12 Travel TV Shows to Watch for Inspiration + Where to Stream Each Series

I’ve been a fan of travel TV shows long before the Travel Channel turned into the Aliens built this channel!

I can recall sitting on the couch, clicking through the TV remote in search of the best travel TV shows that would transport me to just about anywhere but the United States, where I lived.

I’ve carried that wanderlust from the TV screen into adulthood and still actively search out shows that’ll either take me somewhere new or let me relive wondrous trips, like my trip to Palenque, inspired by Josh Gates’ show Expedition Unknown, or show my friends what ice floating in Finland is, thanks to Eugene Levy in The Reluctant Traveler.

Whether you’re just starting to collect stamps in your passport or you’re a seasoned traveler, below is my curated list of favorites as a travel blogger who’s traveled to 35+ countries.

Plus some honorable mentions, and where to find them all—from Netflix to PBS—so you know which shows are worth adding to your watchlist tonight to inspire your next destination.

1. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

This best travel TV shows list would be kind of lame without at least one Bourdain mention, though I have to say I can’t binge any of his shows without feeling the loss.

For those of you who’ve never seen this work, he’s probably the most authentic voice we’ve ever had the honor of seeing in travel.

He visits countries, delving not into the pretty Instagram-ness of it all, but into their political issues, indigenous food, and culture.

This hourlong weekend series (similar in premise to his Travel Channel show “No Reservations”), Bourdain explores the world to, he says, “eat and drink with people without fear and prejudice … they open up to you in ways that somebody visiting who is driven by a story may not get.”

Showcasing cultures rarely seen on American TV, such as those in the Congo, Libya, and Myanmar, he also takes viewers to Colombia, Peru, Morocco, and, closer to home, Koreatown in Los Angeles.

Find it on HBO Max

2. Rick Steves’ Europe

Some of you may think Rick is a bit old-school, but I’ve found his tips and tricks as valuable as they were when he started traveling back in the 70s.

If you’ve read some of my favorite European destinations, you’ll know how often I use his app!

In addition to his guidebooks and public radio program, Rick Steves guides viewers through his favorite European cities in an informative, easy-to-follow PBS series.

What sets his show apart is that it always integrates a knowledgeable host in addition to Steve, offering globetrotters a fresh perspective on lodgings, transportation, and places to visit.

I myself have been inspired to visit certain places because of him, such as Sporer Schnapps, where I tried the locally made liquor during a 2-day visit to Salzburg with my mom.

Steve believes that travelers should become “temporary locals,” exploring not only major cities and the usual sights but also out-of-the-way locales that often yield the most authentic and enjoyable experiences of a trip.

Find it on PBS

📺 Planning to do some set-jetting in Salzburg? Check out these Sound of Music filming locations!

3. Travel Man: 48 Hours in…

I’ve been a fan of British media for as long as I can remember; I mean, I go all the way back to Shakespeare (I visited his birthplace in England).

So when I heard that one of my favorite British comedians, Richard Ayoade, had a TV show, I was in!

In one of the best travel TV shows in the last decade, Ayoade attempts to visit all the top tourist attractions in various cities in a 48-hour period.

Hating long, boring holidays, he challenges himself to make trips as efficient as possible.

So for those of you looking for weekend city breaks, this is the show for you!

In each episode, Ayoade travels with a different celebrity companion (from Paul Rudd to Noel Fielding) to places such as Iceland, Barcelona, Istanbul, and Marrakech.

Find it on Pluto TV or Jounry TV

4. Expedition Unknown

I began watching Josh Gates’s Expedition Unknown before the pandemic, but with little to watch during the shutdown, my mom and I devoured his show!

It even inspired some of the locations I feature in my action-adventure novel, Deferring Death.

What I like about his show is that it’s not one of those “we’re going to pretend we’ll find something” shows that never do so.

Yes, I can certainly argue some of his stuff is staged, but it lets me live my Indiana Jones-inspired dreams of what I think archeology would be like in a condensed amount of time.

Gates, an archaeologist, travels around the world looking for unknown and missing artifacts from throughout time.

Intrigued by legendary mysteries and driven by curiosity, Gates chronicles his global adventures in the show as he investigates iconic unsolved events, lost cities, buried treasures, and other puzzling stories.

He’s also a big nerd, which, being one myself, I always adore.

Whether he’s trekking through Fiji in search of Amelia Earhart’s remains or diving the deep seas of Panama to locate Captain Morgan’s pirate ship, I find myself enthralled by whether or not he’ll uncover something new.

Gates does have other shows, but I’ve found Expedition Unknown the most interesting.

