Travelling for me has always been something I have been privileged to experience. Usually, multiple times throughout the year my eyes and my heart are filled with exciting adventures to new and wonderful places. Packing my bags and heading out the door for unknown adventures felt like my natural state of being. And 2020 sure put a stop to that! I found myself itching to get on a plane but knowing I could not. So what is getting me through this period of stay-at-home orders and a countrywide lockdown? Why my favourite travel tv shows, of course!
It’s incredible how even seeing other people travelling the world and getting a glimpse of what was once “normal” is a great comfort. So I wanted to share with you all some of my favourite TV shows which will quench your thirst for the world outside your bedroom! This is part of my series on virtual travel which will hopefully help your wanderlust during this global pandemic.
Way back in 2004, I watched pretty much everything that came out on Sky TV in the UK. And one of those shows was Ewan McGregor‘s ‘Long Way Around.‘ The TV series followed film star Ewan McGregor and his best friend Charley Boorman as they rode motorcycles around the world, the “long way around.” They meet amazing people along the journey, see incredible vistas, and even come up with creative ways to solve literal bumps in the road.
I fell in love with this series immediately. I had a teenage crush on Ewan McGregor, but the beauty of the places they went kept me around and has me re-watching the series pretty much once a year. Even though the series wasn’t filmed is super high def, the high-quality friendship between Ewan and his friend Charley makes up for it and presents a series that is far more charming than the slickness of say ‘Planet Earth’.
In 2007 they filmed a follow-up series called the “Long Way Down,” where they took their motorcycles across the continent of Africa. And just in time for lockdowns in 2020, they released their third series called the “Long Way Up.” Luckily they had filmed this in 2019 before any covid restrictions were put in place. This series follows them as they ride ELECTRIC motorcycles up the continent of Central and South America. This new series is filmed in high-def and is the crisp version of the show we all had been waiting for! This would be my #1 recommendation for TV shows to binge right now! I haven’t seen this show on any other list, so trust me, it’s the hidden gem you are looking for!
You can watch all three seasons on Amazon Prime or on Apple TV
During these turbulent times, laughter is one of the best ways to relax. And no one makes me laugh more than Karl Pilkington. I got obsessed with Karl when he popped up as the producer for Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant‘s XFM radio show way back in 2002! When the crew decided to get back together to produce this TV show I was over the moon. An Idiot Abroad follows Karl Pilkington as he travels around the world. But unlike other travel shows, Karl isn’t someone who likes to travel and would rather stay inside his British bubble.
Throughout the series, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (the producers) throw all sorts of curveballs his way and puts him in some amusing situations. His overall dislike of travel and things we typically fawn over is a hilariously refreshing point of view. While the show might revolve around someone who has no interest in seeing the wonders of the world, for those of us who love to travel, it is still a beautiful thing to watch and gives a different perspective on travelling.
You can watch An Idiot Abroad on Amazon Prime, Sky TV, and many of the episodes are available on Youtube.
My travel guru has always been Rick Steves. When I was 14, I went on my first international trip, and I had his guide book with me like my bible. His voice guided me throughout the city. I will always thank him for such a gentle and easy instruction to travelling. Rick Steves’ Europe is a series that Rick began producing for PBS in 2000. Since then, they have made over 129 episodes.! Each episode focuses on a different city in Europe and features Rick’s charming narration leading you through the best things to see and do while in town. Although the show is meant more as a travel planning guide, during lockdown it is a great way to travel to these cities from the couch!
Most of the episodes are now available on Rick Steves’ Youtube Channel.
I think that ‘Departures‘ was indeed the inspiration for the flood of Youtube travel vloggers, which exploded in the last five years. The show was initially produced for Canadian television. It was created by the three team members featured on the show, Scott Wilson, Justin Lukach and Andre Dupuis. The three friends filmed the entire show themselves, often turning the camera on “selfie-mode” since they didn’t have a camera crew. This was perhaps the spark that ignited the flame for many youtube travel vloggers to come!
