As if carrying out your every whim on little digital characters around their neighborhood wasn’t enough, later this year you’ll be able to send them to far away destinations, whether they like it or not.

EA announced today that the first expansion for The Sims 3 – World Adventures – will be released on November 16, 2009.  Being a fan of The Sims titles for a long time – it’s one of the few PC games I play – this expansion seems like it raises the bar when it comes to what to expect from the game’s expansions.  I’m used to expansions that elaborate on the neighborhood-based game play, but now it appears you can take your Sims to real-world-based destinations at the far reaches of the globe.

World Adventures will be one of the most “robust expansion packs to The Sims yet”, according to EA’s Scott Evans, General Manager of The Sims.  You’ll be able to explore areas based on real-world cities in China, France and Egypt, as well as meet new Sims, undertake challenges to find ancient treasures, learn new skills and take pictures of their travels.

As someone who’s just recently purchased The Sims 3 and has been a fan of the games for years, this expansion sounds like a lot of fun and a departure from what is normal for a Sims expansion.  Perhaps there will many new ways to make your Sims meet an untimely demise in these foreign lands.