Pansieh Gharib
Are you falling in love with travelling around the world and don’t know where to start? Do you strive for new inspirations? Are you looking for actual experiences to stimulate your enthusiasm through travel shows? Do you enjoy travel movies, but they are just too fictional for you?
Top Travel Shows to Watch
We have covered the best travel shows to inspire your next destination. These TV shows are sure to spark your motivation with actual experiences that are brought to your screen.
1. Down to Earth with Zac Effron
The famous actor Zac Effron, joined by Darin Olien, travels the world to navigate the effects of climate change. While climate change is one of the most discussed topics by experts and policymakers in the world now, there are still differing opinions on the matter. Governments and the United Nations are already taking steps to implement change through several initiatives, but the people themselves are making the actual effort.
Through their travels from Iceland to Puerto Rico, the show uncovers how people attempt to live healthier and more sustainable lives. Saving the environment, protecting natural resources, and allocating consumption are not ideals but actual efforts.
Watching Down to Earth will give you an idea about what to expect to see in the country or town they visit, from the food and the customs to the people’s hospitality and traditions, all of which are brought to you through this enjoyable TV show.
- Produced by: Netflix.
- Season one release year: 2020
- Number of Episodes: 8
- Season two release year: 2022
- Number of Episodes: 8
- Genre: Web Documentary
- Rated: 8/10 IMDb
2. The Chef Show
If you are a passionate food lover looking to taste different cuisines from around the world, The Chef Show is the perfect suggestion to indulge your taste.
Chef Roy Choi and Jon Favreau work together on this exceptional travelogue series. They travel together to gather different flavours and recipes from around the world. Their passion for food, respect for other people’s cultures, and love for bringing people together to taste delicious dishes make the show a unique production. They share meals with different people worldwide and even meet the Avengers cast in Atlanta and share a meal with them during their meals quest.
The beauty of these travelogues is that they show a live representation of what to expect in different parts of the world. Different cultures and traditions add to the country’s beauty a traveller explores. We often ask what the traditional meal in a particular city is. International cuisines are definitely one of the infinite experiences a traveller looks for, and the two friends, Choi and Favreau, made an excellent effort to bring this experience to life on the screen.
- Produced by: Fairview Entertainment
- Distributed by: Netflix
- Season one release year: 2019
- Number of Episodes: 20
- Season two release year: 2020
- Number of Episodes: 5
- Genre: Cooking show, Television documentary
- Rated: 8.2/10 IMDb
3. The Story of God, Morgan Freeman’s Travel Quest
Morgan Freeman, an American actor who grew up in Mississippi in a Christian household, is set on a journey to investigate the diverse notion of human perception of God. Through his travels, he tries to answer various universal questions that revolve around the end of the world and the beginning of creation and how it is predicted through different nations.
Freeman visits different destinations, beginning with Jerusalem. The city is unique as it is considered a holy destination in the three Abrahamic religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The three religions predict that Jerusalem will be an influential factor towards the world’s end.
This quest leads to investigating the different notions of evil in various nations’ cultures, like racism, discrimination, war, crimes, etc., and how some religions train their believers to fight the devil, all leading to the role of religion in shaping the history of the world and igniting the human quest towards power, science, myth, and fiction. Surprisingly, Common grounds between different beliefs can be easily pointed out.
“What unites us is greater than what divides us. We are one big tribe, and the Earth is our tent. Together we can make the call for everyone to unite.”
Morgan Freeman, Qatar World Cup 2022
The Story of God is a journey of enlightenment all over the globe connecting to god’s universal concept. Over the 15 episodes of the show, when each one answers different spiritual questions, Freeman takes us on a journey to human thought. As a traveller, shows like this one are crucial to give you an idea about what to expect, how to connect with natives and how to share and experience their different cultures respectfully.
- Production: National Geographic Channel, Revelations Entertainment
- Season one release year: 2016
- Number of Episodes: 6
- Season two release year: 2017
- Number of Episodes: 3
- Season three release year: 2019
- Number of Episodes: 6
- Genre: documentary, adventure, history
- Rated: 7.8/10 IMDb
4. Khawatir “Thoughts”, Ahmad Al Shugairi
As the name of the show suggests, in Khawatir, which is translated in English as “thoughts”, Ahmed Al Shugairi takes his audience on a journey of knowledge. Al Shugairi is a Saudi Muslim thinker and media specialist who uses media platforms to explore the world. His quest is a means to fulfil the ultimate mission to enlighten the youth.
Through exploring different cultures in different cities, Al Shugairi showed how humans could benefit from the experience of one another. He offered his personal reflections addressing youth, especially those in the Arab World, to improve their abilities and thoughts and, by definition, help improve their countries.
Some of the cities he visited include Japan, Denmark, Finland, and Turkey.
“Two things will make you wiser, the books you read and the people you meet”
Ahmed Al Shugairi
- Number of Seasons: 11
- Release Year: 2005
- Final Season: 2015
- Total number of Episodes: 99
- Genre: Family, Reality TV
- Rated: 9.5/10 IMDb
5. Everest Beyond the Limits
Thinking of challenging yourself towards your next hiking adventure? Everest Beyond the Limits is the best travel TV show to rely on. Russel Brice, the famous mountaineer who managed to climb Mount Everest twice, takes the audience on a minute-to-minute documentary of annual attempts to climb Mount Everest with a group of people. Their challenges, injuries, failures and successes are all brought to the screen. It is certainly not a reality TV for the faint-hearted.
