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TODAY

Sheinelle Jones

Where in the world has Matt visited? Find out

From Cairo in 1998 to Madrid in 2011, look through images of the 46 locations where Matt traveled during his 10 "Where in the World" journeys.

/ 50 PHOTOS
Looking out at Foul Bay
 Foul Bay on the southeast coast of Barbados is anything but. This expansive and beautiful beach is partially shaded by casuarina and palm trees, making it an ideal spot for family picnics.

Where in the World has Matt been? Find out

From Cairo in 1998 to Barbados in 2011, look through images of the 49 locations where Matt traveled during his 10 Where in the World journeys.

Barbados
Trip 10, Day 5: Matt shed his parka and snow boots and spent the fifth day of his around-the-world adventure in the tropical paradise of Barbados. On the southeast coast of Barbados, Foul Bay, pictured, is anything but. This expansive and beautiful beach is partially shaded by casuarina and palm trees, making it an ideal spot for family picnics. From cocktails and beach bashes to calypso serenades, a trip to Barbados is sure to be an epic party. Check out this TODAY travel guide for information and travel tips.

Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe
At almost 3500 metres above sea level, the Jungfraujoch offers many unforgettable photo opportunities. The expanse of the Bernese Alps, the glistening blue world of eternal ice and the mystical wafting mists of the warm Fön wind. Pay us a visit and gather your own impressions from the roof of the Bernese Oberland.

Jungfraujoch, Swiss Alps

Trip 10, Day 4: Matt went to Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, for the fourth day of his worldwide adventure. Known as the 'Top of Europe,' Jungfraujoch rises more than 11,000 feet above sea level. Matt was originally scheduled to land there on Day 2, but bad weather scuttled his plans. While atop Jungfraujoch, Matt met a record-breaking mountain climber, who took only three hours to scale the Eiger, an ascent that takes most three days. He also took a lesson in wilderness survival (including how to eat a grub!) from Bear Grylls, host of the television show Man vs. Wild. Do you want to follow in Matt's footsteps and travel to Jungfraujoch? Check out this TODAY travel guide for more information.

A Look At Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Trip 10, Day 3: Matt opened the third day of his adventure from more than 500 feet in the air, standing in the middle of the sky bridge connecting the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From 1998 until 2004, the towers were the tallest building in the world. Kuala Lumpur, known to locals as KL, is known for its diverse population, trademark tea time ritual and culinary delights.

Andrea Pistolesi / Getty Images AsiaPac
Madrid - Places To Visit

Madrid, Spain

Trip 10, Day 2: Matt ended up for the second day of his 10th anniversary Where in the World trip at the historic Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain. The square is hundreds of years old and hosts concerts and festivals. Matt started the day with a little flamenco dancing and later took viewers inside the public food market known as the Mercado de San Miguel as well as the royal palace that is home to the colorful 85-year-old Duchess of Alba.

Eyeswideopen / Getty Images Europe
The sand dunes along the Skeleton Coast just outside Swakopmund in Namibia in July 1987, abut the Atlantic Ocean and are very tempting for motor bike riders although many conservationist complain that riding on the dunes is destroying the ecology of the area. (AP Photo/John Parkin)

Skeleton Coast, Namibia

Trip 10, Day 1: Matt started the first day of his 10th Where in the World trip with a little "spring skiing" down one of Namibia's many immense sand dunes. The winds between the Namib Desert and Atlantic Ocean reshape the dunes every single day, moving some of them as much as a half a mile each year. Namibia's harsh coastline was long ago termed the "Sands of Hell" by sailors who dreaded shipwrecking there. Matt toured the coast, and also learned more about the region's wildlife (including cheetahs and desert elephants) and about Namibia's ancient tribe.

John Parkin / AP
NEW PORT MAHE

Republic of Seychelles

Trip 9, Day 5: Matt's final stop on his 2008 trip was in the Republic of Seychelles, an archipelago nation of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean. He relaxed on the beach with the director of tourism and sampled some Creole cooking.

Sayyid Azim / AP
**  FILE  **  Sun sets over the Ottoman era Sultanahmet mosque, known as the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey, in this  Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2005 file photo. The conservative group in the European Parliament will ask the assembly on Wednesday Sept. 28, to postpone the planned ratification of Turkey's customs union with the European Union. The EU governments issued a declaration warning that failure to recognize Cyprus could paralyze Turkey's entry talks with the EU, which are scheduled to start Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Osman Orsal)

Istanbul, Turkey

Trip 9, Day 4: Matt landed in Istanbul, Turkey, a city that stradles two continents -- Asia and Europe -- with the Bosphorus Strait between them. For the past 2,000 years, this has been the cradle of civilization, including the birthplace of religions, home of vast empires and a global pivot point where East meets West. Matt shares surprising facts about Turkey, including origins of the story of Santa Claus and the word "coffee." He also visited the Blue Mosque and watched whirling dervishes.

