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Staying out all night partying, jumping into a pool fully clothed and learning to say "no" to your mother also made the list.
It also emerged less than four in 10 over 50s have accomplished all of their life aims, with another 39 per cent believing life really does begin at 50.
Ian Atkinson, director of marketing for over 50s insurance experts SunLife, which commissioned the research, said: "For many, 50 is a milestone age when you may start to look back and take stock of everything you have done or achieved so far.
"And while most people want to be married and settled down in their home with a family, there are also a host of other activities and experiences they want to have tried.
"But with many believing 50 is the point where your life is just getting started, there is still plenty of time to tick more things off the list if you are coming up a little short."
The study, of 2,000 over 50s, found buying a house is top of the list of things to do before you turn 50, followed by having children, getting married, falling in love and eating fish and chips on the pier.
Donating blood, reading 100 books, seeing your favourite band or musician live, learning a language and attending a music festival completed the top ten.
via GIPHY
Other things every 50-year-old should have experienced include travelling somewhere alone, sleeping out underneath the stars and swimming with dolphins.
Travel features heavily in the list including seeing a volcano, riding a gondola in Venice, backpacking across Europe and visiting all seven continents But there is also a rebellious streak in many Brits with taking part in a protest, getting a tattoo and trying drugs all in the top 50.
Some over 50s have gone one step further with the experiences they have had in their lives so far with one being among one of the first female priests to be ordained while another has foiled a bank raid.
One adventurous over 50 also described how they got a ferry to France with just a sleeping bag and spent three years travelling around Europe while another got engaged the day they met their partner.
Having sex in usual places are also among the weird things over 50s have done, including at a bus stop, in a cave and even at a rubbish dump.
TOP 50 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU'RE 50
1. Buy a house
2. Have kids
3. Get married
4. Fall in love
5. Eat fish and chips by the beach
6. Donate blood
7. Read 100 books
8. See your favourite band live
9. Learn a language
10. Attend a music festival
11. Own a dog
12. Learn to say no to your mother
13. Stay out all night partying
14. See the Northern Lights
15. Visit Stonehenge
16. Remember where the petrol cap is
17. Travel somewhere alone
18. Sleep underneath the stars
19. Watch a meteor shower
20. Dance in the rain
21. Become an expert at something
22. Quit a job
23. See a volcano
24. Visit all seven continents
25. Throw a coin in the Trevi fountain
26. Take a helicopter ride
27. Have sex on a beach
28. Swim with dolphins
29. Go skinny dipping
30. Ride a gondola in Venice
31. Make a snow angel
32. Take part in a protest
33. Own your own business
34. Go in a hot air balloon
35. Ride an elephant
36. Climb Snowdonia
37. Jump into a pool fully clothed
38. Backpack across Europe
39. Perfect a signature dish
40. Drink beer at Oktoberfest
41. Run a marathon
42. Get a tattoo
43. Ride a Vespa
44. Watch comedy at Edinburgh Fringe
45. Write a novel
46. Write a journal
47. Spend a month technology free
48. Try drugs
49. Have a threesome
50. Go to an airport and pick a random flight