The trio had seen many other travel TV shows over the years and thought they didn’t reflect their youthful experiences. They felt most travel shows were “kind of dry.” Thinking that bureaucratic pre-production and a sizeable crew was perhaps the impediment to depicting the spontaneous and exciting kind of adventures they had, they set out to create Departures. And the show indeed is a “departure” from the typical travel tv show.
You can watch Departures on Amazon prime TV or catch some of their episode highlights on youtube.
Dark Tourist is one of those shows I love since I would never experience anything like this! I would never be brave enough to go anywhere or do anything like what this man does in the series. The show follows journalist David Farrier as he explores the scariest, most dangerous, tragic and weirdest places around the world. He is truly fearless and has that straight man comedic timing that brings some lightness and laughter to sometimes dreadful circumstances.
Dark Tourist is available to watch on Netflix.
I genuinely think that Anthony Bourdain‘s Parts Unknown is the #1 reason we saw such a surge in people getting more and more inspired to go to countries that aren’t just the typical honeymoon destinations. He showed the audience that you can have a culinary experience to rival Michelin star restaurants in Paris in places all over the world! The show premiered in 2013, starring acclaimed chef and personality Anthony Bourdain. Over the next five years, they filmed over 100 episodes visiting places like; Mexico City, Borneo, Beirut and Iran. While the show’s primary focus is on food, their travels through the countries and cities they visit are unique and powerful to watch.
All 12 seasons are available to watch on Amazon Prime, you can rent official episodes on Youtube, but many episodes are available for free on Youtube if you search for them.
Tales of Light feels more like a dream than anything else. It’s tough to believe that the videos you’re watching are of the world you live in! The Australian docu-series follows professional photographers and filmmakers. They each travel worldwide, telling unique and personal stories about the meaningful people and places they visited. It’s very similar to the series ‘Planet Earth‘ in the way in which it is filmed. It’s one of those shows where you don’t need to feel bad about not being able to travel as most of these places are out of your reach anyway (unless you’re a deep-sea diver or can climb to the top of a volcano!) But while you might not be able to top that mountain yourself, you can still enjoy the views on your tv screen.
Tales of Light is available to watch on Netflix.
Salt Fat Acid Heat was a show I fell in love with this past winter. The show is an American cooking documentary featuring the great Samin Nosrat. Many of my favourite travel cooking shows feature men as their host, and it was so refreshing to finally have one starring a woman! Samin Nosrat wrote a book of the same name, which they translate into this heartwarming show. While the book is also a fantastic read, the show makes you drool over the stunning colours and textures which are the four ingredients in the title! The show’s four episodes focus on Nosrat’s elemental ethos for successful cooking which is: salt, fat, acid, and heat. In each episode, Nosrat travels to different locations around the world, which are famous for that particular element. In the country of origin, she learns all about the history, cultural impact and, of course, cusine which that element is responsible for. And at the end of the series, she’ll have you ready to cook like a pro too! Perfect to practice during lockdown!
Salt Acid Fat Heat is watchable on Netflix.
Travels with My Father is another slapstick adventure featuring comedian Jack Whitehall and his truly hilarious father, Michael Whitehall. While Jack might be the self-proclaimed “comedian”, it’s Michael who almost always steals the show with his dry humour. The first seasons features the pair travelling to South East Asia. Jack felt he never got to experience a “gap year” when he was a young man and is recreating the experience with his dad. While filmed like a documentary, I have a feeling a lot of the funny situations are a bit staged. Still, nevertheless, the duo is ceaselessly amusing to watch and is another beautiful example of a travel show with a different angle to it. Travel shows don’t always have to show off manicured museums and picturesque panoramas. Sometimes travel is more about the person you are with and the ways in which you interact when put into these new and exciting situations.
Travels with my Father is available to watch on Netflix.
I hope these TV shows help with the yearning to get out there and explore! Not only are these shows a great way to get outside your house (virtually at least), but they can also inspire some ideas for future trip planning. We will be back out there one day! Until then, enjoy these charming, binge-able Travel TV shows!
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