Oh, what joy it is figuring out which countries to visit on a round-the-world trip! This list will surely change over time, given additional research, world events, and budget planning, but here’s an intial stab:
SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Ecuador (the 3 countries Elise’s Dad lived in when he was a child), as well as Brazil, in honor of Elise’s half-sisters’ heritage
AFRICA: Namibia to photograph the Skeleton Coast, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania/Zanzibar, Madagascar
MIDDLE EAST: Israel, Oman
CENTRAL ASIA REPUBLICS: Uzbeckistan
ASIA: Japan (where I lived for 3 years after college), China, Vietnam, Sri Lanka (perhaps instead of India, which I’ve visited twice already)
SOUTH PACIFIC: Australia, New Zealand for epic treks, Fiji for blissful tropical relaxation…and…the island nation of Yap, which I’m obligated to visit because I swore as a teenager I’d go wherever my finger landed on the globe. Lol, when else but during a world trip will I be able to meet this obligation?
That’s 19 countries – already 3 more than what a round-the-world ticket covers, so I will have to put a lot of thought into making adjustments to this list over time.