best travel documentaries of all time

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• 15 Travel Documentaries That Tell Inspiring & Compelling Tales Of Wanderers

“The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life.” – Agnes Repplier

How true. For a die-hard traveler, every bend in the road is a new opportunity vying to be explored. The visceral feeling to flee to a new spot and finding the divine sense of joy in ticking a new destination on the map on your bedroom wall, can only be felt by the hopeless traveler.

Unadulterated and unhampered, travel documentaries showcase the chronicles of travelers and focus on their share of perilous and euphoric moments. Whether it is a planned excursion to a beach or an instinctive venture to a remote location, if you are seeking inspiration for your next travel, travel films can act as the fodder for your famished nomadic soul.

Here I bring you a list of best travel documentaries that will push you out of your boring couch (read; routine) and compel you to move out and travel the world.

Top 15 Travel Documentaries From Around The World

Here is a list of the best  travel documentaries from around the world , read on what these contain and add these to your list of must watch films & documentaries.

• Around The World In 80 Days (1989)-  Excitement Of Venturing
• Baraka (1992)-  A Kaleidoscopic Retreat
• Sahara With Michael Palin (2002)-  Explore The Hidden Gems
• A Map For Saturday (2007)-  A Solo Traveler’s Love
• Antarctica-  A Year On Ice (2013)
• K2- Siren Of The Himalayas (2012)
• Sacred Planet (2004)-  Know The Mesmerizing Places
• 180 Degree South (2010)-  An Epic Tour
• Encounters At The End Of The World (2007)-  All About Fascination
• The Maidentrip (2013)-  A Great Watch
• Hit The Road-  India (2013)
• The Edge Of Never (2013)-  About A Group Of Skiers
• Austin To Boston (2014)-  A Musical Documentary
• Life In A Day (2011)-  An Insight To Amazing Things
• Frozen Planet (2011)-  Fall For The Ice

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1. Around the World in 80 Days (1989)- Excitement Of Venturing

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Runtime: 7 episodes of 52 minutes each IMDb Rating: 8.8 Genre: Globetrotting Filming Locations: 17 countries across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia

Synopsis: Around the World in 80 Days is a 7 part BBC travel series written and presented by actor-comedian, Michael Palin, based on the famous adventure novel by Jules Verne with the same name. Similar to the novel, Palin accepts the challenge to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days and closely follows the road and sea route, as taken by the protagonist in the novel.

The 80 days adventurous voyage showcases the excitement of venturing into new lands and filming exotic locations through numerous gridlocks. Considered as one of the best travel documentaries ever, the series broadcasted in 7 episodes follows Michael Palin’s travel and exploration across 17 countries. He takes you across Europe, Africa, Asia and North America through nearly every possible means of transport, except for the aircraft. This is no doubt one of the must watch  best travel documentary.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: The novel was published in 1873 when there was no air travel and Michael Palin and his crew replicate the same sea and land route. From crossing the English Channel, passing through the Alps, traversing through the arid regions of the Middle East, entering Bombay on a dhow to voyaging through the South China Sea and finally arriving in the United States, Michael Palin shares his adventures of traveling the world in eighty days.

Do you really need more reasons?

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2. Baraka (1992)- A Kaleidoscopic Retreat

Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes IMDb Rating: 8.6 Genre: Nature and philosophy Filming Locations: 150 locations in 23 countries

Synopsis: Baraka, also known as among some of the best travel documentaries ever is non-narrative documentary is a kaleidoscopic retreat into the different hymns of nature and its impact on various cultures. From the cacophonic chants of hundreds of monks huddled together for a cosmic yajna to the frenzied thumping of the whole village, the documentary highlights the phenomena of nature and how it forms the core of various cultures.

Baraka ventures its viewers into the hidden realms of the nature while focusing on the man’s prowess to destroy his countless blessings.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: Baraka is a satirical take on the unabashed human nature with cinematic brilliance featuring the most spectacular pictures, on one hand, would enrich your love for nature and the perils of industrialization and destruction of nature, on the other, move you deeply. Should definitely add this to the best travel documentary series.

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3. Sahara with Michael Palin (2002)- Explore The Hidden Gems

Runtime: 4 episodes of 50 minutes each IMDb Rating: 8.1 Genre: Exploration Filming Locations: 10 countries in Northern and Western Africa

Synopsis: The travel documentary is a colorful account of the various cultures and regions dotting the beautiful Sahara desert. From the arid beaches in Morocco, refugee camps in Algeria, to the mysterious deserts of Timbuktu and spectacular starlit nights in Nigeria, this 4 episode feature also considered as one of the best travel documentaries of all time dwells deep into the seductive African odyssey.

Apart from exploring the various hidden gems of the great desert, the feature also includes Palin’s rendezvous with numerous Muslim scholars, tribes and refugees to highlight the various religious and cultural beliefs which the people of the desert abide by.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: The documentary not only highlights the vastness of the isolated desert locations but also beautifully highlights the various prevalent cultural influences in Africa and practices such as polygamy and female genital mutilation.

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4. A Map for Saturday (2007)- A Solo Traveler’s Love

Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.9 Genre: Backpacking and Solo Travel Filming Locations: Australia, Thailand, India, London, Brazil and Nepal

Synopsis: Every day is like a Saturday when you are on a long travel around the world. Solo traveling is not only about meandering through unknown lanes of a forbidden place. But it is also a great way to delve deep inside one’s own existence. The story brings out the chronicles of trekkers on four different continents. The documentary also includes interviews from other backpackers and highlights how the road can form unbreakable bonds.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: A Map for Saturday is a beautiful insight into the life of a backpacker. A must watch for people who believe that there is more to life than the confined walls of their office or workstation. It also highlights that if the intent to travel is immense, nothing can deter you in your quest. Looking for best online travel documentaries? Try watching A Map for Saturday! It is one of the best travel documentary  that you should definitely add to your list.

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5. Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2013)

Runtime: 1 hour 32 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.6 Genre: Expedition Filming Locations: Antarctica

Synopsis: How is it like living on the coldest place on earth for a year? The harsh climatic conditions make Antarctica almost inhabitable and an enigma for the world. This visual masterpiece highlights the inhabitable features of the continent and traverses the viewers through the lives of technicians and scientists living in isolation on the continent, braving the unforgiving winters. If you are a nature lover, you will appreciate its opulence even in its bitter hardness.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: Traveling is not just about pristine beaches, romantic lanes, and verdant valleys. Living in a place where the sun doesn’t shine for months and when it does, it forgets to set, is something that you ought to experience. Ever heard of Survival of the Fittest? You ought to witness one of the best travel documentaries of all time. Get up, close and personal with it here!

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6. K2: Siren of the Himalayas (2012)

Runtime: 1 hour 15 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.3 Genre: Mountaineering Filming Locations: Mount K2

Synopsis: K2: Siren of the Himalayas is a multilingual travel film shot in English, German, and Nepalese. The travel documentary forays into the dangerous world of high altitude mountaineering and follow a group of mountaineering experts as they venture on this epic journey to mark Duke of Abruzzi’s 1909 expedition. This  best travel documentary is a peep into the mountaineering group as they try to scale the perilous Mount K2 and meander their way through its deathly cliffs, braving the hideous climate.

The spectacularly captured snow-covered mountains pitted against the vast expanse of the blue sky and the exclusive footage from the world’s second highest, yet most challenging peak will leave you out of breath.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: If you want to know why mountaineering is considered as a rewarding activity, then you must watch it.

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7. Sacred Planet (2004)- Know The Mesmerizing Places

Runtime: 40 minutes IMDb Rating: 6.3 Genre: Biodiversity Filming Locations: Malaysia, Sarawak, Mulu

Synopsis: The earth is a queer place and this documentary encapsulates the beauty of the most mesmerizing places, people and wildlife on the planet in straight 40 minutes. Narrated by Robert Redford Jr., this Walt Disney production will take you up on an enchanting roller coaster ride starting from the ancient ruins of Thailand, canyons of Arizona, deserted lands of Namibia to underwater mysteries of Borneo, white sand beaches of New Zealand and many such exceptional places that our good old earth houses. Sacred Planet is one of the best travel documentary films you have seen in awhile.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: The awe-inspiring odyssey not only takes you deep into the magical realms of the earth but also makes you take a stand for preserving our beautiful planet and its biodiversity.

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8. 180 Degree South (2010)- An Epic Tour

Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.7 Genre: Drama, Sport Filming Locations: Chile, Mexico, California, Columbia, Equador, Peru, Pacific, California

Synopsis: 180 Degree South is an assimilation of the memorable journey undertaken by Jeff while recreating the epic tour pulled off by Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins during their road trip in 1968. Jeff’s journey was more adventurous as he chose to surf, sail, and climb before finally making it to Chile.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: Watch it for exciting adventures, gritty traveling, and the proper technique devised before pulling off such endeavors.

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9. Encounters at the End of the World (2007)- All About Fascination

Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.8 Genre: Documentary Filming Locations: Antarctica

Synopsis: Encounters at the End of the World is a further investigation of McMurdo Station in Antarctica. In the documentary, the filmmaker travels all the way to explore the hidden riches and beauty of the pole, and take a peep into the lifestyle of everyone surviving there. While people at the research station had exciting tales to narrate, the plight of living beings there left the director moved.

