Find out ‘Where in the World’ will Lauer will be

It’s fitting that a poster of Muhammad Ali looms over Matt Lauer’s cluttered office up the stairs from NBC’s “Today” show studios.

Lauer ate better, stepped up his workouts and slept more during the past few weeks in preparation for his ninth “Where in the World is Matt Lauer?” marathon.

Each morning this week, Lauer will open “Today” from a different location. His destination is kept a mystery from both his on-air colleagues and viewers, adding to the fun.

Lauer, 50, has logged 210,721 miles on his trips, turning up by the Pyramids in Egypt, at the casinos of Monte Carlo and at the Taj Mahal in India.

Some of his personal favorites were Mount Everest, Easter Island and Bhutan, the latter a highlight from last year.

“It’s really hard to keep your body from getting completely ruined on this,” Lauer says, “so I come home and I say that I’m never going to do this again. And that usually lasts for three or four months.”

“Today” Executive Producer Jim Bell offered only one hint about this year’s adventure, saying the series opens at a place “of particular interest to Americans looking to travel, particularly with the economy the way it is.”