Find it on Hulu or HBO Max

5. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

Before Parts Unknown, Bourdain visited places around the world and sampled various foods on the Travel Channel’s No Reservations.

Exploring local culture and cuisine, the show’s format and content are similar to Bourdain’s 2001–2002 Food Network series, A Cook’s Tour. 

While I love Parts Unknown more, as I feel like he truly got to do whatever he wanted with that show, No Reservations is a nice precursor for foodies looking to really taste the culture.

However, I will note that since the show was produced from 2005 to 2012, places featured here may have changed a bit, especially in light of the pandemic, so don’t expect to taste 100% the same things he did.

Find it on Hulu

6. The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan

Another one of my favorite British comedians to watch is Romesh Ranganathan.

Investigating whether persistent stereotypes about certain places around the world are exaggerated, Ranganathan, a self-proclaimed coward, is pulled out of his comfort zone as he travels to some of the most beautiful yet dangerous places on Earth.

In almost every conceivable way, Romesh is the worst candidate for this job, as he’s a homebody who sticks to breakfast buffets and hotel pools, but his honesty offers a fresh perspective, especially for those like him who are anything but adventurous.

Find it on Roku or BBC Select

7. The Reluctant Traveler

Admittedly, I started watching this show because I love Schitt’s Creek and wanted to see what Eugene Levy was like in a ‘non-scripted’ setting.

Like Ranganathan, he’s kind of the worst and best host for the job, as he’s not adventurous at all.

However, this show is definitely geared more towards the older crowd who can afford the absolutely luxurious hotels he stays at throughout the series.

In addition to showcasing the accommodations, he explores the people, places, and cultures.

Featured on this show are Costa Rica, Finland (I had a similar experience to his during my time in Rovaniemi—just less bougie), Italy, Japan, the Maldives, Portugal, South Africa, the United States, and more.

Find it on Apple TV

📺 Heading to the Iberian Peninsula? Check out my list of filming locations in Portugal!

8. Dark Tourist

Of all the best travel TV shows on this list, this is the least likely one for the faint of heart.

While most tourists visit popular sites and attractions, Journalist David Farrier explores places that are historically associated with death and tragedy, known as dark tourism.

In each episode, Farrier travels somewhere that almost certainly isn’t on your bucket list.

He’s embedded himself in a death-worshipping cult in Mexico, seen tourists soaking up radiation left behind in Fukushima, met vampires in New Orleans, and traveled to the most-nuked place on Earth to swim and fish in the atomic waters.

While this show isn’t so much about inspiring your wanderlust, I appreciate it for showing the most unlikely macabre candidates.

Find it on Netflix

📺 Looking for more inspiration on Netflix? Check out my list of Netflix travel movies!

9. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

For a much lighter show on Netflix, watch Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, which follows Chef David Chang, who is joined by celebrity guests to explore the cuisine and culture of different cities around the world.

As each pair travels through, they also discover new and surprising things about themselves.

The show feels much more like a vlog of some friends traveling than anything else, so if you’re looking for some nice, even keen tourism, this is it.

My favorite episode features Kate McKinnon, because she’s so effortlessly funny. She’s also in one of my favorite travel movies set in Europe—The Spy Who Dumped Me.

Find it on Netflix

10. An Idiot Abroad

In a similar vein to The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan and The Reluctant Traveler, Karl Pilkington isn’t exactly the shining star of travel TV shows.

I got talked into watching this show over a decade ago by a co-worker and was initially turned off by the title.

I thought, “Why would I want to watch a show about a moron?”

But the premise is that British comedy duo Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send their simple, closed-minded friend, Pilkington, on a trip around the world to experience a variety of people and cultures.

It’s pitched as a practical joke-turned-sociology experiment.

Featuring a trip around the world to visit the Seven Wonders, Pilkington is extremely hesitant, especially considering Gervais and Merchant want him to become ‘one with the locals’.

I enjoyed this series, but couldn’t really binge it cause it becomes apparent how much of a sketch it is, and the joy in it is the suspension of disbelief that Pilkington is just that awkward.

Find it on Amazon Prime and Apple TV

11. The Amazing Race

You may think that a reality show on a list of the ‘best travel TV shows’ is a bit odd, but being that it’s shown me so many places over the last nearly 40 seasons, I’d argue it’s one of the most comphrensive.

Sure, a lot of the sites they go to are well known to travelers, but it’s usually the challenges that show me sites and cultural experiences I’ve never heard of.

Such as when they went to Budapest recently, and I found out about the Houdini museums!

The premise is that eleven teams of two travel the globe to try to win $1,000,000.

