Topic: New countries due for an Amazing visit

[woden]

Which never-before-visited countries are most due and likely for a visit? I think these are the most likely candidates for upcoming visits -- unfortunately, we are only averaging 1 or 2 new countries a season now, so the wait could be a long one. This is only speculation, but is based on past trends in selecting destinations.

1. Indonesia
As the Bali bombing fades further into the past, I think Indonesia will finally get its turn. Bali is one of the world's most diverse playgrounds and outside of it is a vastly different nation. I think Indonesia will get a couple legs when it eventually gets its due.

2. Fiji
The Race has shown its willingness to visit far-flung tropical locations on occasion (e.g. Guam, Seychelles) and I think the eye-candy of Fiji will draw in the Race at some point.

3. Qatar
Teams have connected in Doha on more than one occasion, and I'm surprised Qatar hasn't gotten a shot when a couple places in the Middle East (UAE, Oman) have gotten repeat visits.

4. Denmark
Copenhagen is one of the last great European cities to be avoided by the Race. I really expected it to get a visit post-Sweden in the current cycle. I'd love to see a Denmark-Greenland connection, but won't hold my breath. Belgium could also fit there, although I didn't include it since it has made a "drive-thru" appearance on the show.

5. Angola
The capital, Luanda, has made a huge turnaround, and I imagine the Race will capitalize on opportunities to showcase safe travel on the African continent as it has done so many times in the past.

6. Belize
We've had some near-misses on Belize in the past, and I think it's on the Race's radar. In general, Central America is long overdue for some Race love - Nicaragua or El Salvador would be worthy additions to Belize in this area.

7. Bosnia & Herzegovina
The Race has taken on opportunities in the past to visit a previously volatile area (e.g. Kuwait, Croatia) to highlight the current safety and tourism appeal. Bosnia & Herzegovina would be along these lines -- there is some staggering regrowth happening there.

8. Bahrain
See Qatar above. The Race does not have a lot of options in the Middle East, and I think Bahrain and Qatar will inevitably be featured at some point.

9. Nepal
One place mentioned by Phil (along with the Caribbean) over the years as a dream destination. As the Race has made Southeast Asia a priority over the past few cycles (and has now hit Bangladesh), I wonder if Nepal isn't far off.

10. Libya
See the note about Bosnia & Herzegovina above. Libya is one of the most historically significant nations in the world, and the Race would have plenty to do -- both in the ancient and modern contexts.

[theschnauzers]

Algeria, Venezuela, Columbia (eventually)), Greenland, Belgium, Monaco (and get Prince Albert to greet the teams), Liberia, Guyana, Antarctica, the Maldives (before it becomes the world's first totally submerged nation), Jordan, Israel, Nepal, those are a start for beyond 10.

[milanissimo]

In europe there are a lot of places to visit...
slovenia,belgium,denmark,slovakia,bulgaria,moldova,latvia,malta,luxembourg,belarus


Monaco,san marino ,cittā del vaticano,Liechtenstein are  too small
bosnia and serbia are dangerous...

[woden]

The danger in Bosnia is long past -- there is some great tourism happening there now. As for Israel and Jordan, I did not include any countries with Dept of State travel warnings. I didn't feel those could fall realistically in the "likely" category.

[Mug Costanza]

A few of the ones that have already been mentioned: Denmark (and hopefully Greenland eventually...it would be cool to see a Denmark-Greenland-Iqaluit, Canada spell in a westward race), Angola, Belgium, Maldives, Qatar, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Libya, Nepal...

What about Laos? It's probably due with their recent Southeast Asia kick they've been on in recent seasons. Malta would be cool to see. It would be pretty easy to get there from an unvisited Italian city like Naples or Florence (TAR12 didn't really show a lot of Florence...). Latvia, especially now that they've been to Lithuania and Estonia. And I agree that they should take a stop in the South Pacific, but maybe somewhere we haven't seen on Survivor... Marshall Islands, for example.

[theschnauzers]

The problem with Laos may be that it's hard to get in and out, or more accurately, it's time consuming.

It might be interesting to see what the Race might do in the mid-summer with the Arctic Ocean ice cap now completely melting during the summer. I think it be an interesting think to show; TAR hasn't done something like that since the sugar cane biofuel task in Brazil back during TAR 8(?)

[inomu]

It is true that there is so many European countries that I are still waiting for a visit (most notably Belgium and Denmark). Bosnia is definitely a safe country, I visited in Mostar and that town was so full of tourists, too many tourists for that little town! I also hope visits to Cyprus, Bulgaria, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia. Luxury tasks in Monaco?  

Israel is very a possible country to visit. They probably will avoid Jerusalem even thought it is as safe as the other cities in Israel. I'm also waiting for Jordan and Petra (Queen Rania greets the teams   ). Laos is hard country to visit because of the logistics just like you said. Otherwise it would be nice add. Indonesia is definitely coming up in next seasons. Armenia, Azerbaijan & Georgia?

Caribbean and South Pacific islands nations, please!