A powerful travel film, Encounters at the End of the World features some amazing shots taken by the filmmaker.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: The extreme conditions at the poles, lovely escapades, and exciting tale of survivors make this travel documentary a must-watch.

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10. The Maidentrip (2013)- A Great Watch

Runtime: 1 hour 22 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.6 Genre: Adventure, Biography Filming Locations: Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, Ecuador, Panama, French Polynesia

Synopsis: One of the best travel documentary series ever, The Trip is a remarkable journey of a 14-year-old who sets to sail around the world and is a great watch. Laura Dekker’s a year and a half journey takes her to St. Martins, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Australia, and the Cape of Good Hope before getting back to St. Martins. The youngest person ever to sail around the world, Dekker is a true inspiration for all the aspiring travelers.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: Dekker captured the world in her lens, presenting the beautiful places along with all her experiences thus making it an incredible story.

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11. Hit the Road: India (2013)

Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.8 Genre: Documentary, Sport Filming Locations: India, Armenia

Synopsis: Recognised by Lonely Planet as one of the best travel documentaries of 2012, this film is a story of two friends participating in rickshaw rally from Chennai to Mumbai spanning for 12 days covering over 2000 km.

The uniqueness of the movie lies in the way both the guys pull off this trip, battling adverse climatic conditions in the difficult terrains. Rickshaw being one of the lightest motor driven vehicles in India turns out to be cost effective and an easy drive. Yes, they had to suffer plenty of breakdowns along the way.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: 2 guys racing through the coast and ghats in southern India driving one of the lightest vehicles make it a rally worth a watch.

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12. The Edge of Never (2009)- About A Group Of Skiers

Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.3 Genre: Documentary Filming Locations: USA, Canada, France

Synopsis: Shot in the snow clad mountains in the North America region, this travel documentary is about a group of skiers who scale treacherous mountains in the pursuit of accomplishing what was left incomplete by the mentor’s father, who died skiing in Chamonix, France. Full of adventure, thrill, and surreal landscapes, this documentary is for extreme travelers.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: Skiers challenging the biggest and extreme mountains in the world.

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13. Austin to Boston (2014)- A Musical Documentary

Runtime: 1 hour 12 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.2 Genre: Documentary, Music Filming Locations: USA

Synopsis: The film is a musical documentary, that narrates an exciting tale of a group of bands on the move. They travel thousands of miles from Austin to Boston, and en route live memorable moments. The journey has everything from traveling places, to pulling off adventures, to making memories, and also surviving through the hardships.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: The journey of musical bands spanning over 2 weeks and covering 3000 miles, performing at places, looks like a dream journey. Highly recommended for all the music lovers who travel!

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14. Life in a Day (2011)- An Insight To Amazing Things

Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.7 Genre: Drama Filming Locations: Multiple locations across Earth

Synopsis: This travel film is a jukebox of thousand of hours from the lives of as many people on July 24th, 2010. The submitted videos containing beautiful and personal moments that people lead every day gives an insight into amazing things happening around us and how we choose not to acknowledge and celebrate them. This best travel documentary inspires everyone to be more thankful for things around and cherish beautiful moments.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: The assimilation of thousands of video clips containing precious moments from the lives of people make you realize what a beautiful life you have been leading all this while.

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15. Frozen Planet (2011)- Fall For The Ice

Runtime: 1 hour IMDb Rating: 9 Genre: Documentary Filming Locations: Arctic, Antarctica, Greenland, Russia, Norway, USA, Canada

Synopsis: Primarily focussed on the life and environment in the Arctic and Antarctica, Frozen Planet highlights how the climatic change is affecting the earth and its inhabitants. The winner of 4 Emmy award winner TV show has critically put forward the challenges faced by the polar animals like bears and wolves for their survival. Striking the right chord with a grave environmental issue, this mini-series is a must – watch.

What makes it an interesting read for travel lovers: The engrossing narrative, spectacular locales, and enchanting music are all that it takes to charm a discerning traveler. A perfect set-up for travel-lovers!

For those with an insatiable hunger for exploration and action, documentaries are a way to discover what explorers around the world are living and experiencing. The thrill of venturing into the unknown – exclusively shot, felt, and expressed by real people – has an impact on the mind of the viewers that cannot be measured.

Further Read: 20 Best Travel Movies That Will Ignite The Wanderlust In You

With list of best travel documentaries live the adventures of world’s finest explorers and yes, don’t forget to share your favorites from (or outside of) the list!

Frequently Asked Questions About Travel Documentaries

Is it feasible to travel during Covid-19?

As the travel industry is opening up slowly, yes traveling is feasible abroad and across India during Covid-19. But make sure you follow the given guidelines and precautionary measures for Covid. Also, remember to read the latest updates for Covid before making any travel plans.

What are the top 5 best travel films?

Other than the above-mentioned list of 15 best travel documentaries and films, here are 5 best travel films that you should definitely watch: The Way, Lion, On The Road, Captain Fantastic, Into The Wild.

Where can you watch the travel films?

You can watch the travel films on various OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sony Liv, Hotstar, Airtel Tv, and many others. Apart from these platforms you can simply search the films online and find the links on google.

Which are the top locations for film shooting?

Although there are many locations for film shooting, here are the top 8 places for film shooting: Monument Valley, London, Prague, New Zealand, Cape Town, Greystone Mansion, Morocco

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Amit Chandra

A perpetual nature seeker, Amit is on a mission to explore the best of planet Earth. Much famed as the Whistling Hound, Amit’s is currently based out of Wroclaw in Poland, and is experiencing the best of his life in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

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30 Best Travel Documentaries & Series To Watch

• by Jonny Duncan
• October 20, 2023 December 7, 2023

We all need a bit of travel inspiration and these are some of the best travel documentaries that will give you some wanderlust, and understanding, of the regions of the world involved.

These are my favourite travel documentaries and series that have inspired my travels.

Disclaimer: I own none of the images in this post, they are used under fair-usage terms to discuss the travel documentaries.

Himalaya With Michael Palin (2004)

Michael Palin is my all-time favourite travel presenter, writer, and hell, just an awesome person in general and his travel documentaries are some of the best you can watch.

His sense of humour, interest in the places he visits, how he interacts with the local people, and the way he presents himself is what makes this travel journey one of the best.

Add to that epic Himalayan scenery and adventure and you have the perfect combination for the best travel documentary.

You can watch it here as well as some of his other travel documentaries.

The Endless Summer (1966)

Surfs up! And also lots of fun, fun, fun, in the sun.

Set in the mid-sixties it follows two surfers from California as they travel around the world, including countries like South Africa, Australia, and Ghana, in search of the ‘perfect wave’. 

It’s very laid back to watch and entertaining and a good insight into surfer travels in the sixties.

I would love to hit up some of the waves they found! If you want one of the best travel documentaries based around surfing and beaches then watch this.

Watch it online here .

Encounters at the End of the World (2009)

Want some cold weather viewing, beautiful scenery in the vast expanse of Antarctica, and some fun with scientists? This is it.

Filmmaker Werner Herzog tackles this perfectly, exploring the desolate and vast wilderness of Antarctica around the US base of McMurdo Station, and the people who live and work there.

This will make you want to go to a remote and cold place.

Watch it here .

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013 – 2018)

Anthony Bourdain was one of my travel heroes. He died in 2018. His style of reporting and meeting the people he visits around the world and coming together around a common theme worldwide, food, brought a personal approach to the travel genre.

Parts Unknown is one of the best travel documentaries to watch for food. 

The other series with Anthony Bourdain exploring world cuisine, such as No Reservations is also worth watching.

See it on Netflix here .

Under An Arctic Sky (2017)

This is a short travel documentary coming in at only 40 minutes, but worth the watch for sure.

I had been recommended this by a fellow travel blogger and was glad about it.

It’s beautifully shot in Iceland in winter, following a group of surfers looking for (as usual) the perfect waves. 

But a storm comes through during this time and they have to outrun it.

The first time surfers have been filmed under the Northern Lights.

This has made me want to return to Iceland again to explore more of the country in the Arctic darkness.

See what it’s like surfing under the Northern Lights !

Sahara With Michael Palin (2002)

Yes, another Michael Palin travel documentary. I can’t help it his journeys are just so good.

This time he’s out exploring the Sahara Desert, getting into remote adventures with tribal nomads, and so much more.

This will inspire you for a desert adventure.

Watch the epic Sahara journey here .

180° South (2010)

180° South follows Jeff Johnson, an adventurer who travels across South America to Patagonia to visit the places that Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins had visited in 1968, two people who had inspired him.

Easily one of the best travel documentaries about South America to see.

Chasing Coral (2017)

Chasing Coral is a documentary for anyone interested in the ocean and, given the title, especially coral reefs.

It follows scientists and divers who explore the coral areas to see why they are disappearing and to explain it all to you. A good conservationist documentary as well as one for travel to these beautiful parts of the world.

Billy Connolly’s World Tour of Australia (1996)

Billy Connolly is one of the great all-time stand-up comedians.