Osman Orsal / AP
MAPS FOR LAOS

Vientiane, Laos

Trip 9, Day 3: Matt arrived in Vientiane, Laos, for his third stop in the 2008 journey. Long known as the "Land of a Million Elephants," now there are only about 2,000 left. Matt entered a wat — an ornate Buddhist temple — and watched its monks at prayer and (ew!) ate some fried silk worms and crickets, which are local delicacies.

David Longstreath / AP
FILE - Prostitutes stand behind red-lit windows, waiting for customers in Amsterdam's Red Light district in this May 2, 1996 file photo. With its scantily-clad prostitutes posing in brothel windows and coffee shops oozing the pungent aroma of cannabis smoke, Amsterdam's Red Light District has always thrived on its illicit atmosphere. But while the city has long tolerated coffee shops where marijuana is sold openly and fully legalized prostitution, authorities say the network of cobbled alleys and canals is a haven for organized crime where mobsters launder money through real estate, brothels and bars. \"We are very worried about the mixing of the underworld with the above board in the center of Amsterdam,\" the city said Thursday in a press release. \"Particularly in the Red Light District, money laundering from real estate... and involvement of organized crime in prostitution, coffee shops, smart shops, and parts of the hotel industry is a cause for concern.\" The problem is well-known, but f

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Trip 9, Day 2: From its beautiful cities to its massive flower industry, Matt takes a quick tour of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the latest stop on his journey. He visited the Anne Frank House and took a tour from a canal boat.

Peter Dejong / AP
Obelisco, Buenos Aires skyline

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Trip 9, Day 1: Matt started his 2008 adventure in Buenos Aires circling the Avenida 9 de Julio, pictured on the left, in a scooter. He also got an impromptu tango lesson from a professional dancer and discovered fly-fishing, sheepshearing and other activities in Patagonia, one of the last unspoiled places on Earth.

Robert E Klein / RBKLN Robert E Klein/Norwegian C
A girl sits on stone wall as she looks a

Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

Trip 8, Day 5: Matt ended his trip at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. There, Matt highlighted historic sights in the harbor and reported on the nation's past struggles, including with poverty and apartheid. He also cooked with TODAY's Giada de Laurentiis and learned a local dance.

Gianluigi Guercia / AFP
An aerial view shows the landmark Burj A

Dubai

Trip 8, Day 4: From the Dubai beachfront, Matt received a massage and sipped a tropical drink (what a rough life!) while Natalie Morales skied inside at an indoor snow park. Matt also reported on the amazing structures currently being built, like a rotating skyscraper and a Nickelodeon theme park.

Marwan Naamani / AFP
BTN: Monatic Life in Bhutan Unchangeable As Democracy Takes Hold

Bhutan

Trip 8, Day 3: After a harrowing trip flying through the Himalaya Mountains, Matt arrived in the tiny Asian kingdom of Bhutan. Matt provided our anchors with some help since none of them knew where it was! He visited the holiest sites and talked about the traditions, the recent rise of technology and the unique life of boys in the Bhutanese culture.

Paula Bronstein / Getty Images AsiaPac
** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ** This October 2007 photo shows the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland. The cliffs tower more than 650 feet at their highest and jut out into the Atlantic Ocean and are one of Ireland's top visitor attractions. (AP Photo/Dan Nephin)

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Trip 8, Day 2: Matt jumped into a helicopter and flew over Ireland's Cliffs of Moher for the second day in his trip. Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the cliffs, which rise about 700 feet up from the Atlantic Ocean. Later, he relaxed at a pub in Galway and tried on the Irish fashion and tasted traditional food.

Dan Nephin / AP
BOEING PLANT

Boeing plant in Washington state, U.S.

Trip 8, Day 1: Matt traveled to Everett, Wash., to tour a Boeing plant for his first stop in 2007. He was inside the world's largest building by volume where 12 Empire State buildings could fit when laid end-to-end. Matt took the controls of a flight simulator and showed viewers the parts of the plane that you rarely see.

Elaine Thompson / AP
Tourists enjoy a view of the famous Croa

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Trip 7, Day 5: Matt soaked up the sun off of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia -- often called the "New Riviera" -- on the fifth day of the trip. Croatia, nestled between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, is famous in part for inventing the neck tie and the ballpoint pen. When there, Matt learned to cook Croatian seafood dishes and talked about its troubled past and a future full of tourists.

