The Best Travel Shows to Watch While You Can’t Travel

Let’s face it; we all want the borders to reopen and traverse all around the world. If anything, nothing beats the joy of traveling with your family and enjoying everything the world offers. But for now, substituting our travel dreams with watching the best travel shows online is the only viable option available. If you found love on the best dating sites review during this pandemic, finding where to watch these travel shows online will also get you in the mood to plan for your romantic trip when things get better. Regardless of what you plan to keep yourself entertained with, don’t forget to sample out these top travel shows in 2021 that’ll inspire you to hit the road once normalcy resumes.

1. Tales by Light

Tales by Light is one of the best travel shows on Netflix now. The show focuses on enthusiast photographers from Australia devoted to pushing their limits while capturing beautiful moments. The photographers cover arguably every corner of the world in this fun-filled three-season TV travel show.

Tales by Light features all the beautiful imagery you can ever hope for while traveling. The show unites travel exploration and photography to give you insights into what it takes to capture images that tell powerful stories.

This experiential travel show premiered in 2015, filming in places such as the Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia and Bandhavgarh National Park in the Himalayas. The show also has one episode shot on Amazon. You can now watch Tales of Light on Netflix and other TV travel show sources.

2. Down to Earth with Zac Efron

This show premiered in 2020 at a time when people had forgotten about traveling. It’s one of the new travel shows to watch that will give you a view of the world through Zac Efron’s eyes. Efron’s enthusiasm to travel and see the world will also capture your spirit, leaving you in a dreamy world of wanderlust.

You can binge this travel show on Netflix in the comfort of your home and get to enjoy how Zac Efron shines a light on different solutions to problems. Zac Efron also seeks the help of wellness expert Darin Olien, who educates viewers on different sustainable ways of living. There’s no doubt you’ll enjoy watching this show and get to learn a few things.

3. Ugly Delicious

This popular travel TV show stars the award-winning chef David Chang. In this show, Chang travels worldwide to some of the world’s top culinary hotspots. He seeks to explore the different food cultures in search of the purest and best cuisines. While the show is primarily centered on food culture, you’ll not miss the adventure of joining Chang as he travels to different parts of the planet.

Chang takes his food explorations to Mexico, Naples, China, Tokyo, and Copenhagen to pursue misconceptions surrounding different world cuisines. He travels along with writers such as Peter Meehan, TV hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, and other chefs who help him find out how different culinary influences can intermingle.

If you love exploring the world and learning about new cultures, Ugly Delicious is one of the travel shows to watch. The show will also allow you to appreciate the fusion of American food and other world-famous culinary. In March 2020, Ugly Delicious was released for its second season running. You can now watch the show on Netflix to experience how David Chang uses food as the lens to explore the world.

4. Dark Tourist

Dark Tourist features a crazy New Zealand traveler, David Farrier. He sets out on a mission to travel to some of the world’s most peculiar and dangerous locations. Most of these places are generally associated with calamity and, to some extent, death. From the vampire-laden New Orleans to Japan’s Fukushima, Farrier is not afraid of anything.

The show immerses you into the world of cults, rituals, warzones, crime scenes, and ancient ruins. Unlike other travel shows that only focus on fun and adventure, Dark Tourist displays another side of tourism we are not used to. It lets you understand some of the darkest sides of humanity hidden all around the world.

Farrier journeys to a different destination in each of the show’s eight episodes to enjoy what would seem strange to most vacation travelers. The show is the best fit if you love wild and peculiar tourism adventures.

5. Little Einsteins

Little Einsteins is a travel TV show about kids; Leo, Annie, Quincy, and June. They also have a truck rocket which they use to travel around the world in the quest to learn about music, art, and all the places they’re touring. If you were looking for a perfect animated travel show on YouTube, don’t look further than Little Einsteins.

You are treated to a classical music background in the show, coupled with intermingling cartoon and lifelike video footage animations. This typical family travel show is full of adventures and will keep you and your family glued on the couch as you watch the four little Einsteins embark on a journey of discovery. The show is a Disney world masterpiece, but you can also watch it freely on YouTube.

6. Kara and Nate Travelogues

Kara and Nate are a couple who ventures into documenting travelogues all around the world. The couple is initially from Nashville, and they recently celebrated achieving a feat of visiting 100 countries within four straight years of travel. They also have 1.3 million subscribers, with their show ranked as one of the best travel shows on YouTube.