He also travels a lot and his ‘world tour’ series has taken him to lots of different countries around the world, with Australia being the best.

It’s a combination of him exploring Australia and what is there, with a great sense of humour for everything, as well as some short clips of his stand-up performances in each area he visits with views and opinions about his experience in Australia.

A must-see travel documentary for anyone interested in Australia with a very amusing outlook on travel there.

It ain’t cheap but if you’re a Billy Connolly fan, or want to give a gift to someone who is, this is the Billy Connolly box set of all his world tours.

Dark Tourist (2018)

For some people (myself included) there’s a strange and weird fascination with some of the ‘darker’ tourist spots to visit and dark tourism has become more popular.

From nuclear disaster zone tours to death-worshipping cults, this travel documentary covers them all.

It can be disturbing given the tragedy behind some of the events, but it is history, and it is part of humanity. 

To escape the ‘normal’ tourist spots this will give you an idea of an alternative travel experience.

Right or wrong it is fascinating.

See it on Netflix .

Given (2016)

This is such a unique and refreshing take on a travel documentary as it’s narrated by a six-year-old boy.

It follows a family from Kauai (part of Hawaii) on a journey through 15 countries around the world.

This a really good insight into family travel and the life-teaching experiences travel can have on young children.

Watch their website for the documentary.

Stephen Fry In America (2009)

Stephen Fry is one of my favourite comedians and in this travel series, he travels across the U.S. in search of what makes America.

Just like Billy Connolly and Michael Palin, there is lots of humour involved.

It gives a great insight into American culture.

This is one of the best travel documentaries to watch if planning a trip to the United States. 

Watch here .

The Eagle Huntress (2016)

One of those interested in Central Asia travel, this documentary is about a 13-year-old Kazakh girl called Aisholopan who wants to be an eagle hunter, the first female in her family for twelve generations to do it.

Beautiful scenery and an inspiring story make this a spellbinding travel documentary to watch.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2010)

Have an interest in sushi and Japanese food? Then this is the ultimate travel documentary for you.

It follows an 85-year-old sushi master called Jiro Ono and how he makes some of the best sushi in the world and tries to teach his son the way and the family business.

It’s one of the best documentaries about Japan to watch.

Baraka (1992)

Out of all the travel documentaries, this is one of the older ones but it has aged well. It’s also one of the most beautiful travel documentaries to watch.

The tagline is “A world beyond worlds”, and after watching it you will see why.

There is no narrative, just epic films from all over the world showing natural environments, cities and everything else.

Personally, I remember watching this in the 90s and being inspired to see the places it showed.

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2010)

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga is another Werner Herzog travel documentary that is absolutely brilliant if you have an interest in cold places and Siberia in particular.

It follows the people in a remote village in the Siberian Taiga region and shows the repeated way of life in how they deal with living in a harsh cold environment. It includes footage of some of the native Ket people as well.

Tawai: A Voice From The Forest (2017)

Out of all the travel documentaries, this is one of the best ones taking a look at indigenous people around the world.

Adventurer Bruce Parry explores the forests of the Amazon and Borneo, as well as the Isle of Skye in Scotland where he looks at the ways the native people get on with the nature around them.

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin (2019)

Nomad is yet again another one with Werner Herzog and this time it’s a much more personal one.

His good friend Bruce Chatwin, who was a well-known travel writer, died of AIDS in 1989 he left Werner his rucksack as a parting gift. Thirty Years after his death Werner heads out to explore places inspired by his friend’s travel life.

Maidentrip (2013)

Maidentrip will make you want to get a yacht and go on an adventure around the world! It’s about a 14-year-old sailor who leaves home for a 2-year journey around the world alone to become the youngest person to ever achieve such a task.

This is one of the best travel documentaries not just about yachting and boats but also about the determination of the human spirit to achieve something great.

Travel Man (2015 Onwards)

Travel Man is a great travel documentary series where each episode host Richard Ayoade visits a new city with a different celebrity to explore what the city has to offer in the way of tourist attractions and other things.

Lots of fun to watch and one of the best recent travel documentaries to see.

Fishpeople (2017)

Fishpeople is a group of stories about various individuals who have dedicated their lives to the sea. It includes a long-distance swimmer, surfers, and many more.

This is one to watch if you have an interest in anything related to life with the ocean.

Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (2013 – 2016)

If you love Scotland or really want to go there then this is the ultimate Scottish travel series for you. The presenter is Paul Murton and he explores all around the Scottish Isles.

He also has other shows such as the Grand Tour of Scotland and Grand Tour of Scotlands Lochs. He really gets into the culture of Scotland.

Backpackingman note: I am of Scottish ancestry with my great-grandfather being a proper Scotsman from Aberdeen and I have visited Scotland a few times now and can highly recommend this series.

Rick Steves’ Europe (2000 – Onwards)

Rick Steves’ Europe is one of the longest-running travel documentary series out there, if not the longest.

Given the title of the show, it follows Rick as he travels around Europe showing everything the place has to offer. The series from 2018 focuses on Scotland so goes nicely with the Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands mentioned above.

Desert Runners (2013)

Desert Runners is the ultimate documentary about people who run in some of the harshest environments and in this case the desert.

But the twist to this story is that it explores a group of people who join the hardest ultra-marathon race series on the planet and none of them are professional runners.

Watch this one if you have an interest in deserts and running.

Down To Earth (2020)

Down To Earth is a travel documentary series on Netflix that follows actor Zac Efron to different parts of the world where he looks at the sustainability efforts of each destination.

For example, in Iceland, he learns about the efforts to use the natural energy of Earth for power.

Magical Andes (2020 – Onwards)

Magical Andes a travel documentary series is set in South America and takes a look at the Andes Mountain range, from the mountains themselves to the deserts, forests, and everything else that surrounds them

Highly recommended if you’ve ever wanted to visit South America and in particular the Andes region.

Expedition Happiness (2017)

Expedition Happiness follows a couple who get an old school bus and then drive throughout North America with their dog.

The couple is so lovely it’s worth watching just to see them and their life.

Free Solo (2018)

Free Solo follows Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber, as he attempts to be the first person to free solo climb El Capitan’s rock face.

It’s set in Yosemite National Park and is thrilling to watch not just for the action but also for the scenery. Watch this documentary if you are interested in mountain travel and rock climbing as a sport.

The Dawn Wall (2017)

Following on from Free Solo, The Dawn Wall is also set in Yosemite National Park, and this time follows Tommy Caldwell, a free climber, who tried to climb the Dawn Wall of El Capitan.

As with Free Solo, watch this one for mountains.

Mountain (2017)

The Mountain is one of the best travel documentaries about mountains and is breathtaking to watch.

It explores mountains around the world and tells at the same time the history between humans and mountains.

Notable Mention: BBC Planet Earth 1+2 (2006 + 2016)

The BBC Planet Earth series is absolutely beautifully filmed and epic to watch.

In each episode, they explore different parts of the planet, such as deserts, mountains, oceans, forests, etc.

There are also other travel documentaries by the BBC, like The Blue Planet, Frozen Planet, and a lot more. Each one shows a different side of our planet.

These will get you wanting to get out and see the world!

The Best Travel Documentaries

And that’s the list of the best travel documentaries that will hopefully give you some inspiration for your own travels.

Interested in more travel-related movies? Check out 10 movies to watch before travelling to Japan .

You can find some of the older travel documentaries on places like YouTube. In fact, YouTube is a great place to find new and old travel documentaries in general.

And for some travel reading 20 books to read set in the Arctic and Antarctic .

If you liked this article about the best travel documentaries a share would be appreciated :

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Hi Jonny, this is Christian from Germany I pic you up from Zagreb 2008 and we travel to Germany by car. Later I visit you in Amsterdam. My speciality is Africa. Like to contact you again cause I cannot find you anymore on Couchsurfing. May I ask for your PM adress? see you Christian

Dark Tourist is the best part of this post ..

Oh, It’s too good. I like this blog very much I also bookmark this.

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The best travel documentaries to stream right now

There are films that make you want to travel . But that’s easy. Just point a camera at an April meadow or a Sicilian back street and most of us salivate. And then there are films that make you feel like you have actually, physically travelled to a place. That leave you suffused with the sensations of its air and sounds. As though the camera lens has been your own eyes, noting details of light against brick, hills stepping inland, fruit and cigarettes on a table, springs gushing out of rocks, courtyards hanging with people and flowers, shirts on a line across a high, unstable balcony. So much that it can begin to feel spooky: you muddle the movie’s memories with your own.

Passing Stromboli on a boat one summer I thought, ‘Been there.’ I hadn’t. I’d just seen the movie, and more recently Ingrid Bergman’s own cine-film footage of the shoot (see below.) But still, I got off, and walked around. And it was true. I had been there already. The mesmerising, almost drugging déjà vu! Here are some more of the best travel documentary films that have that very singular effect.

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

Be immersed in the wonders of nature with this uplifting Netflix original, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 2021 Academy Awards. Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, it follows the unexpected friendship between filmmaker Craig Foster and a wild octopus in a South African kelp forest. After swimming in the remote location near Cape Town and discovering this curious marine animal, Foster decided to visit the same spot every day to learn and understand more about the creature and subsequently form a strong bond with it.