In Africa there is still couple safe countries that haven't been visited: Togo, Benin, Kenya (They have only changed planes there!), Cape Verde, Mali, Malawi, Gabon, Cameroon. I think they will avoid Angola because the land mines are still big problem there. And there is a big problem with Libya: they don't allow American tv crews enter the country and sometimes also American citizens are not allowed to enter the country.

[woden]

It is true that there is so many European countries that I are still waiting for a visit (most notably Belgium and Denmark). Bosnia is definitely a safe country, I visited in Mostar and that town was so full of tourists, too many tourists for that little town! I also hope visits to Cyprus, Bulgaria, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia. Luxury tasks in Monaco?  

Israel is very a possible country to visit. They probably will avoid Jerusalem even thought it is as safe as the other cities in Israel. I'm also waiting for Jordan and Petra (Queen Rania greets the teams   ). Laos is hard country to visit because of the logistics just like you said. Otherwise it would be nice add. Indonesia is definitely coming up in next seasons. Armenia, Azerbaijan & Georgia?

Caribbean and South Pacific islands nations, please!

In Africa there is still couple safe countries that haven't been visited: Togo, Benin, Kenya (They have only changed planes there!), Cape Verde, Mali, Malawi, Gabon, Cameroon. I think they will avoid Angola because the land mines are still big problem there. And there is a big problem with Libya: they don't allow American tv crews enter the country and sometimes also American citizens are not allowed to enter the country.

Those are good points about Libya. Kenya is a more logical choice, and it surprising it hasn't been featured to date. Israel is incredibly safe by and large, but as long as it has a Department of State travel warning hanging over its head, I don't see it happening.

[walkingpneumonia]

The danger in Bosnia is long past -- there is some great tourism happening there now. As for Israel and Jordan, I did not include any countries with Dept of State travel warnings. I didn't feel those could fall realistically in the "likely" category.

I don't think Jordan has a U.S. State Department travel warning currently. Would love to see the racers at Petra in HD (and 3D).

Israel, the West Bank and Gaza do have warnings, but I would take the race to Jerusalem...

[Jobby]

Maldives, definitely.

[apskip]

Why isn't this entire thread under the AR18 Speculation superthread? What does it have to  do with AR17?

[theschnauzers]

Truthfully, I think more than one future season is involved.

[woden]

Why isn't this entire thread under the AR18 Speculation superthread? What does it have to  do with AR17?

Uhhh, 'cause this is the "The Amazing Race Discussion" thread, Skippy. No TAR17 designation here.

[apskip]

woden, although you are technically correct, the best place for this thread is still under AR18 Spoilers and Speculation. as none of the above ideas can have any impact on AR17 since the route is already known.

[Dånooky]

woden, although you are technically correct, the best place for this thread is still under AR18 Spoilers and Speculation. as none of the above ideas can have any impact on AR17 since the route is already known.

Au contraire, I'd argue that since these suggestions are just ideas, not limited to either TAR17 or 18, and since they don't involve spoilers at all, the general TAR thread should be a good place to discuss this.

[tarflyonthewall]

Laos is pretty easy to get to. There are multiple daily flights from Bangkok to Vientiane, and Bangkok is one of the biggest hubs in Asia with many, many routes in and out. And that's before you add in flights from other hubs like Singapore, Sydney, and Hong Kong. And it's not like they can't use charter flights like they have so many times before.

5. Angola
The capital, Luanda, has made a huge turnaround, and I imagine the Race will capitalize on opportunities to showcase safe travel on the African continent as it has done so many times in the past.

Agreed. They've really avoided repeating African countries for some reason and I think their next logical choice would have to be this or Kenya. Or perhaps Uganda? (Yes, I know they've hit Morocco, South Africa, and Tanzania twice each, but it's hardly on the level of some of the Asian and European nations.)

And I agree that they should take a stop in the South Pacific, but maybe somewhere we haven't seen on Survivor... Marshall Islands, for example.

If anywhere in the South Pacific is (1) unvisited by Survivor and (2) likely to turn up on TAR, I'd say Noumea. It's one of the few places in the South Pacific where English isn't spoken (New Caledonia is a French dependency, for the moment at least), and it's safe enough that the Aussie version of The Mole filmed an entire season there. As long as they don't stray too far north, they should be fine.

[mjriches2005]

My countries of Choice:
North America: Greenland, Belize, Aruba, Curacao, Dominican Rep, Barbados, Trinidad, other small island nations in the Caribbean
South America: Colombia, Suriname, Paraguay, French Guiana
Europe: Denmark, Latvia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Wales, N. Ireland, Serbia, Bulgaria
Africa: Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Zimbabwe
Asia: Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Brunei, Laos, Indonesia
Oceania: Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, Fiji, Solomon Islands, French Polynesia

[labibkhan15]

If you never visit some where. I think these are the most likely place  Denmark.Denmark is the so attractive place for you.You can fill comfortable in there and enjoying this place very much.

[krabbe]

My wishlist: Denmark, Paraguay, Indonesia (for obvious reasons  ), Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Jordan.
I'm not sure if Uzbekistan is still in the Travel Advisory list, though. If yes then maybe Tajikistan?