Stringer / AFP
The skyline of the city's financial dist

Shanghai, China

Trip 7, Day 4: Matt landed in the Paris of the East for his fourth stop in the 2005 adventure. Shanghai is known for its shopping and its thousands of skyscrapers. While there, Matt experienced tea time in the traditional Chinese way and explored the nightlife.

Philippe Lopez / AFP
Snowboarding in Austria

Innsbruck, Austria

Trip 7, Day 3: Matt visited the Olympic town of Innsbruck, Austria, for the third destination in his journey. Matt checked out Stubai Glacier to review evidence that the "land of eternal ice" is slowly melting due to global warming. He also explored the mystery of the Ice Man and bought some lederhosen.

Sean Gallup / Getty Images North America
Cargo ships wait next to the Americas br

Panama Canal

Trip 7, Day 2: Matt sailed the Panama Canal for his second day in the 2005 Where in the World series. Later, he helped a cruise liner pass through the locks from the canal's gatehouse and explored the wildlife, nightlife and growing business climate in the country.

Elmer Martinez / AFP
Ahu Akivi Moais -- stone statues of the

Easter Island

Trip 7, Day 1: On the first day of the 2005 installment of "Where in the World is Matt Lauer," Matt landed on Easter Island, home to massive statues that line the coast. He learned abou the origin of the Moai statues and got a taste of the local food and traditional dance.

Martin Bernetti / AFP
Image: Necker Island's Bali Houses

Necker Island, British Virgin Islands

Trip 6, Day 5: After an exhausting trip, Matt received quite a reward on the fifth day of his journey -- landing at the exclusive and luxurious Necker Island. The small resort is owned by Sir Richard Branson and located in the British Virgin Islands. When Matt was there, he learned how to survive on a deserted island and watched singer Jimmy Buffet perform his hit, "Come Monday."

Image:

Moscow, Russia

Trip 6, Day 4: Matt landed in the Red Square, which is the heart of Moscow. He stood in front of St. Basils' cathedral -- one of many ornate cathedrals in the Russian city -- and reported on the mystery behind what is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, the Amber Room. He also learned how the Russians deal with the extreme cold!

Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP
Image: A blanket of haze hangs over the Hong Ko

Hong Kong

Trip 6, Day 3: Matt was greeted by lion dancers and flag wavers in Hong Kong, a fascinating Oriental gem where modern and colonial traditions comes together to make a city of contrasts. Matt explored the city's booming film industry, chatted with Jackie Chan and learned more about Feng Shui.

Ed Jones / AFP
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Zermatt, Switzerland

Trip 6, Day 2: Amid the canyons of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps, Matt took off into the air using a paraski in Zermatt, Switzerland. About 14,000 feet above sealevel, he also reported on how the Swiss make such great watches and took viewers inside the secret world of Swiss banking.

Rene Ritler / KEYSTONE
Luxury Tourism In Botswana

Botswana

Trip 6, Day 1: Matt arrived in beautiful Botswana for the first day of his 2004 tour, meeting giraffes, elephants and other amazing wildlife. He also listened to the culture of the Bushmen and reported on how diamonds are found and developed.

Chris Jackson / Getty Images Europe
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Monaco

Trip 5, Day 5: Matt arrived in the second smallest country in the world, the principality of Monaco, which is a place of ritz, glamour and money. It boasts more millionaires per square foot than any other place on earth. Matt enjoyed himself, living it up in the casinos and sailing on yachts. He also reported on the life and legacy of Princess Grace.

Lionel Cironneau / AP
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Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Trip 5, Day 4: Matt traveled to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat, the landmark that translates to "City of Temples" and was built back in the 12th century. When there, he explored the magnificent temple and watched traditional dancers perform.

Eugene Hoshiko / AP
Today

Scotland

Trip 5, Day 3: Matt, wearing a modern-day kilt, starts his third day at Skibo Castle, in Scotland. As part of its history, the castle was an exclusive club that was purchased by Andrew Carnegie in 1897. The castle is known for hosting celebrity weddings like that of Madonna and Guy Ritchie and Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti. Even Matt spent a few days of his honeymoon at the castle. During his Where in the World trip, he played a round of golf (check out his pants!) and tried some traditional Scottish cuisine.