In one hour and 25 minutes of beautiful imagery and filmography, this documentary leaves you feeling sentimental about human connections, our extraordinary interactions with other life – and intrigued about what else lies below the ocean’s surface… By Cordelia Aspinall

'My Octopus Teacher' is available to stream on Netflix now

Cher and the Loneliest Elephant documentary (2021)

Watch the trailer below

Released in the USA on Thursday 22 April to mark Earth Day 2021 , this heart-warming wildlife documentary follows singer Cher’s mission to rescue a captive elephant named Kaavan. Kaavan, a Sri-Lankan born elephant, was sent as a gift to the daughter of the president of Pakistan and ended up, confined, in Islamabad Zoo. After a global petition via Change.org and Twitter received more than 400,000 signatures, a five-year fight for his freedom began, with none other than global pop superstar Cher stepping in after she spotted the campaign online. Having been confined for more than 35 years (the duration of its life) and given the title ‘the loneliest elephant in the world’, the five-tonne animal was relocated across Asia to a 30,000-acre Cambodian wildlife sanctuary.

With teary moments and incredible footage of the massive process involved in the transportation of Kaavan to Cambodia, this is a moving story focusing on the unsettling trauma the elephant was forced to experience, yet it has an uplifting end. Not only does the film with Cher’s narration walk you through this elephant’s long struggle of neglect and maltreatment, it also shines a light on the cruelty that so many animals around the world endure every day. It is a moving yet educational documentary hooked on a powerful true story. Cher co-founded the animal rights organisation Free the Wild as a result and even released the song 'Walls' inspired by her experience. By Cordelia Aspinall

'Cher and the Loneliest Elephant' is available on Smithsonian Channel from Wednesday 19 May 2021

MAN ON WIRE (2008)

‘I remember the vastness of New York . The altitude! It was all so alive!’ Was a city ever so breathtakingly captured as in this celebrated account of the mist-swagged August morning in 1974 when French wire-walker Philippe Petit illegally rigged a cable between the twin towers of the World Trade Center and made eight entirely improbable crossings in 45 minutes. Dressed all in black, his slender figure carrying its long balancing pole occasionally kneels on the thin wire (he even lies down – how your stomach heaves!), saluting the dazzling morning, and his own skill and chutzpah, as the startled pedestrians on the streets far below gaze up weeping and gasping while steam filters up through cracks in the pavement in that quintessential NYC way. Even though the crossings themselves are all in fact captured only in stills taken at the time by Petit’s assistants and friends you somehow remember the whole marvellous incident in moving images. It’s the city itself that’s doing that to you: its inherent dynamism, its irrepressible atmosphere of perpetual motion.

We see Manhattan photographed here from so high above (much as we see it in the 1933 King Kong ), the Hudson spreading like glitter – like nitrate itself – in any black-and-white images. And the colour of apricot in colour stills, under blue swags of cloud and summer sky. ‘Everyone was spellbound by the watching of it,’ exhales a policeman dispatched to arrest Petit, who was ultimately charged with trespass and disorderly conduct. But the city embraced him.

Stream on Amazon , Google Play and YouTube

FREE SOLO (2018)

An immense, waning moon stares into a canyon’s abyss of sharp stones. A fierce river below spurts along the valley, wild grasses on the banks rolling in the wind like feathers or fur. All this the free-climber Alex Honnold sees – or does he? Fixed like Spider-Man to the side of a cliff, climber’s white chalk clinging to the back of his blistered hands, as the evening flushes rose right across Yosemite National Park. A film that follows Honnold in 2017 preparing to climb the infamous El Capitan – ‘3,200 feet of sheer vertical granite… the centre of the rock-climbing universe’ – without ropes. You sweat in sickly fear for his safety while also completely revelling in the fresh air every frame seems to blow your way, the bright warmth of sun on boulder, the absurd beauty of distant trees, the sight of a rainbow slicing through the foaming heart of a waterfall. You emerge healthier and freer somehow, just for having watched it. Your own limbs spasm as though you walked all day. Despite it being a compelling story of self-induced terror (what drives the angel-faced Honnold remains a mystery), you remember more the awesome sights, the very visceral sensation of movement.

Stream on All4

SEASPIRACY (2021)

Not one for the faint of heart, this 90-minute Netflix documentary has been hitting audiences hard in quite a few ways. It’s from the team behind C owspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (another in-depth spotlight, this time on the impact of agriculture on our planet), and you can expect to see similar themes, upsetting footage and quite controversial interviews with figures in the global fishing industry. The film, directed and narrated by British filmmaker Ali Tabrizi, sets out to explore the damaging effects of mass-scale commercial fishing on marine life and the levels of pollution in waters around the world. Expect to learn about the importance of dolphins, sharks and whales for our oceans ’ ecosystems, that sustainably sourced seafood might not be all that it seems, and that, ultimately, we should all be reducing our fish consumption. You might very well be off fish by the end, but it’s also worth reading around some more: there are some conflicting views about the film and whether the scientific points it makes are factually out of context. Katharine Sohn

Seaspiracy is available to stream on Netflix now

Chasing Coral (2017)

You may not be able to travel to see the Great Barrier Reef , the subject of this Netflix documentary, for much longer if we don't do something about climate change and ocean warming. The film uses hi-tech camera equipment and time lapses to show the deterioration of the coral as it turns from 'colourful, vibrant ecosystems into barren, lifeless wastelands,' writes Condé Nast Traveler US 's Sebastian Modak. You'll feel truly gutted once the movie's over, but it will have you planning a trip to Australia , and other areas with endangered natural wonders, within minutes of the rolling credits.

Stream Chasing Coral on Netflix

THE WHALEBONE BOX (2020)

Here’s a treat. Andrew Kotting – our most quietly influential experimental filmmaker – released a film online that sweeps us up on a pilgrimage to return a box made of whalebone to a far beach on the Hebridean Isle of Harris, whence the whale bones originally came. So, we cram in a car with Kotting and the psychogeographer Iain Sinclair and rumble north (filming mostly on a camera-phone) all overseen by Kotting’s daughter Eden, who wears a pagan crown of ivy and seems to be conjuring the whole mysterious and somehow healing road trip in a fever-dream. It’s a perfect evocation of that desire to travel. To move, to be en route, to feel twinges of uneasy excitement, to spin out illusionary ideas of a distant location. The place names whirl by: Ardlui, Mallaig. (At one point we suddenly find ourselves in a Templar castle in the Pyrenees.) Inside the car there’s that super-seductive sense of a gang travelling light, seeing what happens and who they might meet along the jagged coastline. ‘There are places you go, to access time,’ Kotting tells us, as the startling white sand of Harris glows in its near-sinister, beckoning way, under racing skies full of clouds like shredded curtains, and sudden glimmers of wet, green Hebridean sunlight.

Streamed exclusively on MUBI

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (1999)

A phenomenon as much as a movie, the spectacular success of the Buena Vista Social Club album and film had a limitless impact on the Cuban tourist industry. Some 20 years later, the music you hear on street corners in that city is more likely to be the music of pre-revolutionary Cuba defined in the film, by a cadre of musicians (some in their 70s and 80s) who had long fallen out of favour, only to be made world famous in their dotage.

I especially love when the camera sways out onto the streets of Havana, filming fast and in natural light the life there: the men working on immense old cars observed by stray dogs the colour of a sweet cold beer; the breeze off the sea playing against shirts; children rolling wooden toys before them; the unloading of mountains of bananas; residents of stuccoed tenements easing vast, scratched and defunct Fifties American fridges out of doors past murals of Che, as though demonstrating the very sickness of capitalism that Guevera railed against. Guitarist Compay Segundo recalling how, aged five, he would light his grandmother’s cigars in Santiago. Or baritone crooner Ibrahim Ferrer showing us the wooden carving he has always kept of Lazarus, and the little bowls of honey, rum and perfume he would offer to it, for good luck – which finally came to him after years of penury and shoe-shining in Havana after the film was released. Every frame takes you to that city, that climate. The smoky smell of the pavements as the sun grows stronger.

Stream on Google Play and YouTube

THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS (2008)

‘The North Sea and the sand is the start for me…’ says Agnès Varda, esteemed filmmaker of the Nouvelle Vague and photographer of genius, who aged 80 in this autobiographical collage of personal memory and feeling, takes us to the beaches that shaped her childhood, her marriage, her art and beyond. ‘Time passes, except on the beaches, which are timeless…’ she reasons, remembering with fondness Belgian sands at La Panne and Middelkerke. And especially the port city of Sète in France ’s southern region of Occitanie, where she speaks of seeing fishermen in the 1940s living in rough tents on the dunes, canvas walls slung with storm lamps and old pans. Noirmoutier, the French island in the Bay of Biscay, she recalls her husband Jacques Demy particularly loving, and she films it here in tribute and with such freshness it’s since become a destination for fans of the movie. ‘What is cinema?’ Varda asks, ‘It is LIGHT coming from somewhere…’ We see her sailing up the Seine in a wooden boat, right under the Ponts des Arts, the craft itself painted the sun-flashing yellow of the Provençal sunflowers that Varda always seemed to feature in her movies. I had the good fortune to interview Varda when she was 90, just months before she died, and I took a bunch of sunflowers as a gift – she received them with a yelp of happiness, saying they reminded her of French summers, her wise eyes warm as landing lights.