- Production: Discovery Channel
- Number of Seasons: 3
- Season 1: 2006
- Number of Episodes: 6
- Season 2: 2007
- Number of Episodes: 8
- Season 3: 2009
- Number of Episodes: 5
- Genre: Reality TV
- Rated: 8.3/10 IMDb
6. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Discovery Travel
It’s another food travelogue show, but this time, Anthony Bourdain takes the experience to another level. The award-winning reality show experiences not only the cuisine and cultures of different parts of the world but also uncovers the unknown parts that are rarely visited. The diverse experience takes the audience all over the world to places that include Vietnam, Cuba, Senegal, Ethiopia, and more.
- Production: Zero Point Zero Production Inc., CNN Network
- Number of Seasons: 12
- Release Year: 2013
- Final Season: 2018
- Total number of Episodes: 104
- Genre: Documentary, Adventure
- Rated: 8.8/10 IMDb
7. Welcome to Earth
The famous actor Will Smith takes us on a journey on planet Earth. He uncovers on camera new adventures, natural beauty, and mysteries that this beautiful planet holds. It is another documentary about Earth, but this time, it’s about the most dangerous and unknown places. The six-episode show will leave you astonished by what is yet to be experienced on this planet. The beauty that Smith brings to the screen from remote islands in the Pacific or the Namib Desert is astonishing indeed.
- Production: Nutopia, Westbrook Studios, Protozoa Pictures, Disney+ Channel
- Number of Seasons: 1
- Release Year: 2021
- Total number of Episodes: 6
- Genre: Documentary, Adventure
- Rated: 7.8/10 IMDb
8. Europe from Above, Aerial Travel
Have you ever thought about what it is like to see the most beautiful cities from above? Do you enjoy the landscape view from the aeroplane? Julian Barratt, Dan Nachtrab, Daniel Verbaan, and Angelika Rainer bring the aerial tour to our home screen. They use high-quality filmography to explore things that are difficult to notice from the ground. Moving across European cities like Italy, Croatia, and Switzerland and using hyper-lapse photography, the unique natural beauty of different cities can be seized even with the change in seasons, different cultures, rituals, and colours, which we notice in a matter of seconds.
- Production: National Geography
- Number of Seasons: 5
- Release Year: 2019
- Genre: Documentary, Adventure
- Rated: 8.1/10 IMDb
9. World’s Most Amazing Vacations Rentals, a Travel Experience
Do you enjoy planning for your vacation? Have you been looking for new experiences and places to rent apart from hotels? Have you always been reluctant to trust the reviews about residents on Airbnb and VRBO? Are you addicted to reading about what each place has to offer? Imagine having all of these factors brought to you on your screen.
World’s Most Amazing Vacations Rentals show’s three hosts, Jo Franco, Megan Batoon, and Luis D. Ortiz, take us on a unique adventure around different parts of the world. Thus, if you are looking for new experiences, new inspirations, budget rentals and vacations, or a luxurious setting, they have got you covered. The beauty of this show is that they don’t only reveal what the rental place has to offer but also what you can access through this place. Through their travels, they reside in different rentals offered by Airbnb and VRBO in place across the United States, Mexico, Japan, and Bali.
The choice of cities from the hosts’ side was brilliant. Mexico, for example, has had a remarkable increase in travel statistics in recent years. While they show the beauty Bali has to offer, you can explore more magical places to visit in the city, especially if you are a honeymooner, by reading the following entitled “Everything You Need to Know about Honeymooners’ Paradise; Bali”. And, of course, Japan has always been one of the most breathtaking countries in Asia. There are so many places to further explore, especially in Tokyo.
Finally, if you are looking to know more about the main attractions you can visit in the United States, read more about them in the following article entitled “ Holiday in the USA: 15 Spectacular Destinations”.
- Production: Netflix
- Number of Seasons: 2
- Release Year: 2021
- Total number of Episodes: 16
- Genre: Reality TV, Adventure
- Rated: 6.8/10 IMDb
10. Long Way Down, Long Way Up, Long Way Round
The three documentary TV shows are three seasons of the same series. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman take us on a journey around the world using their motorcycle—a long way journey up, down, and round. In Long Way Down, they take their journey from Ushuaia in Argentina and go through South and Central America to Los Angeles in the United States.
This show was preceded by Long Way Up, where they take the long way from John o’Groats in Scotland up through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa, reaching Cape Town in South Africa. The first show in this exciting series is Long Way Round, where they started by taking their motorcycles from London to New York.
It is worth mentioning that during their world tour, they visited UNICEF programmes around different parts of the world. They were even named UNICEF UK ambassadors. They showed the efforts UNICEF programmes put on the ground in the least developed and developing countries like Uganda, Ethiopia, and Peru.
- Original Network: Apple TV
- Long Way Round: 2004
- Long Way Up: 2007
- Long Way Down: 2020:
- Total number of Episodes: 6, 11, 7
- Genre: Reality TV, Adventure, Documentary
- Rated: 8.2/10 IMDb
Travel shows are not all fictional. To have the best inspiration, it is good advice to watch a reality TV show. They can give you an actual review of the country or city you wish to visit.