More than 90 percent of the world is now affected by at least some level of travel restrictions. shelter-in-place orders, and closed or restricted borders (police-enforced or not), and it all adds up to an awful lot of people with nowhere to go.
Now, more than any other time, is the time to travel by screen. To use television to see the world, maybe building a bucket-list for post-travel-ban tourism. Here are a handful of recommendations.
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
The late chef made over 140 episodes of his travel and food show, visiting dozens of cities, states, and countries, taking time to connect with each place he went and explore its true flavors, not just its food. Find Bourdain’s epic travel series on Hulu.
Randomland
Randomland, hosted by solo filmmaker Justin Scarred, is an energetic and occasionally manic exploration of roadside attractions and theme parks in California and the American Southwest. He visits everything from Disneyland to Monument Valley to haunted Route 66 hotels, and takes his audience with him for a first-person view. This show can be found on YouTube.
Travel Man: 48 Hours In…
Richard Ayoade and a rotating cast of celebrity friends visit the world’s major cities for two days each, exploring the must-see attractions. And then they take their camera crews to those city’s overlooked eccentricities. It’s a fun, goofy play on the celebrity travel series. Find this show on Hulu.
Long Way Round
Ewan McGregor, Charlie Boorman, two BMW motorcycles, and 19,000 miles. Back in 2004, McGregor and his best friend got on their bikes in London and headed east until they ran out of east. Trailed by a camera crew but no script writer, they rode through Europe and Asia, took a boat across the Bering Strait and just kept going until they hit New York City. This show is on YouTube and Amazon Prime.
There are so many more series that will allow you to travel by screen, but this is a start. With the resources available today, there really is no reason to ever stop traveling, even when you’re stuck at home.
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