GRIZZLY MAN (2005)

‘Sometimes images themselves develop their own mysterious stardom…’ narrates German director Werner Herzog, over this his most heart-rending film. Part ‘kind warrior’ part ‘samurai’ the conservationist-activist Timothy Treadwell lived for 13 summers with wild Kodiak bears in remote areas of the Alaskan peninsula, shooting 100 hours of footage of those bears in their natural habitat. Styling himself as a Prince Valiant, his eventual death-by-Kodiak was shockingly violent, and Herzog shapes Treadwell’s sad, strange story as a tribute to ‘wild, primordial nature’ where his subject was truly at home. As you watch, you’re convinced you too can feel the fresh air on your own skin, the nip of mosquitoes, the pelter of rain. The long evenings spent alone, the vast plateau of mountains, the tide flats, the tumbled jags of glaciers, the sensation of Treadwell’s hands calloused like leather, the yelp of light in the mornings, the changing Alaskan sky.

In one scene, little slim foxes (called Ghost and Spirit) wake him by pressing their noses and paws against the walls of his tent, and he runs with them across a flower-studded meadow, delirious with the surprising gift of such companionship and freedom that would make any child’s heart explode. To be friends with the animals! ‘He captures such glorious improvised moments the likes of which studio directors with their union crews could never dream of,’ says Herzog, with patent admiration, himself an absolute master of putting not just nature, but the profound euphoria of travel on film. Think of those moments in Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre, when the hero walks the High Tatra mountains of northern Slovakia, or the Partnach Gorge in the Reintal valley in southern Germany . Rhapsodic.

JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011)

Even though this documentary is almost entirely set inside a 10-seater Tokyo restaurant with no view, its location somehow comes to feel as though the whole history of Japan might be contained within its temple-like walls. Jiro Ono (now 94) is Japan’s most famous sushi master. He left home aged nine to become an apprentice, opening his own restaurant in the 1960s that now has a three-Michelin-star rating, which means (says one food critic) ‘It’s worth visiting that country just to visit the restaurant.’ Jiro is modest and stern, and we glimpse snatches of his past – anecdotes about his harsh infancy or an alluring black-and-white photograph of his father formally seated in 1927 wearing a sheeny kimono, an image with unforgettable resonance and romance, that seems to far, far predate the Taisho era.

Inside the restaurant – a capsule of absorption, firmly sealed in its own private weather – every day proceeds without alteration. The rice is steamed and hand-fanned, the halibut and squid and eel finely sliced and pressed together. ‘Press the sushi like you’re pressing a little chick,’ Jiro advises. ‘The world has turned outside, but he has remained the same,’ someone says, as the camera occasionally takes us outside to the brooding, energetic Tokyo streets, where it always seems to be raining and the crowds hurry. Down to the fish market full of tottering porters and barrow-pushers rhythmically going to and fro, where the best tuna trader drags frowningly on his hand-cupped cigarette, his hair slicked like Elvis, dreaming of the days when the fish were fat as pianos.

Stream on Amazon , and Netflix (US)

THE EPIC OF EVEREST (1924)

Not just one of the most important travel films ever made, but a precious artefact. A time capsule, a relic. If the third attempt to ascend Everest culminated in the sad deaths of the determined English climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, the moving image of their expedition (shot by Captain John Noel with a hand-cranked camera sometimes using high-powered telescopic lenses) has thankfully survived. Some of the earliest filmed records of life in Tibet are here, and several frames have been tinted in the original reds and purples of the first screenings in 1924, thanks to meticulous restoration by the BFI.

Every second is a marvel, the images profound. Mallory and Irvine facing the climb of their lives in modest tweed jackets. Tibetan babies in stone villages, their skin slathered in yak butter, lying out happily in the sun. A Tibetan gentleman showing his glimmering ear to the camera, dangling its pendant earring of gold and aquamarine. A baby donkey born during the long march west, expected to walk 25 miles on its first day of life, collapsed in the mud (‘How tired and sleepy he is!’). Ancient castles and monasteries stud the mountains, hermit lamas dwelling in cliff-built cells predicting doom for the mission, climbers snow-blind and in states of collapse or trudging past ice-caves and picking off stalactites, as though they were great jags of lickable sugar on a fairy palace.

The mountain itself – Tibet’s Goddess Mother of the World – seems to physically pulsate with (as a title card tells us) ‘lofty solitude. Grand, solemn and unutterably lonely.’ And then the image of Mallory and Irvine ascending up, and up, and up, only to disappear, eternally out of sight. ‘We may think of ourselves and nature,’ warns the original text on screen, with what feels like definitive prescience. ‘We spring from nature. In life, we defy her.’

Stream on BFI Player

JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY (1959)

Perhaps the ultimate concert film, made during the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival on Rhode Island, headlined by (among others) Thelonious Monk and Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan and Chuck Berry. How many times you wish yourself into the frame! To be among that happy, confident, peanut-crunching crowd. Because the camera has such a lovely, casual eye, it’s like a friend describing little moments and scenes, interested, curious, relaxed.

We see Monk take the stage with his bamboo-rimmed dark glasses. Sal Salvador on guitar with a buzz cut, eyes closed in bliss. Anita O’Day singing Tea for Two in a black hat fringed in white feathers, snapping her fingers as she sings, her gloves immaculate. The crowd sways and giggles and sighs, a jewel-box of capri pants and Breton tops. Strappy yellow sundresses and cat-eyed shades, baked shoulders and freckled clavicles draped with hipster cardigans. Well-fed babies are passed down rows to be greeted with kisses by mothers waving choc-ices. Beyond, the water of Narragansett Bay is a sparkling blur dotted with pretty racing boats called Nomad and Pixie. ‘The weather out here is summery, with a smoky haze on the horizon,’ someone thrills over a tannoy, as the camera picks out brown, sandalled feet dangling from a crow’s nests during a race.

Sometimes it feels like everything is reflected in the glistering water of the movie; all of the USA’s post-war reach and ambition. It has the optimism of a Cadillac. The ‘Dionysian potential of American life,’ as John Updike put it; that ‘carnival under the dome of heaven, every fair day.’ To me, this film captures precisely that gorgeous, lost moment in time and place, when Ted Hughes was gazing at his new and glamorous wife, Sylvia Plath, recalled in the poem 18 Rugby Street, ‘So this is America, I marvelled. Beautiful, beautiful America !’

60th-anniversary edition available on DVD

INGRID BERGMAN: IN HER OWN WORDS (2015)

‘I don’t want any roots. I want to be free.’ Ingrid Bergman’s will to travel came from deep within her. Sweden , California , Italy , France, London – she was able to up and move, reinvent herself, leaving lovers and children behind, documenting it all with a cine-camera – and her own footage occupies the majority of this powerfully alluring film. ‘I wanted desperately to get out in the world,’ she said, in letters to friends. ‘It’s as if a bird of passage is living with me.’

And so we follow her through the various stages of her life, with different husbands, and all her pretty infants blowing about like bright petals across the terraces of various villas and hotels (Hotel Raphael in Paris was her favourite). She’s here, driving around Rome in a white convertible, laughing at the paparazzi. Or clambouring with fishermen about the Aeolian island of Stromboli, sweeping shining hair from out of her tear-filled eyes. Or knitting topless in the powerful sunlight, all broad shoulders and witty expression. Diving into a pool in Hollywood, using a magnum of Champagne as a life buoy. And best: her robust, salty skin tanned the colour of rosewood against an unglamorous raincoat on the isolated, harshly granite island of Dannholmen off the Swedish west coast, where she joined the local sailing school, and where her ashes were scattered after she died. ‘I love your island,’ she’d said to her third husband, seeing his modest wooden house in 1958, with its rusted anchor sitting sentinel off the grey and merciless rocks. ‘Good,’ he’d nodded. ‘Let’s get married, then.’

