Strategy for the remaining 42 countries

Now that I’m back from Africa, I’ve been doing some thinking of how I’ll get to my final 42 countries. Plan is to have a party somewhere that family/friends will want to join over Labour Day 2016…which will also coincidentally be my 45th birthday weekend.

After doing some planning, I have my remaining 42 countries grouped into a rough set of trips. 2014 plans are:

March: long weekend in Jamaica (155)

late-April: week in Ecuador and Bolivia (156-157)

July 4th weekend: long dive weekend in St Kitts and Nevis (158)

October: 9 south pacific countries (167)

New Years: 6 countries of East Africa + Saudi, Eritrea, Yemen. Hope is to arrange a Saudi transit visa between Eritrea and Yemen (175)

That will bring me into 2015 with 21 to go. They’re grouped as:

Belize: Dive trip planned with a buddy who returns from Afghanistan in Spring 2015. That leaves 20.

Middle East: Probably two trips, since I have Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. Who’s to say how I’ll get Syria….that’ll leave 16.

Mongolia and Turkmenistan: Probably two trips, especially if I manage the work trip to Turkmenistan I’m trying to get arranged, which could actually happen in mid 2014. That makes 14.

Cuba. Trying to figure out an interesting way to do it. That will leave 13.

New Years 2015-2016 will likely feature a 3 week romp through West and Central Africa. I’ll enter from Andorra to Algeria and then down, for 11 countries…leaving 2 to go.

Then, in 2016, I’ll do anything leftover from above (Syria? Cuba?), plus:

Bahamas and Iceland: leaving these for the last two, since I want a destination for my last one that family and friends will want to join. Iceland is the plan, but just in case I have an in-flight diversion before then, I’m leaving Bahamas as a backup. Labour Day 2016….start planning on it…thinking a long weekend trip of Thursday to Tuesday….