Kara and Nate

The couple usually embarks on travel adventures to discover new things in different places. In some of their shows, they have documented living with a local family in Bhutan. They have also shared their experiences enjoying the World Nomadic Games in Kyrgyzstan and climbing an active volcano in Vanuatu.

Kara and Nate’s YouTube travelogues will offer you a blend of entertainment and valuable travel information. The couple is still recording their travelogues in different parts of the world, and all you can do is wait and see what’s next on their YouTube channel.

7. Long Way Around

Long Way Around undoubtedly ranks among the top 10 travel shows of all time. The show’s first episode aired in 2004, starring Ewan McGregor and his best friend, Charlie Boorman. The two chase their passion for BMW motorbikes as they embark on a grueling journey from London to New York.

The duo travels for nearly 33,000 km, through Europe, parts of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia up to New York. They travel alongside their crew in this non-scripted hardcore overland travel. Although not on Netflix, you can still watch this travel show online on Apple TV+ or other travel show sources. Its episodes are also freely available on YouTube.

8. Parts Unknown

Parts Unknown is one of the classic travel shows ever filmed by Anthony Bourdain. Though he recently passed away, his famous food travel shows will still keep us glued to our screens. Bourdain’s passion for exploring, as demonstrated in this show, will make you want to hit the road again.

In Parts Unknown, he visits various countries worldwide to explore all the great culinary they have on offer. Strangely, he keeps off the sophisticated and high-end restaurants with magnificent cuisine and opts for what the locals enjoy. The show is inspiring as it beats every imagination seeing someone of Bourdain’s stature get down in some of the most remote places to enjoy the local food.

Throughout the 12 seasons of this traditional travel show, Anthony Bourdain does it all with zero pretenses. He enjoys the taste of local cuisines, loves interacting with people, and likes traversing the world. The show’s episodes are freely available on YouTube. You can also watch this travel show on Netflix.

9. Jack Whitehall; Travels with My Father

Travels with My Father is one of those silly, lighthearted travel documentaries that will lighten up your mood during this pandemic lockdown. The show features the humorous Jack Whitehall traversing the world with his father. Its maiden season starts with the duo traveling to Southeast Asia in Bangkok, Phuket, Cambodia, and Hanoi.

The two enjoy every adventure in their way, including attending an elephant polo match and partying through the night under a full moon. Although the show is humor-filled, you’ll also enjoy and learn the diversity of the Asian people as displayed. In season 2, Jack Whitehall and his father embark on a European tour visiting Budapest, Moldova, Kyiv, and Istanbul.

10. Street Food

The show is all about traveling around the world and trying all the local food. Street Food comprises nine episodes, with each of them entirely focusing on a different city street. From Bangkok, Thailand to Osaka, Japan, this show will let you experience the natural feel for street food and what you should probably expect when it’s safe to travel again.

Unlike other food and travel documentaries on Netflix, Street food solely focuses on the people in the streets. You’ll get to hear them narrate their cooking experiences, how they learned to cook their food and what the local food means to them. The show will grant you a fantastic viewing experience, clearly exhibiting how food transcends location and language. It also highlights the hard work put on by most people to ensure they can make a living.

Final Thoughts: The Best Travel Shows to Watch While You Can’t Travel

There is nothing better than watching travel TV shows during this time when you can’t travel. These shows are not only entertaining, but they’ll also let you discover unknown places that you would have never thought of going to. Knowing about new destinations will be helpful when it’s time to plan your trip after the pandemic.

What other travel shows can we add to this list? Help us know in the comment section below.

This is a guest post written by Rebecca Shinn

Rebecca Shinn is a freelance writer and dating and relationship expert with a psychology degree. Her field of expertise is relationship, dating, and marriage. The important part of Rebecca’s practice is to help couples with communication skills, problem-solving skills, stress management, or financial skills.

Rebecca started writing 2 years ago to inspire and help people to have a better dating life, healthy relationships, or find a way to keep a marriage strong for long years.

With all said above, Rebecca is proud to be a mother and a wife so she doesn’t only use her knowledge for helping others but keeping her family strong and happy.