The best travel shows to make you want to travel from home

Armchair travel and virtual tourism have become critically important during lockdown, particularly with flights and holidays canceled at unprecedented levels. But if you just want to sit back, relax, and go for a ride, your best source of entertainment is a travel TV series.

Travel shows have always been a source of inspiration for globetrotters and only gained popularity with the epidemic of COVID-19(female. Whether you want to relive past adventures, plan future trips, or simply escape into a series that entertains and informs, there's something for everyone in this list of inspiring programs.

The long-running gag throughout this series focuses on the title itself. Dour Mancunian Karl Pilkington intends to examine the wonders of the world (as shown here) and wants the show's name to reflect that. Producers and main antagonists Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, however, want to call the eight-part series An idiot abroad. Guess who won this battle?

The jovial tone is perfectly played. Karl's stubbornness, seeing the magnificent Colosseum in Rome unceremoniously excluded from the travel schedule in favor of the great pyramids of Giza, proves that he can give what he gets. The tone walks the line between satirical and offensive, as our reluctant traveler encounters eccentric characters along the way.

Pilkington made two further travel shows with Gervais, as well as a solo spin-off. They're all worth tracking down, but take a look at the original (and best) first to see if you have a taste for “the round-headed one.”

A return to a bygone era of travel journalism, this program is reminiscent of the adventure of the globetrotter depicted by Jules Verne in his novel Around the world in 80 days (1873), and the series follows much of the same path as the book. First screened in the late 1980s, it may seem a little dated, but at the time it opened up a world of exploration to an entire generation.

What makes it a great watch is that it gives a glimpse of what the world was like a few years ago, capturing destinations at particular times that would be impossible to recreate today. This is an interesting contrast to the modern travel experience, as some of the activities and trips undertaken by Palin are now inaccessible.

The more curious viewer may also feel encouraged to plan a trip to places like India and Hong Kong, to see how they have evolved since filming the series. This is a series that many travel writers and influencers cite as inspiration, and for good reason.

New Zealand Filmmaker David Farrier takes a trip to the other side of international travel with this Netflix series. Farrier eschews the fanciful exploration format championed by Michael Palin and journalist Alan Whicker before him in favor of this unsettling examination of extreme travel.

What could have been a predictable morality tale aimed at rambunctious influencers looking for the perfect selfie is actually a more nuanced look at the universal travel habits we all tend to display.

Farrier's journalistic background is brought to the forefront, which poses some problems when it comes to his sometimes dismissive presentation style, but the series does an excellent job of separating out customs that have spiritual significance to the people of the wonder that strangers document on social media. .

Anthony Bourdain is the undisputed king of food/travel television. He essentially created the food travel genre, highlighting local cultures and cuisines from around the world with his culinary travel stories. Many others have followed in its footsteps, with varying degrees of success, but none quite as close to the original. Bourdain was ahead of his time and still the most recognizable name in TV travel when he committed suicide while filming on location in France in 2018.

Unknown parts wasn't the first series Bourdain dabbled in, but his previous efforts focused much more on local cuisines. Its biggest hit, first launched in 2013, was the ultimate combination of a groundbreaking travel show and an insightful culinary expose. The fact that Bourdain was considered by many contemporaries to be one of the best chefs in the world only adds to the gravitas exuded by the otherwise rudimentary programs.

There is a shocking lack of diversity when it comes to gender and racial representation in travel TV shows. This becomes even more evident when taking a quick look at the world of online travel, which at first glance appears to feature a more balanced mix of men and women from all corners of the globe.

I'm going to somehow remedy this, Traveling mana high-profile British television series, sees comedian Richard Ayoade, of Norwegian and Nigerian descent, visiting popular cities around the world with a different celebrity in each episode.

The fresh perspective with which Ayoade and his companions approach each destination makes for compelling – and often humorous – viewing, and the variety of guests makes each episode feel fresh; Fortunately, there are as many women joining Ayoade on screen as there are men.

After 10 seasons and over 40 episodes, Ayoade stepped down from hosting the show, and we hope new presenter Hugo Boss (no, not that one) maintains the diversity of talent in the new episodes.

The hook of this Netflix documentary is that our guide is a a man who left his job under pressure as a municipal broker embark on a journey in search of that rarest of commodities: kindness.

Hopping on his reliable yellow motorcycle intermittently, Leon Logothetis sets off without much of a plan but with the hope that strangers will provide him with shelter, food and money. The inspiration for his trip was a chance vision of Motorcycle logs (2004) a few years ago, when Logothetis admitted he was burned out and looking for a way to connect with people.

A crucial part of Kindness Journals is Logothetis’ goal to “give back” for every altruistic act he benefits from. This serves as a sometimes emotional diversion from the very essence of the series, but ultimately makes the series even more rewarding.

Netflix's tantalizing glimpse into the homes we all dream of being able to afford to live in is slightly different but no less satisfying. This brand of wish-fulfillment television is a difficult genre to master, but largely thanks to hosts Caroline Quentin and Piers Taylor, it works. The former is a popular star of British theater and comedy and the latter has made a name for himself in the world of architecture.

You get a real sense of what makes each country the couple visits so unique throughout the series. The brutal minimalism of Scandinavia contrasts with the cool, upscale side of America, and the concept of the show has evolved as well. The first series aired on the BBC, focusing on the environments the houses were located in, while the later move to Netflix saw a move towards countries and cities.