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Follow Nicholson and Freeman in 'The Bucket List'

Looking to take a 'Bucket List' vacation? It'll only cost $105,730.

By Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
02:43 PM PST, January 02, 2008

Screenwriter Justin Zackham admits he put a bit of his own travel ambition in "The Bucket List."

"The truth is that the locations in the film -- the pyramids, the Taj Mahal, Everest and the Great Wall of China -- are all destinations on my own personal bucket list," he writes in an e-mail.

"The Bucket List," which opened on Christmas Day, brings Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman together as cancer patients who become buddies and undertake "the road trip of a lifetime," as the movie's press kit touts.

Unlike travel for mere Transportation Security Administration-screened mortals, this pair goes everywhere on Nicholson's private jet -- which would carry a price tag of at least $54,000 for the journey they took.

So, how much would it cost to do the "Bucket List" itinerary in style? Not counting the cost of a tattoo (we're not going there), it's about $105,730 for two -- and that's if you stay in each place longer than a Hollywood scene change.

Take a look at how the trip breaks down, and then e-mail travel-feedback@latimes.com with destinations on your bucket list.

PRIVATE JET

In the movie, Nicholson and Freeman board a private plane that easily -- and oh, so quickly -- stops in France, Tanzania, Egypt, Nepal, China and other off-scene points in what appears to be a total time of maybe a week or two. Kevin Wilks, in charge of private jets for tour operator Abercrombie & Kent, estimates the cost at $3,880 a day, although his company rarely books 757s for such a short period of time.

Price: $54,320 for 14 days on a private jet. Abercrombie offers a 25-day tour -- Cultural Treasures Around the World by Private Jet -- for $98,000 a person. It stops in a lot more places than the film does and includes accommodations, meals and just about everything.

Info: (800)-554-7016, www.abercrombiekent.com.

SKY DIVING

The setting for the sky-diving scene was Perris Valley, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, where you can tandem jump (strapped to an instructor who will pull the cord if you don't) from a plane about 13,000 feet above the desert floor.

Price: $249 each, equipment and training included.

Info: Perris Valley Skydiving School, (951) 657-1664, www.skydiveperris.com.

CAR RACING

The track pictured in the film is the California Speedway in Fontana, where you can slide behind the wheel of a 600-horsepower NASCAR-style race car and let 'er rip.

Price: $419 each for the Rookie Experience, which includes eight thrilling laps.

Info: The Richard Petty Driving Experience, (800) 237-3889, www.1800bepetty.com.

CHÂTEAU DE LA CHÈVRE D'OR, EZE, FRANCE

The pair apparently stops in Paris off-camera, but it's the hilltop village near Nice that steals the scene. The two discuss life at this swank restaurant and hotel that overlooks the Mediterranean.

Price: $1,448 to $1,616 (depending on the season) per person, per night, for the Gourmet Package, which includes room, buffet breakfast, dinner and other goodies.

Info: 011-33-04-92-10-66-66, www.chevredor.com.

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