Behind the Scenes
The Place Jemaa El Fna  in Marrakesh  06

Marrakesh, Morocco

Trip 5, Day 2: Matt brings viewers to Marrakesh, Morocco. The city's inhabitants, said Matt, blend Berber, Arab and African tolerance. The center of Marrakesh is the Jemaa El Fna, a gathering place for hundreds of years where tribes could come to do business in the market.

Abdelhak Senna / AFP
Preliminary Draw of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil - Previews

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Trip 5, Day 1: Matt's fifth trip began in Rio de Janeiro, the heart and soul of Carnival each year. Matt watched a samba school perform and sampled Brazilian food, including a black bean dish, barbecued meat and fresh seafood. Matt also answered a viewer question about the famous "Christ the Redeemer" statue, which was carved out of granite and took five years to complete.

Michael Regan / Getty Images South America
Super Paradise Beach, Mykonos, Cylade Islands, Greece

Greek island of Mykonos

Trip 4, Day 5: The final destination on Matt's trip was chosen by viewers on the Internet, who voted to send him to the Greek island of Mykonos, one of the country's 1,400 islands. On the Aegean Sea, the islands' water is famous for its perfect blue hues. Delos, another island that is a ferry ride away from Mykonos, is home to ancient massive monuments that were offered as gifts to the gods. Matt experienced traditional music, food, and dancing while learning the region's history.

Walter Bibikow / JAI
Image: Buddhist monks pray during a religious ceremony held to mark King Adulyadej's 84th birthday anniversary at the Wat Phra Kaew Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand

Trip 4, Day 4: Matt went to Thailand's Grand Palace, one of the country's greatest treasures. At the center of the palace is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, where shorts are not permitted and monks pray during religious ceremonies.

Chaiwat Subprasom / X01707
TODAY

Paris, France

Trip 4, Day 3: Matt started the day in front of Paris’ Eiffel Tower, which is 1,063 feet tall. Built in 1889, the tower was part of a world exhibition. What most people don’t know is that the tower was meant to be temporary and torn down after 20 years. It’s now been standing for 122 years. In Paris, Matt sampled French cooking and watched dancers perform the can-can.

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TODAY

Britannia oil platform, off the coast of Scotland

Trip 4, Day 2: Matt visited a “city at sea,” the Britannia oil rig, which stands in about 450 feet of water in the middle of the North Sea, off the northeast coast of Aberdeen, Scotland. The workers are drilling for natural gas and oil in sea beds that can be thousands of feet deep. Matt and the Where in the World crew traveled 11,769 miles from Peru to visit the Britannia. He learned how the oil platform was built and reported on the controversy over oil drilling.

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TODAY

Machu Picchu, Peru

Trip 4, Day 1: Matt landed in Machu Picchu for the first day of his fourth trip. The ancient ruins, which are at almost 9,000 feet in the Andes Mountains, took 80 years to build, though some areas have never been finished. Matt also explored Coral and the Inca city of Cusco.

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Reykjavik, Iceland

Trip 3, Day 5: Viewers chose the last destination of Matt’s trip, and sent him to Iceland. He started his visit just outside of Reykjavik at the Blue Lagoon, one of the country’s most photographed attractions. The lagoon’s water, which is geothermally heated, reaches about 100 degrees. Iceland is so far north that residents enjoy 24 hours of daylight in the summer months. Matt rode a horse and learned about the landscape of beautiful Iceland.

Tania Fuentez / AP
Image: TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ELLA IDE
A pictu

Pisa, Italy

Trip 3, Day 4: After 71 hours of air travel over three days, Matt arrived in Pisa, Italy. The Leaning Tower of Pisa tilts 17 feet, or 5 degrees, of off the perpendicular angle. It was started back in 1173 and they immediately had problems, halting construction in 1178 because it was already leaning. Though there are some attempts to fix it, nobody in Pisa, said Matt, want it to stand straight. “That would be like taking the smile off the Mona Lisa; the tour buses would disappear,” Matt said. Later in the morning, Matt took a helicopter to Florence.

Fabio Muzzi / AFP
VICTORIA FALLS

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Trip 3, Day 3: The third day of Matt’s trip took him to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. When the tribal people first laid eyes on the falls, Matt explained, they called them the “smoke that thunders. In 1855, explorer David Livingstone became the first white man to see the falls and named them for the Queen of England. Matt got a bird's-eye view of the falls and, later, reminisced about then-TODAY anchor Katie Couric's trip.

