Travel Rant #1: Travel Shows
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we all had plenty of time at home to daydream about our next travel adventure. With more time for television than ever, finding good travel shows is surprisingly difficult. If you live in America, you must be frustrated with the downward spiral of Travel Channel. Once a decent channel dedicated to domestic and foreign travel, the Travel Channel’s programming changed after the takeover by Discovery Inc. The channel has been covered by nonsense programming, such as The Dead Files and Ghost Adventures. It was a total disgrace. I sometimes wonder whether this reflects the change in American culture or just the decline of cable television.
The “cultural show” at Kandy Lake Club.
Surveying the current landscape of American television and media, it seems like just about all the travel shows nowadays are centered around food. Even though food is undoubtedly an integral part of any travel experience, it is sad that these food-centric travel shows have taken up such a large share of the airwaves. Below are just a few of these shows that are sometimes passed up as travel shows:
Somebody Feed Phil (Philip Rosenthal)
Ugly Delicious (David Cheng)
No Reservations (Anthony Bourdain)
Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations (Andrew Zimmern)
Street Food (Netflix)
Restaurants on the Edge (Netflix)
Huang’s World (Eddie Huang)
The Layover (Anthony Bourdain)
And just a disclaimer: I do enjoy all of the programs above. But I don’t believe they have qualified for a travel program in my book. For me, a travel show should explore the multifaceted aspects of a locale, no matter how eccentric the host or program may be. Below are just a few of my favorite shows to date. They are not for everyone, so please share your favorite travel shows in the comment section below!
Travel Guides - Nine Network (Australia)
I had no idea how exactly I came across this show travel. But after an episode, I am hooked on the show. The program sends six groups of ordinary Australians to various vacation destinations to serve as professional travel critics. All participants stayed at identical accommodations and participated in the same activities. Despite having identical experiences, the “guides” often offer dramatically different feedback. One man’s dream vacation could be the nightmare of others. Everyone is now a travel critic in this age of Instagram and Tripadvisor. Unlike twenty years ago, the trouble with travel planning nowadays is not the lack of information but the lack of editing. Knowing who to trust with travel advice is more important than ever. Travel Guides highlight how any travel experience is definitely in the eyes of the beholder.
Over three seasons of Travel Guides, the participants have traveled across the globe. From the Philippines to Argentina, each episode showcases a different style of travel, from a luxury river cruise to a week-long road trip in RVs. The cast consists of both regulars and new groups with a new season. And like any reality show, Travel Guides is full of great personalities and is authentically eccentric (even at the risk of cultural insensitivity). Many of their regular cast members have since become minor celebrities in Australia.
I must admit that the Travel Guides episodes largely inspired our trips to Sri Lanka and Oman. We even stayed at many of the same accommodations featured in the episodes, such as the Heritance Kandalama in Sri Lanka or Shangri-La Al Husn Resort in Muscat. By the way, both were amazingly memorable, and we were grateful for many recommendations from the show.
Brian and I eagerly await the new episodes yearly and pray that our favorite cast members return. However, as far as I can tell, Travel Guides is not distributed outside Australia. But if you have a VPN (Virtual Private Network), you can watch all the episodes on their official website by setting your network locations to Australia. If you don’t have a VPN service, you can still watch many shorter segments of the shows on their YouTube channel.
Rick Steves' Europe - Oregon Public Broadcasting (USA)
Well, Rick Steves requires no introduction for most Americans. Rick is best known for his European guidebooks. His Italy guidebook consistently ranks as the second most popular guidebook in America (the first being the guidebook to Disney World, after all). Besides the guidebooks, Rick is known for his television travel program on the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). What distinguished Rick from the other competitors is his emphasis on thoughtful travel and travel with purpose. As a self-identified teacher, he often speaks of politically sensitive or uncomfortable topics.
To avoid corporate censorship, Rick Steves produced all his travel shows out of pocket and offered them free to PBS stations across the United States. This non-profit model allows him to take on thorny issues like US-Iran relations and marijuana legalization without worrying about offending the advertisers. In addition to tackling various controversial issues, Rick's passion is also to help Americans travel on a budget and maximize one’s time. He often emphasizes that Americans have the shortest vacations in the rich world, and your time abroad is one of the most valuable assets.
Although the program's target demographic may skew slightly older, its educational value is befitting for public broadcasting. Each episode serves as somewhat of a perfect template for your one-week vacation. And unlike other programs, everything showcased in the episode is accessible to all, albeit some might require advanced online reservations ahead of time.
