Elise Doganieri - The Official Amazing Race Travel Companion: More Than 20 Years of Roadblocks, Detours, and Real-Life Activities to Experience Around the Globe

Foreword by Phil Keoghan

The Official Amazing Race Travel Companion

20 Years of Roadblocks, Detours, and Real-Life Activities to Experience Around the Globe

Elise Doganieri

Co-Creator and Executive Producer of The Amazing Race

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First Simon Element trade paperback edition October 2022

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Cover design by Patrick Sullivan

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBN 978-1-9821-7739-3

ISBN 978-1-9821-7741-6 (ebook)

I dedicate this book to my loving and supportive parents, Lorraine and Michael Doganieri.

Thank you for inspiring me, encouraging me, and, most of all, believing in me.

I will forever miss your Amazing Racethemed dinner parties inspired by the culture, food, and traditions of each country we traveled to during the season.

I miss you both every day; you are always with me.

To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,

To gain all while you give,

To roam the roads of lands remote,

To travel is to live.

Hans Christian Andersen

I recently found a Kodachrome slide of my great-uncle Morris carrying me across the tarmac to board an NAC Boeing 737 with my family. I was almost three. My parents had decided to leave New Zealand to take on a new adventure in Guelph, a small university town in Canada. At the time I was blissfully unaware that my first trip to the other side of the world would lead to a lifetime of travel. Now, whenever I see a plane in the sky, I cant help but wonder where its lucky passengers are heading, and always wish I was with them.

Over more than fifty years Ive had the privilege of visiting more than 130 countries, many of them dozens of times. Im often asked where my favorite place is. New Zealand has to be up there; I love any opportunity to get home and be with family. Italy also ranks highly, because it has all the ingredients I like for a good trip: fantastic history, culture, wine, food, and people. The truth is, I really think my favorite place to visit is a place Ive never visited before.

I love planning adventures, researching where to go and what to do before packing my bags. Preparing for a trip allows you to extend the journey and maximize your time once you get there. I walked the Old Ghost Road through the Southern Alps with my dad a few years back, and some of my fondest memories of the trip were of us poring over maps of the terrain we were going to face in the weeks leading up to our hike.

If time isnt a factor, theres also something wonderful about having absolutely no clue what lies ahead of you. Jumping in headfirst offers a chance to venture into the unknown, get lost on purpose, and let randomness take over.

Back in the late 1990s, I set out to meet the Yukuana people of Venezuela. After landing in Caracas, I jumped in a small plane and flew into the heart of the Venezuelan jungle. We touched down on a dirt runway, and I headed to the very end of a long, winding dirt road in a four-by-four; at that point I found myself off the map. This was where I met a local biologist named John, who had arranged for us to travel upriver in a dugout canoe. After a four-hour trip we were met by the Yukuana chief, who kindly invited us to stay with him and his family for a few days. I decided to completely let go of my agenda and allow myself to be fully immersed in the ways of the Yukuana people. The majority of our time was spent hunting and gathering, and while Im not 100 percent sure about everything I ate during my stay, I now know that green ants in leaves mixed with spiderwebs taste like citrus, and grilled piranha is surprisingly delicious. Im glad to say the hundred-pound capybara we were hunting got away; while Im up for just about anything, eating the worlds largest rodent was not exactly something I felt I needed to add to my to-do list!

Traveling extensively all through my childhood with my plant-scientist father and music-teacher mother, I was taught that wherever you go in the world, youre a guest, and just like visiting someones house, its important to be respectful of others customs. If they would prefer you take your shoes off at the door, dont argue. Treat people with respect, and youre almost guaranteed to be treated the same way. If youre being hosted, let that person take the lead; step back a bit and take in whats going on around you. Pay careful attention to the way people dressif youre in doubt about what to wear, ask. Make an attempt at the local language and customs; try to blend in and fly under the radar. Ask yourself: Am I being too loud or pulling out my camera at the wrong time? While its impossible to get everything right, always try your best not to be offensive in any way.

My mind is filled with incredible memories of the places and adventures Ive been fortunate enough to enjoy: mining in Coober Pedy, Australia, the opal capital of the world; diving with hundreds of whale sharks off the coast of Mexico; getting my reindeer racing license in Finlands Arctic Circle; having a five-star meal on top of the Mount Stromboli volcano during an eruption; putting a golf ball from coast to coast across Scotland and ending on the eighteenth green at St Andrews; breaking an unofficial bungee-jumping world record with eight other crazies in Queenstown, New Zealand; exploring the worlds longest underwater caves below the jungle on the Yucatn Peninsula; riding my bike across America and later circumnavigating France on an eighty-five-year-old Tour de France bicycle hundreds of adventures, millions of miles, dozens of trips around the world, and ultimately what I remember most are the people Ive met along the way.

If I can give you any advice about travel, its that you should make an effort to meet the localsdont lock yourself away in a hotel. Find out where the best eating spots or food trucks are, and the best places to get coffee or fresh fruit, or even where the favorite watering holes are. You will be blown away by the kindness of strangers, and you never knowyou may make enduring friendships along the way. Another great way to connect with people is to reach out to those who share your interests. My family met lifelong friends when a couple reached out to my mother to play music. For years, they would travel the world and connect with local musicians to play classical pieces. While they werent always able to speak the same verbal language, they were able to share the international language of music.