Perhaps this might be veering into Treasure Hunters territory, but I really wouldn't mind TAR having a little plotline or meaning to its route - a little bit like Family Edition on a grander scale. Here's a sample revolving around US history:
LEG ONE
Beginning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, teams start by heading to Gettysburg, and then to Fort Sumter in Charleston, S Carolina, where the Civil War started.
LEG TWO (back-to-back airing)
Tracing the origins of Denmark Vesey, a freed slave who plotted a rebellion in Charleston, teams follow his past to Cap-Haitien, Haiti.
LEG THREE
The Haitian Revolution inspired the slave uprising in the US, but also led to an exodus of refugees across the Windward Passage to Havana, Cuba.
LEG FOUR
Dabbling into the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War, teams end up with clues that send them across the Atlantic to Moscow, Russia.
LEG FIVE
Cold War intrigue continues as a paper trail detailing the Sino-Soviet split leads teams to Beijing, China.
LEG SIX
Rewind to World War II, when China was occupied by Japanese forces. Teams follow the trail of imperial treasures, which were hauled off to Tokyo, Japan.
LEG SEVEN
Continuing in Japan, teams trace the progress of the war, ending in Hiroshima, Japan where the first atomic bomb was detonated.
LEG EIGHT
The end of the Second World War meant the US regained colonial control over the Philippines. Teams head to the Baguio Highlands, Philippines to find the gold of General Yama****a, the Tiger of Malaya.
LEG NINE
The US Pacific Fleet passed through a generation between the battles of the Philippines and Vietnam. Teams explore the history of the Vietnam War in Hanoi and Vinh, Vietnam.
LEG TEN
Tracing the military exploits of the US, the focus shifts from the Vietnam War to the Gulf War, and teams are sent to Kuwait City, Kuwait.
LEG ELEVEN
The UK has been a staunch ally of the Americans during the Gulf War. The military connection leads teams to London, UK, where they find an older history about the American Revolutionary War.
LEG TWELVE
This part is somewhat stolen from Treasure Hunters, but LaFayette's contribution in the Revolutionary War leads teams across the Channel to his hometown in Auvergne, France.
LEG THIRTEEN
The season concludes with a deeper investigation into US independence, and obviously this sends teams back to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
And later seasons can focus on other themes bringing the show to more exotic locales, I'd leave you to figure out the connections for these ones!
The British Empire: London > Caen, France > Copenhagen, Denmark > Nuuk, Greenland > Boston, USA > Whitehorse, Canada > Vancouver, Canada > Hong Kong > Melbourne, Australia > Goa, India > Cape Town, S Africa > Cairo, Egypt > Rome, Italy > London
The Middle Kingdom: Beijing > Xian, Shaanxi > Samarkand, Uzbekistan > Moscow, Russia > Aden, Yemen > Malindi, Kenya > Addis Ababa, Ethiopia > Rome, Italy > New York, USA > San Francisco, USA > Taipei, Taiwan > Tokyo, Japan > Changchun, Jilin > Beijing