An Idiot Abroad - Sky One (UK)
If you have not heard of Karl Pilkington, you are seriously missing out on one of television's funniest (or unorthodox) personalities. A friend of British comedian Rick Gervais and Steven Merchants, Karl has been somewhat of Gervais’ pet project since meeting in a recording studio at XFM. I have been a fan of Karl even before the launch of his travel program. Despite the program’s title, Karl is a brilliant individual whose innocence could be easily interpreted as moronic or borderline rude.
The first season follows Karl’s visit to the new Seven Wonders of the World. And like many of Gervais and Merchants, the humor came through under the guise of cringe-worthy awkwardness. The series captured Karl’s first exposure to travel outside Western Europe. No matter how uniquely eccentric Karl might be, we could all identify with many of his sentiments. He is not afraid to go against the consensus and political correctness, and you know he is a genuinely kind and affable individual who could get along with anyone. If we were to meet any celebrity of my choosing, I would pick Karl in a heartbeat.
For some, the bullying directed at Karl may be too difficult to watch. Karl’s follow-up show, Moaning of Life, examines numerous life questions through visits of various interesting individuals across the globe. Even though this program is less destination-centered, it offers insightful glimpses of cultures and traditions from around the world.
Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father - Netflix (UK)
First debuted in 2017, this irreverent travel program followed the footsteps of British comedian Jack Whitehall and his father, Michael, a noted talent agent. The show's premise was to share the stereotypical ‘gap year’ experience with his father to bring the two closer together. The first season follows a well-traveled backpacker route around Southeast Asia. And just like An Idiot Abroad, the prime objective seems to be documenting the ‘fish-out-of-water’ experiences in a foreign country. But unlike Karl, Michael occupies a different end of the social spectrum: well-educated and upper class. At the same, Karl and Michael share this same passion for familiarity with home: England.
On a personal level, a big reason why I enjoyed this series so much is the close resemblance between Michael Whitehall and my own father-in-law. Not only did they look almost identical, but they were also both very Catholic, confident, and conservative. Since we would never dream of traveling with my father-in-law, watching Travels With My Father may be the second-best thing.
The Travel Show - BBC (UK)
Like a weekly news report, BBC’s Travel Show is perhaps one of the most dependable travel programs. Hosted by quite an impressive cast of travel “correspondents,” each week’s report may highlight several destinations or certain trends within the tourism sector. The new format also allows discussion of current events, ranging from the ongoing pandemic to pressing ethical discussions such as user accessibility or over-tourism.
Because The Travel Show does not revolve around a single presenter or a set format, each episode is full of surprises. And because the show is not obligated to do a complete introduction to a destination, this could be quite a refreshing approach for those of us who are seasoned travelers.
Travel Man - Channel 4 (UK)
Hosted by Richard Ayoade and then Joe Lycett since 2020, Travel Man features a city getaway destination in Europe and North America. The name pays tribute to Ayoade’s other popular program, Gadget Man. I first discovered this delightful program when I was doing trip research on Helsinki. Their Helsinki episode with Paul Rudd was brilliant and gave me some interesting insights into some of the newer and quirkiest sights, such as the only Burger King sauna in the world.
Like any good travel show, Travel Man covers plenty of marquee sights in each city, albeit at a lightning-fast pace. Instead, the program focuses on unique experiences and those “who may not be interested in traveling.” Ayoade’s fast-talking and infectiously positive persona is just a perfect host for balancing useful information and unfiltered opinions. Of course, the best episodes feature naturally funny guests such as Rebel Wilson. Go check out the episode on Bologna; it was such great television.
World's Most Dangerous Roads - BBC Two (UK)
Interestingly, I heard about this appropriately named program from Karl Pilkington's interview with a radio show. When asked whether he got many exciting job offers, Karl moaned the only offers he received were silly programs like “some shows about dangerous roads.” Fast forward a few years, I was researching for our trip to Georgia and came across this program. This episode features a drive through the mountain pass of Georgia by Hugh Bonneville and Jessica Hynes. Aside from showcasing nerve-racking road conditions, the program took a close look at the life of locals, whose daily lives involved navigating these challenging conditions.
Across nine episodes over three seasons, different pairs of drivers tackled some dicey conditions from Nepal to Madagascar. It provides a very unique perspective to travel. From my personal experience, driving is a wonderful way to experience a country. I regretted that we hired a driver for our trip to Sri Lanka. Not only does self-driving provide flexibility and freedom, but it also provides an excellent insight into a place’s culture and history. From chatting with the gas attendants to decoding unusual road signs, I never hesitate to get behind the wheel on foreign land. Well, perhaps not so much for Italy.
