give you the true experience of visiting the actual places. Travel can do so much for you – it helps you to think on your feet, become comfortable with new environments, gets you adapted to a variety of cultures, increases your knowledge of languages, expands your mind, and helps you make friends all over the globe!

Doing all of this alone will help you deepen your relationship with yourself. Before you turn 30, make it a point to do some solo overseas traveling – you will look back on all the memories and feel thankful for doing this for yourself.

2. BECOME PART OF A GROUP OR ORGANIZATION THAT YOU FEEL PASSIONATE ABOUT.

Nothing feels better than to become part of something bigger than yourself. If you have a certain issue that you feel passionate about, such as gay rights, racism, sexism, or something else that still plagues our world today, look online to see if you can find a group that combats these issues. It gives you a first hand understanding of the human experience.

While the world probably won’t change overnight from your efforts, at least you can feel good knowing that you made a contribution to bettering the world around you. Before you turn 30, reflect on your goals and see what organizations align with your dreams. Then, go out there and make a difference!

3. MAKE YOUR PASSION YOUR JOB.

We’ve been programmed practically since birth that we must figure out what we want to do in life before we graduate high school, spend thousands of dollars on college, and then spend 40+ years working towards retirement in a job we may or may not enjoy. This doesn’t mean that some people don’t feel happy following this path, however, the statistics speak for themselves – 52.3% of Americans feel unhappy at work.

So, if you happen to be one of those people, sit down with yourself and figure out why you continue to work at a job you hate. If you can’t find a reason other than to pay the bills, get honest with yourself and figure out what you’d rather be doing, and then take steps to make your dream a reality. There’s no use wasting this beautiful life working for someone else in a stuffy office when you could get out there and do what really makes you happy.

4. LEARN HOW TO COOK.

In this world, we have access to so much food, but very little of it actually resembles the real food that it originated from. We hardly consume food anymore – we mostly eat “food-like substances.” Most of our foods in the world have been so altered that they hardly do anything for us nutritionally. Before you turn 30, learn how to cook for yourself using fresh, healthy ingredients. You’ll save money, save time, and save your health. What could be better than that?

5. LEARN TO HAVE A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF.

Many industries in this world profit off of people who don’t really love themselves. Think about it – the beauty industry mostly profits off of women and men who somehow feel inadequate with their appearance and want a quick fix to make them feel better about themselves. The diet industry profits off of vulnerable people who have struggled with weight loss and/or simply getting healthy, and want a quick fix for slimming down. Advertisements urge us to buy this because we deserve it, eat this because we’ve had a long week and need to indulge, or do this because it will make us feel more confident. It never ends, but within yourself, you’ll find all the answers.

Loving yourself means to go within and accept yourself the way you are. Nothing outside yourself will ever match the love you can give to yourself.

6. SET MONEY ASIDE FOR EXPERIENCES, NOT MATERIAL ITEMS.

We have covered this topic before in one of our previous articles that you may have read. Science now proves that we don’t get as much satisfaction out of buying material items as we do buying experiences, simply because the items don’t come with memories. We create memories when we try new things, and people are more likely to bond over a shared experience than, let’s say, the TV they both just bought. Before you turn 30, try to use your disposable income on experiences that will stay with you for years to come.

7. DO SOMETHING THAT SURPRISES YOU.

Like we mentioned before, helping others gives you instant gratification. It will improve the lives of others while also helping you to better yourself and your life. You can find tons of local opportunities for volunteering if you just Google your city + volunteering, or talk to people from your community. Before you turn 30, learn to look out for others as much as you look out for yourself. This will truly bring you inner happiness and fulfillment.

8. DATE PEOPLE THAT MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSON.

We sometimes end up dating people that become toxic to our mental, emotional, and physical health, simply because we feel afraid to leave a relationship where we’ve felt comfortable for so long. However, comfort doesn’t always equate to happiness. Try to date people that will challenge you, change you for the better, and make a mark so deep on your life that your world can’t help but be overturned by them. A relationship should make you better, not bitter, so don’t ever stay in relationships that make you anything but happy.

9. LEARN HOW TO CLEAR YOUR MIND.

Before you turn 30, learn how to disconnect from all the worries and stress in your mind. This might be the most important thing on this list, because so many people live in a continual state of anxiety and fear. Allow yourself to let go and ride the waves of life. You can’t control the outcome, but you can control your own reactions to it.

Meditation can do wonders for an overstressed mind, so before you turn 30, why not try out this amazing practice for yourself and see what it can do for your life?

10. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH.

Before you turn 30, commit to eating healthy the majority of the time, and exercising regularly. Many people sadly experience health problems later in life that could’ve (most likely) been prevented with assurance of health.

Have you done any of these things before turning 30? Are you still doing them after 30? Let us know in the discussion below!