Stream on Amazon

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (2018)

Chef and food writer Samin Nosrat’s four-part series focuses on the four ingredients she thinks makes food delicious. In Italy she explores fat, in Japan she finds salt, in Mexico it’s acid and in the USA there’s heat. Her smile and spontaneous dancing are irresistible viewing, not to mention the sizzling close-ups of her adventurous, elemental cooking. Meredith Carey

Stream Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix

Chef’s Table Pastry (2018)

This is a four-episode-only spin-off from the Emmy award-winning Chef’s Table. The show kicks off with Christina Tosi and her New York Milk Bar empire, an instant hit into the series. Also on the menu: Jordi Roca, Will Goldfarb and Corrado Assenza. Mesmerising and delicious – don't think about watching without sweet snacks to hand. MC

Stream Chef's Table Pastry on Netflix

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (2016)

Set in a tiny Tokyo diner that's only open from midnight to 7am, the fictional show follows the Midnight Diner's owner and clientele as they share their trials and joys, all while eating whatever the owner, called Master, dishes up. In the diner, pork miso soup is the go-to, but Master will cook visitors anything they order, as long as he's got the goods to make it. Episodes are a little more than 20 minutes long, so it's the most bingeable of the bunch. Watch with subtitles and don't - seriously, don't - watch while hungry. MC

Stream Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories on Netflix

Travels with My Father (2017)

Follow stand-up comedian Jack Whitehall and his father, Michael, in this six-episode Netflix original across Southeast Asia . The series tracks the duo as they finish the gap year Jack never got to complete, just a few years late (eight, to be exact). MC

Stream Travels with My Father on Netflix

Stephen Fry in America (2012)

In this six-part mini-series, Stephen Fry drives around all 50 US states in a London cab. Football games at the University of Alabama and lobster fishing in Maine are on the menu. Expect a lot of laughs and a surprise appearance from Morgan Freeman. MC

Stream Stephen Fry in America on Netflix

Chef's Table (2015)

If you've ever raised an eyebrow at food as art, set aside some time to watch this Netflix original docu-series. Each 50-minute episode profiles one of the world’s most extraordinary chefs (such as Peruvian Virgilio Martínez, pictured, the owner of Lima's Central restaurant, and Swede Magnus Nilsson) as they create impossibly complicated dishes. MC

Stream Chef's Table on Netflix

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23 travel films that will make you feel like you're on holiday

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The best food and travel shows to watch right now

24 Travel Documentaries You Should Watch ASAP

1. 180° south (2010).

Duration: 1 hour 25 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.6 Filming Locations: Chile, Mexico

2. Encounters at the End of the World (2007)

Duration: 1 hour 39 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.8 Filming Locations: Antarctica

3. Austin To Boston (2014)

Duration: 1 hour 12 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.2 Filming Locations: USA

4. Unbranded (2015)

Duration: 1 hour 46 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.3 Filming Locations: Western America

5. Baraka (1992)

Duration: 1 hour 36 minutes IMDb Rating: 8.6 Filming Locations: 23 countries

6. Hit The Road India (2013)

Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes IMDb Rating: 6.8 Filming Locations: India

7. Blindsight (2006)

Duration: 1 hour 44 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.3 Filming Locations: Tibet

8. The Endless Summer (1966)

Duration: 1 hour 35 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.8 Filming Locations: West Coast of Africa, Australia , New Zealand , Tahiti

9. Life In A Day

Duration: 1 hour 35 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.7 Filming Locations: 192 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

10. Frozen Planet (2011)

Duration: 9 episodes of 1 hour each IMDb Rating: 8.9 Filming Locations: The North and South Poles

11. A Map For Saturday (2007)

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.9 Filming Locations:  Argentina , Australia, Brazil, USA, India, England , Spain , Thailand, Italy

12. Touching The Void (2003)

Duration: 1 hour 46 minutes IMDb Rating: 8.1 Filming Locations: Peru, France , Switzerland

13. Samsara (2011)

Duration: 1 hour 42 minutes IMDb Rating: 8.5 Filming Location: Over 25 countries in 5 continents

14. Riding Solo To The Top of The World

Duration: 1 hour 34 minutes IMDb Rating: 8.2 Filming Location:   Leh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir

15. The Edge Of Never

Duration: 1 hour 43 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.3 Filming Location: France, USA, Canada

16. Stephen Fry In America 

Duration: 6 episodes of 1 hour each IMDb Rating: 8.0 Filming Location: USA

17. Under An Arctic Sky 

Duration: 39 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.1 Filming Location: Iceland

18. Sacred Planet 

Duration: 40 minutes IMDb Rating: 6.2 Filming Location:   Mulu, Sarawak, Malaysia ,  Namibia, Thailand, British Columbia, Southern Alaska

19. Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father

IMDb rating: 7.7 / 10 Seasons: 3 Episodes: 11

20. Around the World in 80 Days

Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes IMDb Rating: 5.9 / 10 Filming Locations: USA

21. Sahara with Michael Palin

Duration: 60 minutes * 4 episode IMDb Rating: 8 Filming Locations: Sahara Desert

22. Antarctica: A Year on Ice

Duration: 1 hour 31 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.6 Filming Locations: Antarctica

23. K2: Siren of the Himalayas

Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.2 Filming Locations: Pakistan

24. The Maidentrip

Duration: 1 hour 22 minutes IMDb Rating: 7.5

This post was published by Yash Saboo

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The 20 Best Adventure Travel Documentaries and Travel Movies To Stream Right Now

Post Summary: The Best Travel Documentaries and Travel Movies 

Don’t have time to travel right now, but still want to be transported somewhere else? Berty and I have found ourselves scrolling through old pictures on our phones, reminiscing about those amazing hiking trails in Glacier from last summer or gorgeous places on the Oregon Coast . 

Sooo, while phone pictures are great reminders of past trips, we’re getting our travel fix now by watching travel documentaries and travel movies ! They are an awesome way to transport yourself into another world and experience the adrenaline rush, culture, or experiences right from the comfort of your own couch.

In this post, we’re sharing our recommended travel documentaries and travel movies across a wide span of streaming services. We’re aware that people may not have all of these (or any!) but we tried to cover as many as we could to share our recommendations.

We hope you can find a new travel series to enjoy alongside us!

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Adventure Travel Documentaries and Travel Movies To Feed Your Wanderlust

Is this a complete list? Absolutely not! We don’t cover much about food tourism, and that’s an entirely different topic with a HUGE range of shows to explore.

In this particular post, we’re sharing more travel documentaries on the adventurous side of things, to inspire epic adventures and maybe even a rush of adrenaline!

We hope you enjoy our travel movie picks, and let us know in the comments if you have any more to add to this list!

NETFLIX TRAVEL DOCUMENTARIES

The dawn wall.

Love climbing? You’ll really love The Dawn Wall . This documentary follows Tommy Caldwell in his attempt to climb Yosemite’s Dawn Wall (the section of El Capital that the sun hits first in the mornings) and the incredible backstory that led him to this monumental feat. 

Follow the world’s adorable animals in this documentary series from the makers of Blue Planet and Planet Earth. Follow exotic animals from over 50 countries and see how they thrive in the wilderness. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, this travel documentary will give you all the warm fuzzies. 

National Parks Adventure

Bummed that your favorite national parks are closed? Experience them in this amazing travel movie narrated by Robert Redford! He shares the history of America’s national parks, from the tall Redwoods to the vast stretches of the Grand Canyon . You’ll be inspired, awe-struck, and ready to plan your next adventure before it ends.

Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father

A traveling comedian takes his risk-averse father around the world . A funny travel documentary about trying new things and bonding with the person you love across the world!

Dark Tourist

David Farrier ventures out into the world of Dark Tourism, which is traveling to unpopular places for their notoriety in death , destruction , or all-around spookiness . From war zones to Chernobyl, David brings you to the places you never want to go…but kind of do. 

Tales By Light

Follow Simon Lister, a photographer that traveled the world with camera in hand, only to soften his heart for the poor and disadvantaged he encountered. He partnered with UNICEF to bring awareness to small communities in need , sharing the unique stories of the people in them. 

This travel documentary is for you if you love feel-good shows , with panning drone shots of the beautiful landscapes he encounters. 

The Alpinist

Following the life of quiet, solitary life of Marc-André Leclerc, you’ll learn about the man who redefined solo climbing by tackling some of the most daunting and dangerous peaks in the world! If you love mountaineering and climbing, this is definitely one of the best travel documentaries to watch.

AMAZON PRIME TRAVEL DOCUMENTARIES AND MOVIES

The secret life of walter mitty.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is one of our favorite travel movies to watch for world inspiration! Following the story of the lifeless day-to-day schedule of photo developer Walter Mitty, he begins to have exciting daydreams about seeing the world.

All this comes to the forefront when he gets an opportunity to travel and track down a photo, to be used for the final issue of the magazine firm in which he works. This movie is filled with gorgeous shots of some of the most beautiful areas of the world – it will definitely give you a little bit of wanderlust!

Idaho The Movie

Tim Woodward narrates this gorgeous travel documentary all about…you guessed it, Idaho! If you’ve ever been curious about all the buzz around this state, whet your travel appetite with the Emmy-Award-winning documentary. (It also has a sequel!)

Love Idaho? You’ll want to plan a trip to the Route of the Hiawatha bike trail in the summertime!

Alone is a reality show that follows the lives of ten individuals, all placed in isolation from the rest of the world on a quest for survival. Their goal is to see who can survive in the wilderness the longest , and some seasons have contestants going for months before the last person is left standing!

The first, second, and fourth seasons are all filmed on Vancouver Island , which is an interesting way to see the wild, less-reached areas of the island. Berty and I love this series because we learn a lot about survival strategies and love hearing the stories of the individuals! 

If you love climbing documentaries like Free Solo, you’re going to love Meru! This documentary follows the attempts of three professional climbers , attempting Mount Meru, one of the riskiest climbs in the world. 

They face all kinds of challenges, ranging from terrible weather, difficult climbs, and mental blocks. If you have been curious about what it’s like to be an elite climber, this is the travel documentary for you!