[DavidJunior]

Israel is definitely safer than people think (or at least our Dept. of Safety thinks)

I went there in March and it was completely safe to travel through.

This Israeli-Palestinian border is very open as well.

Production would only have minor problems with Bethlehem (avoidable), and getting up to the Dome of the Rock (avoidable too, but still would be a really really cool place for at least a clue)

Pit stop at Masada?

Then hop the border into Jordan (easier to connect to Asia from Jordan)

[mjriches2005]

Jordan is a must visit country.  Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, and Petra are all good places to film a future season of the race.  Indonesia is also a must visit, especially Bali with the beaches, forests, and temples.  Also Palau with that lake full of harmless jellyfish could work too with if its a roadblock like if a teammate swims to the middle of the lake and grab the clue, that would be pretty cool.

[wandaschmick]

It is true that there is so many European countries that I are still waiting for a visit by the Race Amazing.

[Plaidmoon]

It is true that there is so many European countries that I are still waiting for a visit by the Race Amazing.

Welcome to RFF, wandaschmick! I agree, there are some smaller countries that should be visited in Europe as well as some unvisited regions in the larger European countries I'd like to see.

      

  

[THSK]

MY LIST:

Europe:
Greece (Athens, Thessaloniki)
Turkey Istanbul
Italy Rome, Milan
Portugal Lisbon
Cyprus Nicosia, Larnaka

etc.
IMO they are too much in Russia.

[NotKaren]

Hi, everyone! This show is my crack. I'm European so I couldn't sign up for it when I lived in the US either and it was KILLING me. I did try to sign up for TAR Central Europe but that never got off the ground so... I'm left with fantasy routes and Imaginary TAR where I watch episode and wonder who'd do the Roadblock in my Me/BFF team.

I'd love to see some of the smaller states and especially the microstates in Europe because there's lot of quirky interesting things to see/do there and you'd think they'd be cheap to do. My best friend and I have driven from Slovenia to Italy just to get dinner in Trieste and we were back in the beautiful Julian Alps on the same night. I like it when teams drive themselves and there's no reason why they can't do Barcelona - Andorra - Perpignan (fly to) Brussels for instance. Or Germany - Liechtenstein. Or Bologna - San Marino. Or fly to Malta from a major airport in Europe.

Kazakhstan has decent flight connections from Istanbul for instance. I'd love a double leg there, although I know I'd cringe and want to whack people upside the head every time they mention Borat.

Also on the wish list: Saint Lucia, the ABCs in the Netherland Antilles (I'd love a departure clue about flying to the Netherlands in the tropics, or something that the racers would have to figure out, ie a CLUE, not just "go there"), Trinidad Tobago, Dominican Republic. I checked and these all actually have good flight connections to Brazil or another major country that would allow an onwards journey.

Portugal - Cape Verde - Senegal - The Gambia. I think that's also doable with careful planning.

Cape Verde is probably the one I'll never get to see on TAR, but I wish they'd think of it at least. Remote, exotic, great beaches, you can walk into a volcano, historic Portuguese architecture... it's one of my top Bucket List countries so at least I might get to see it in person.

[Cocoa]

I love Russia. I hope they visit Vladivostok sometime!
I love China. I hope they visit a forested area, not a bustling metropolis, but still, it would do.
I love India. Any part of India is magical.
I love Thailand. Just don't go back to Bangkok.
I love Brazil. No, I'm just joking. Yuck = Brazil except Rio de Janeiro

OMG. What a coincidence, all of those countries were overused!

[NotKaren]

I've never been to Brazil, but even if it's been featured a lot, I think a TAR Pit Stop in Brasilia would look great against the backdrop of its unique architecture. I doubt it has any direct flights to Paraguay, but if they get to Paraguay at some point, I wouldn't mind if they did it via Brasilia/other part of Brazil we haven't seen yet.

[georgiapeach]

to RFF, NotKaren!

[natalie]

I would love for TAR to visit some of these

-Indonesia
-ANTARTICA
-Some pacific islands, to see some tropical islands
-Rotan Island (Honduras)
- Kenya ( actually have a whole leg, not 1 task)
-Tasmania
- Nepal

[kiki]

There are still a lot of European countries to visit, with the most notable of course being Denmark. As for Jordan, I visited the country and of course Petra and Wadi Rum were very impressive and full of tourists of every nationality. Another country that I totally loved was Syria. It has amazing places like the bazaar in Damascus, the ancient city of Palmyra and an unbeliavably well preserved crusaders castle, the Crack de Chevalier. I felt completely safe there but I don't know if it would be the same for Americans.

[BrookClaire]

I've never been to Brazil, but even if it's been featured a lot, I think a TAR Pit Stop in Brasilia would look great against the backdrop of its unique architecture. I doubt it has any direct flights to Paraguay, but if they get to Paraguay at some point, I wouldn't mind if they did it via Brasilia/other part of Brazil we haven't seen yet.

It would be cool if they visited the Amazon Rain Forest