Samuel Shelanski / AP
**  Fille  ** The Guggenheim Museum, designed by California architect Frank Gehry, is seen in this Oct. 18, 1997 file photo in Bilbao, Spain before its official opening. The $100 million building, funded by the Basque regional government, constructed of titanium, limestone and glass, celebrates its 10-year anniversary in Oct. 2007. The museum was inaugurated Oct. 18, 1997 and open to the public a day later. (AP Photo/Santiago Lyon, Files)

Guggenheim Museum near Bilbao, Spain

Trip 3, Day 2: Matt started his day at the Guggenheim Museum, a $100 million building constructed of titanium, limestone and glass, and designed by architect Frank Gehry. The museum was inaugurated on Oct. 18, 1997. He also sampled some of the famed Spanish food and answered some viewer emails.

Santiago Lyon / AP
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Hawaii, U.S.

Trip 3, Day 1: At the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Matt gave viewers a close-up of lava from the Kilauea Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The lava destroys everything in its path, but as it flows, it creates a new landscape. The dramatic spectacle has drawn thousands of people per day to the park.

David Jordan / AP
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Great Wall of China

Trip 2, Day 5: Matt arrived in Bataling, China, to visit the Great wall of China on the last day of his whirlwind trip. Stationed atop the wall, Matt sampled "fusion" Chinese cuisine, or western dishes with an Asian twist. He also brought back some nice gifts for the other anchors.

Alexander F. Yuan / AP
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Rome, Italy

Trip 2, Day 4: Matt toured the Colosseum in Rome, which is more than 2,000 years old. It was built by a Roman emperor in 70 A.D. who wanted to give the people a place to gather and be entertained. At that time, 80,000 spectators could assemble to watch gladiator battles. Matt also reported how cats hold a special place in Rome.

Alberto Pizzoli / AFP
USS Theodore Roosevelt docks at Portsmouth

USS Theodore Roosevelt, Ionian Sea

Trip 2, Day 3: Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an air craft carrier then cruising in the Mediterranean Sea, Matt talked to members of the Air Force who were en route to rejoining NATO operations in Yugoslavia. Later that day, Matt rode in an F-14 fighter plane and let some crew members send a message to their loved ones.

Chris Ison / EMPPL PA Wire

Matt never made it to the destination

Trip 2, Day 2: After broadcasting from Mt. Everest on his first day, Matt called to say that the crew’s plans to travel to a second destination were foiled by poor weather and visibility.

Image: Mount Everest and other peaks of the Himalayan range are seen from air during a mountain flight from Kathmandu

Mt. Everest, Nepal

Trip 2, Day 1: On the first day of his trip, Matt landed at Mount Everest, one of the seven natural wonders of the world at 29,028 feet. Matt’s trip was the first-ever live U.S. broadcast from that spot in the Himalayas. Each year, thousands of people travel to Everest to gaze at the mountain or to trek up it. Sir Edmund Hilary was the first to summit Everest in 1953.

Tim Chong / X90043
Image: An aerial view 15 December, 1999 shows ferries pas

Sydney, Australia

Trip 1, Day 5: After 42 hours in a plane and traveling more than 18,000 miles, Matt landed in Sydney, Australia. He broadcasted from in front of the Sydney Opera House, which was completed in 1973 and has become the symbol of the city. He also took a bite of shrimp on the barbie.

Torsten Blackwood / AFP
TODAY

Taj Mahal, India

Trip 1, Day 4: In a first-ever international broadcast, Matt visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The landmark was built by a local emperor in the 1600s to commemorate the death of his wife, who died during childbirth. It was reported that her last words were, "Build something perfect to symbolize our love." Matt also reported on the unique lifestyle of the Indian people.

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Today

Athens, Greece

Trip 1, Day 3: On the third day, Matt toured the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. One note from its history, the Greeks spent almost as much money building the Acropolis in the 4th century B.C. as they did on constructing the Parthenon. The crew equipment traveling with Matt had to be transported by crane to reach the 500-foot rock upon which the Acropolis sits.

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Image: File photo of Gondoliers rowing gondolas with tourists in a canal in Venice

Venice, Italy

Trip 1, Day 2: Matt’s second day took him to Venice, Italy, a city that is built on a series of marshy islands. There are only two ways to get around: walk or take a boat. Twelve million people visit the city each year to take in landmarks like the Bridge of Sighs and St. Mark's Basilica, which often makes for crowded streets and canals.

Stefano Rellandini / X90016
TODAY

Cairo, Egypt

Trip 1, Day 1: On the first day of his inaugural Where in the World trip, Matt landed in Cairo, Egypt, where he admired the famous Egyptian pyramids and the Sphinx. Later that day, he traveled 300 miles south to Luxor, home to King Tut’s tomb.

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