HULU TRAVEL DOCUMENTARIES

A show by Vice, Abandoned is about exploring abandoned structures all around America . Following the story of pro skateboarder Rick McCrank, he’ll take you to some of America’s most forgotten places and show you the beauty that still lies there. Watch the trailer here.  

Man Vs Wild

Man Vs Wild is a popular and exciting travel documentary series that follows Bear Grylls on his always-exciting adventures into the far reaches of the world. From survival tips to risky quests , he takes you on adventures that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Rick Steves Europe

Rick Steves is one of the most popular and well-known travel writers of our time. He has helped thousands of people plan amazing trips all around the world, but most notably around Europe!

The graphics in this travel documentary series are a little on the cheesy side (recorded in the early 2000s), but you’ll come to the other side of this show with expanded cultural knowledge, history, and a long bucket list of places to explore in Europe !

DISNEY PLUS TRAVEL DOCUMENTARIES AND MOVIES

This adorable feel-good movie is about a grumpy old man and a boy scout that take an unpredictable adventure. Tying thousands of balloons to his home , the dynamic duo fly to South America to fulfill a lifelong dream of seeing Paradise Falls. 

Free Solo is a documentary about US climber, Alex Honnold in his attempt to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan without the aid (or safety) of ropes . Sweaty palms will set in right from the beginning – Alex’s camera crew shoots at angles that make even the most risk-seeking individuals have a pit in their stomach! 

This documentary follows the days leading up to the climb, interviews with his closest friends and family, and the nail-biting climb carefully documented every step of the way!

Read More: How To Spend 24 Hours In Yosemite National Park

Living in an idyllic Polynesian village, Moana is the daughter of the chief who is constantly searching for her purpose and identity. When her community is thrust into danger, she sets out on a mission to the open waters to save her people . Meeting the demi-god, Maui, and other mystical creatures, Moana’s adventure is full of twists and turns as she becomes a master way-finder on the open sea.

Young Miguel dreams of being a musician , despite his family’s aversion to music. Going behind his family’s back to prove he has what it takes to be a famous musician like his idol, Ernest de la Cruz, he stumbles upon the other side of life, the Land of the Dead . 

Funny characters, Miguel’s ancestors, and mystical beasts help Miguel as he navigates his way back home and discovers his true family history. 

Ratatouille

Being a rat in Paris can have its disadvantages, especially if you are an aspiring chef ! Remy the mouse dreams of being a famous chef in Paris and with the help of an unlucky garbage boy (Linguini) he gets to put his skills to the test.

If you are dreaming about visiting Paris, this is a fun way to immerse yourself in the culture of the city, without having to plan your own Paris itinerary!

Want To Plan Your Own Trip? Read Our 3 Day Paris Itinerary!

The Rescue is one of the most miraculous travel documentaries that happened just a few years ago! In 2018, a Thai soccer team of 12 boys wandered into a cave and became trapped by water flooding into the space.

The Thai navy and friends gathered together the best cave divers in the world to plan a rescue mission to save the boys and their coach. Watch the full movie to see this exciting and nerve-wracking story unfold!

Even More Travel Documentaries and Movies To Watch At Home

• Down To EarthThe Goonies
• The Darjeeling Limited
• Into the Wild
• 180 Degrees South
• Interstellar
• Stand By Me
• The Hobbit Series
• Indiana Jones
• Call of the Wild
• Lord of the Rings
• The River Wild
• The Way Back
• Vertical Limit
• Captain Fantastic
• The Revenent

What are some other travel documentaries and travel movies? Anything we missed? Share your favorites in the comments below!

More travel inspiration.

Inspiring Travel Coffee Table Books

Inspiration Photo Locations In Washington State

Adventurous Pacific Northwest Activities To Plan For Future Trips

More Travel Inspiration By Following @TheMandagies on Instagram

Find Me directed by Tom Huang. You can watch it for free on Tubi! Literally one of my favorite movies!

Thanks for the travel movie suggestion, Alexandra!!

Idaho: The Movie is everything! Definitely makes you want to go on an Idaho road trip ASAP. Loved stress-watching Free Solo and the Dawn Wall, will have to check out Meru. And – the Walter Mitty soundtrack is the best adventure music ever. Thanks for this fun movie round up!

Love it Sarah! Yes, we totally recommend Meru. If you loved the Dawn Wall and Free Solo, Meru is the next level!!

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Second-Half Travels

Adventures of a Fifty-Something Cubicle Escapee

13 Best Travel Documentaries on Netflix (2023)

These Netflix documentaries about travel will pacify your wanderlust between trips as you explore the world from the comfort of your couch.

Here are some of the best travel documentaries on Netflix in the US as of July 24, 2023. Many are also available in other countries. Watch them while you can, because content disappears as licensing agreements expire.

Also, don’t miss the bonus list of travel documentaries on Amazon Prime below.

Table of Contents

Netflix Travel Documentaries

1. dark tourist.

Netflix meets Vice in this travelogue by New Zealand filmmaker David Farrier, who sets his sights on the world of dark tourism.

From a nuclear lake to a haunted forest, he visits macabre — and sometimes dangerous — tourist destinations around the world.

Countries : Various

2. Street Food: Latin America

Experiencing street food culture is one of the joys of travel. This mouth-watering docuseries travels to Latin America to meet the local stars of street food.

Countries : Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia

3. Street Food: Asia

This inspiring series from the makers of Chef’s Table is as much about the compelling survival stories of these talented street chefs as it is about their signature dishes.

The first season takes the viewer to nine Asian destinations.

Countries : Thailand, Japan, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, and Vietnam

4. Pedal the World

Over the course of one memorable and adventure-filled year, German-born Felix Starck documents his 18,000-kilometer bicycle journey across 22 countries.

The Oscar-nominated heart-rending true story of the rangers risking their lives to save Africa’s most precious national park and its endangered gorillas.

Country: Congo

6. Chef’s Table

Each episode of this Emmy-nominated docuseries visits a different international location for an in-depth interview with one of the world’s most renowned chefs.

Creator David Gelb also directed the critically acclaimed Jiro Dreams of Sushi , and the two productions share a similar emotional and artistic sensibility hallmarked by compelling narratives and mesmerizingly beautiful cinematography.

7. Magical Andes

No English subtitles available for trailer – but you don’t need them to admire the stunning photography

From Argentina to Colombia, this inspiring documentary follows five characters who share their deep connection to South America’s majestic mountains.

Countries: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia

8. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Chef David Chang brings his trademark irreverent humor and curiosity to Vancouver, Marrakech, Los Angeles, and Phnom Penh as he explores the culture and food accompanied by various celebrity guests.

Countries : Canada, Morocco, US, Cambodia

9. The Trader (Sovdagari)

At only 23 minutes, this award-winning documentary short provides a fascinating and poignant window into impoverished rural life in post-Soviet Georgia.

The camera follows a traveling trader as he sells secondhand goods in exchange for potatoes. Beautiful cinematography that captures the stark Georgian landscape.

Country: Georgia

10. Ugly Delicious

Smart-ass chef David Chang leads his buddies on a mouthwatering, cross-cultural hunt for the world’s most satisfying grub.

Each episode of this highly original show tackles a topic like tacos, pizza, or dumplings, examining its cultural and culinary history and visiting different countries to compare how it’s made.

Warning: Chang can be obnoxious, and racial and political commentary is liberally sprinkled throughout the show, which may not be to everyone’s taste.

11. Period. End of Sentence.

This Oscar-winning documentary short takes us to rural India, where local women fight the stigma surrounding menstruation by manufacturing low-cost sanitary pads.

Country: India

12. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

Based on Samin Nosrat’s best-selling book, this visually stunning series travels to the home kitchens of Italy, the southern islands of Japan, the heat of the Yucatán, and to Berkeley’s Chez Panisse.

Samin’s contagious laugh and genuine passion for cooking inspire as she explores the central principles of what makes food delicious.

Countries: Italy, Japan, Mexico, United States

13. Taco Chronicles

Note: No English subtitles available for YouTube trailer; click to watch subtitled trailer on Netflix Warning: Don’t watch if you’re hungry. Explore the complex histories of the world’s most beloved tacos in this love letter to the iconic handheld food.

Country : Mexico

Travel Documentaries on Amazon Prime

See below for some of the best travel documentaries on Amazon Prime Video. I’ve indicated whether each is free to Prime members or available for rental.

Note that these films may also be found at your local library.

A Map for Saturday

Classic travel documentary that follows a variety of solo budget travelers — from teens to seniors — through 26 countries on four continents.

Young filmmaker Brook Silva-Braga trains his inquisitive lens on backpackers lending a hand to tsunami victims, trekkers forming brief but intense relationships, and fascinating moments of self-discovery and adventure.

Available for rental on Amazon Prime .

This inspiring documentary follows the record-breaking round-the-world voyage of Dutch teen Laura Dekker, youngest person ever to sail around the world alone.

Available for free to Prime members on Amazon Prime.

This beautifully filmed docu follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey to Patagonia of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins, legendary founders of The North Face and Patagonia sportswear and pioneering conservationists.