It’s pretty family-friendly, too, if that’s something you need to consider.

Find it on CBS and Paramount Plus

📺 Looking for scripted TV shows? Check out my list of TV shows set in Europe!

12. Mysterious Islands (2017)

I found out about Kellee Edwards way back toward the beginning of my blogging journey.

I saw her rise from journalist to host of the Travel Channel series Mysterious Islands, becoming the first Black woman to host a show on the network.

Unfortunately, this series did not get the love it deserved back in 2017, and I can only find it on YouTube TV now (don’t get confused with the 2024 show of the same name on National Geographic).

Mysterious Islands was an adventure series hosted by Edwards, who’s also a pilot and scuba diver.

The show follows her as she ventures to the most remote and untouched islands on Earth to uncover their history, strange folklore, and geographical secrets.

Find it on Youtube TV

Honorable Mentions

I’m not saying these aren’t among the best travel TV shows; they just aren’t my favorites, and I’ll get into why for each one below.

Down to Earth with Zac Efron

I’ve adored Zac Efron since he was on Summerland back in 2004, but the problem with this show is that he doesn’t bring a whole lot to the table.

His responses to guests are mostly some version of ‘oh that’s awesome.’

Very insightful, Zac…

Journeying around the world with wellness expert Darin Olien in search of healthy, sustainable ways to live, Zac just isn’t a great host.

In addition to the lack of deep conversation, some critics have questioned the validity of the health and science information highlighted on the show.

So, if you’re interested in watching it, take it all with a grain of salt.

Find it on Netflix

Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross

When I first heard about this series, I was like, YES, QUEEN!

Finally, a show about solo travel, which to me is one of the most fulfilling experiences.

And headed by Tracee Ellis Ross (whom I’ve met and is lovely), an award-winning actress and producer.

I was 1000% in!

However, maybe Ross and I just have different ideas about solo travel because her Morocco episode was mostly about her either buying clothes or rearranging her closet full of clothes she already owns.

No hate to fashionistas, that’s just not what I was expecting to see.

I wanted an introspection into what it’s like to travel solo, especially as a woman, and doubly so because she’s an African American woman.

The premise of the show is that Ross invites audiences to join her on solo trips to experience the joy of solo travel. In addition to Morocco, she also heads to Mexico and Spain.

Again, give it a try, but just be forewarned if you’re like me and not super into style.

Find it on Roku

Jack Whitehall Travels with My Father

Another British comedian I’ve watched is Jack Whitehall.

In this series, he embarks on the trip of a lifetime with his father, Michael.

The problem is that they are polar opposites and make one heck of an odd couple—Jack is jovial, while Michael is stuffy.

It honestly kind of reminds me of my trip to Norway with my uncle, who’s very much Michael in American form, just with a lot less style.

This dynamic makes the series interesting as they traverse through Southeast Asia in an attempt to try to strengthen their bond.

Along the way, the Whitehalls partake in a number of unique experiences, including attending an elephant polo match in Bangkok and taking a primitive train ride in Cambodia.

Subsequent seasons take the father-son duo to other parts of the world.

While there’s nothing wrong with this travel TV series, I just couldn’t binge it because their bickering gets a bit much at times. It would be easier to digest in small viewings.

Find it on Netflix

Places to Love

I know a lot of travelers who adore Samantha Brown, but to me, she’s a little dry.

She’s got excellent information, but I just don’t connect with her as I have with other hosts.

My recommendation, if Rick Steves’ isn’t your cup of tea, maybe Samantha is, as they’re both PBS travel hosts, so they’re similar in that way, but one may strike your fancy over the other.

The premise of her show is that she “explores the emotional heart of travel and the people who change, challenge, and strengthen a destination.”

Find it on PBS

Cunk on Earth

I adore watching clips of Philomena Cunk online; however, longer than 5 minutes of her and I get a little over it.

Yes, she’s very witty and certainly unusual. But long stretches are just too much for me.

The premise of the mini-series is that Philomena Cunk (played by Diane Morgan) comically tells the story of our greatest inventions and asks experts hard-hitting questions about humanity’s progress.

It’s a mockumentary on civilization, from prehistory to the present day, so don’t expect David Attenborough here.

Though I do wonder how any of the experts keep a straight face while filming this!

Find it on Netflix

Final Thoughts on These Best Travel TV Shows

Of course, this is all rather subjective when picking the ‘best travel TV shows,’ but I’ve based my list on personal experience and whether I walked away learning something or was at least entertained.

Did I miss your favorite travel TV series? Let me know in the comments below.

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