10 New Countries I Hope To Visit In 2025

I fell far short of the goal in 2023 and again in 2024, but I’m setting what I hope will be an achievable goal in 2025: visit 10 countries I have not previously visited…

10 New Countries For 2025

As I focus on the more important matters of my family, cultivating my career beyond this blog, and working to live rather than living to work, I still hope to whittle away a bit at my country count each year. But long gone are the years when I could visit dozens of new countries.

Last year I visited two new countries on my Explora Caribbean cruise including Barbados and Saint Lucia. There was also Guadeloupe and French Polynesia if you count them as independent of France (I do not). I always set out to do more, but the realities of my primary duty as a husband and father do limit my ability to travel…a tradeoff I welcome. I stretch out trip reports to make it seem like I am always away, but for 4/5 of the year I am home and as my children quickly grow and I tackle other professional obligations, my trips will continue to be limited in duration.

Nevertheless, by the end of the year, I hope to visit these 10 new countries:

Venezuela

Stay tuned for this one: I’m working hard to make it happen but securing a visa is not easy for US citizens…it has been extreme drama.

Mongolia

I hope to fly both MIAAT and United’s new service to Ulaanbaatar this year.

Timor-Leste

UN

This is the last country in SE Asia I have not visited. Timor-Leste is a country I must visit if I am going to visit every country and I will be in Indonesia later this year, so I am going to try to spend a day or two in the capital city of Dili.

Angola

I’m so intrigued by Luanda, the oil-rich capital of Angola, as well as the country’s Cold War history. I plan to review TAAG this year… which should be interesting…and if I do, will spend the night in Luanda.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the only country in Central America I have not visited. I’m intrigued by President Daniel Ortega and happy that United Airlines flies to Augusto Cesar Sandino International Airport (MGA) in Managua, the capital city.

Uganda

I have friends from Uganda in Los Angeles who have contacts on the ground and would like to review the Airbus A330-800neo on Uganda Airlines.

Senegal

I’ve been meaning to review Air Senegal for a couple years now and if I do, I will certainly spend a day or two in Dakar. Now that United will fly to Dakar, it will be easier than ever to reach.

Somalia

@beydancoffee / Instagram

Ok, hear me out on this one. I know Somalia is not safe. But I want to see it…and support the brave entrepreneurs who have opened a hip coffee shop in Mogadishu.

Eritrea

I hope to visit the colorful capital of Eritrea, Asmara, but this is a very strange nation and has become more difficult to reach after Ehtiopian Airlines was banned.

Belize

I tried to fit in a Belize trip in 2024 and could not make it work (United flies nonstop once per week from Los Angeles), but hope to do so this year.

CONCLUSION

These are my goals, and perhaps they are a bit ambitious. But I do hope to whittle down this list in 2025 and would welcome any tips you can provide on any of the destinations above.