Along the way Johnson gets shipwrecked off Easter Island, surfs the longest wave of his life, and attempts to climb a Patagonian peak.

Available for free to Prime members on Amazon Prime .

Countries: Mexico, Chile

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• Travel Essentials You Never Knew You Needed
• Netflix TV Shows and Movies Filmed in Morocco
• Best Russian Shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime
• German TV Series on Netflix and Amazon Prime

About Ingrid

Ingrid left software engineering at age 43 to devote herself to language learning and travel. Her goal is to speak seven languages fluently. Currently, she speaks English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian, and is studying Latin.

Reader Interactions

July 5, 2018 at 3:56 pm

Definitely going to start ploughing my way through some of these before I head off next!! :-)

July 5, 2018 at 10:38 pm

Definitely… Netflix travel shows provide some of my best inspiration! ;)

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• Travel Updates

11 Best Travel Documentaries To Watch From Home

If you want to be inspired and watch some travel documentaries, here are a few of the best travel documentary films that you can watch online right now.

You may not be able to travel right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live vicariously through other people. Thanks to the power of the internet and streaming services, we have the world at our fingertips. While travel films are often as wonderful as they are fictitious, there’s something transportive about travel documentaries.

Watching some of these travel documentaries can even inspire you to take steps you might have been afraid of, or discover parts of yourself you never knew existed. So, if you want to be inspired and watch some travel documentaries, here are a few of the best travel documentary films that you can watch online right now that just might inspire you to plan your next trip (whenever that may be). 

Also read: Must-watch travel movies to feel inspired

Here Are The 11 Best Travel Documentaries To Stream Right Now

1 national parks adventure (2016) (for an off-trail adventure).

When the US National Parks Service celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016, it commissioned a documentary from filmmaker Greg MacGillivray. Narrated by Robert Redford, it explores the history and modern landscape of America’s many wonderful natural assets from glaciers in Montana to the spectacle of Utah’s natural arches.

Also read: You can take these virtual tours of National Parks right from home

2 An Idiot Abroad (2010-12) (To Experience A Variety Of People And Cultures)

If you’re looking for a travel documentary show that’ll provide you with endless laughter, then this one’s for you. This hilarious series follows co-creators and comedy actor-writers Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant who send TV actor and comedian Karl Pilkington around the globe to take part in extreme experiences that are completely out of his comfort zone leading to all kinds of hijinks. 

3 Free Solo (2019) (Follow An Attempt To Conquer El Capitan)

This Academy Award-winning film shares the incredible and intimate story of Alex Honnols, a free soloist climber who prepares to achieve his lifelong dream of scaling El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. His unwavering determination to master this 3,200-foot t tall rock (without a rope) makes for a gripping adventure.

4 The Kindness Diaries (2017) (See What It’s Like To Travel The World With Only A Vintage Motorbike And The Kindness Of Strangers)

Next on our list of travel documentaries, is ‘The Kindness Diaries’. In this time of uncertainty, watch this wholesome and inspiring series to remind yourself how connected we all really are. Follow host Leon Logothetis as he travels the world on his vintage motorbike. Without money, food, or a place to stay, he relies totally on the kindness of strangers to make his way and encounters breathtaking landscapes and heartwarming stories on his inspiring journey. 

5 Footprints: The Path of Your Life (2016) (Go On A Modern-Day Pilgrimage)

This documentary follows 10 people who take a trip together along the Camino de Santiago, a famous hiking and backpacking route in Spain (‘Canterbury Tales’-style). Explore the beautiful, yet unpredictable landscapes of northern Spain, as these brave souls walk 500 miles in 40 days along an ancient path that’s been traversed for centuries and discover something about themselves along the way. 

6 Life In A Day (2011) (A Time Capsule From People In 192 Countries)

This collection of films is especially poignant. It follows people from all over the world on the same day – 24 July 2010. Director Kevin Macdonald poses three questions (What do you love? What do you fear? What’s in your pocket?) in an open call and sifts through over 81,000 contributions to create a frank and moving snapshot of life in countries all over the world.

7 FISHPEOPLE (2017) (What Happens When People Dedicate Their Lives To The Sea)

A travel documentary film by Keith Mallory, ‘FISHPEOPLE’ tells the story of six remarkable people who have dedicated their lives to the sea. From swimmers and divers to photographers, these people display the transformative effects of time spent in the ocean. They also talk about how it helped them leave their limitations behind and is sure to make you feel like heading out into the ocean too.

8 Tales By Light (2015) (Explore What Goes Into Capturing A Powerful Image)

‘Tales By Light’ began as a short series from camera-makers Canon, and evolved into a documentary show with National Geographic. It follows one amazing photographer in each episode, taking the viewer along on their journey to capture elusive wildlife, unique communities, and heartfelt themes around the world. This unique look through the lens at another person looking through a lens encourages us all to see the subject matter in a whole new light (pun definitely intended!)

9 Pedal The World (2015) (Travel The Globe By Bike To Find The Meaning Of Life)

This 90-minute self-produced travel documentary film follows Felix Starck, a young cyclist from Germany who spends a year pedalling across 22 countries, and over 20,000 km, in an effort to find the meaning of life. It’ll leave you asking yourself all kinds of questions like — ‘What would you do if you could let go of real-life responsibilities?’.

10 Mountain (2017) (An Exploration Of Our Obsessions With High Places)

From director Jennifer Peedam and photographer/mountaineer Renan Ozturk, this series tries to answer the question—‘Why do we humans consider scaling mountains a recreational activity?’. It showcases the most astonishing peaks and valleys on the planet, all set to the soundtrack of Willem Dafoe reading from ‘Mountains of the Mind’ by Robert Macfarlane. While it’s more inspirational than educational, it gives you a chance to experience humanity’s urge to explore the highest reaches of Earth.

11 The Epic Of Everest (1924) (Revisit The Legendary Everest Expedition Of 1924)

This film is equal parts entertainment and relic, featuring the third attempt to ascend Everest. Unfortunately, it ended in the deaths of the determined English climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, but you can still watch the steps of their expedition (shot by Captain John Noel) that survived. It also includes some of the earliest filmed records of life in Tibet, with ancient monasteries, stone villages, and vast mountains all meticulously re-coloured. 

So, Which Of These Travel Documentaries Will You Watch Next ?

If you’re feeling a bit housebound, and are looking to be inspired, why not watch some of these thrilling travel documentaries yourself? From the tallest mountains to the deepest oceans, these travel documentary videos cover every bit of our planet. So, where do you want to go explore next?

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Unveiling the wonders of culture and tradition!

Are you ready to embark on a journey filled with adventure, culture, tradition, and exciting attractions? Let your explorer's spirit soar and make unforgettable memories as you explore the beauty of our diverse world.

15 Travel Documentaries to Fuel your Wanderlust

Last updated on April 6th, 2023 at 09:35 pm

If there are travel documentaries being broadcast on British TV, we can guarantee we’ll be ready with remote control in hand. When we’re back home in London , we spend hours on the sofa, fuelling our wanderlust by watching others travelling the world.

For us, watching travel documentaries helps fill those gaps between trips. For an hour or so we’re transported somewhere far away from the normality of home. We reminisce of faraway places we’ve been to if filming locations are in countries we’ve already visited. Or we get excited and inspired if filmed in countries we are yet to discover. Both are just as enjoyable.

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Along with cookery shows and reality TV, there are so many travel documentaries to choose from. Via terrestrial TV, Sky, Netflix, Amazon or other online sites, they’ll be a documentary to satisfy anyone’s wanderlust.

We’ve picked 15 of our favourite travel documentaries from the more thoughtful travel subjects to less serious and humorous ways of seeing the world. Viewing access to these shows changes regularly so we’d suggest entering the title into Google to find which viewing platforms are currently available at the time of reading this post.

Regular guys Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach are bored. So what do they do? Take a road trip, of course. Departures follows them and their cameraman, Andre Dupuis, as they journey to countries all over the world. We love the non-premium feel of this show. It’s just three nice Canadian guys filming themselves travelling the world. They make an effort to visit hard to get to places and interact with locals wherever they go. This brings experiences that not all travellers get to do. Departures make the top of our travel documentaries list. 

Walking the Nile & Walking the Himalayas

Levison James Wood is a British Army officer and explorer. He’s best known for his extended walking expeditions in Africa and Asia. Over the course of nine months from 2013-2014, he undertook the first ever expedition to walk the entire length of the river Nile .

In 2015 he walked the length of the Himalayas. Both adventures were commissioned into four-part travel documentaries for Channel 4 in the UK. His journeys bring amazing landscapes, local interaction, massive highs and some disastrous lows.

Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer with Simon Reeve

Simon Reeve makes two “round the world” trips following the tropic of Capricorn in the Southern hemisphere and the tropic of Cancer in the Northern hemisphere . These two travel documentaries include visits to one or more countries, in Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean, Arabia and Hawaii. Simon explores daily life for locals, tourists and wildlife, as well as the history, culture and politics which all prove quite varied.

Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild

New Lives in the Wild is a television series on UK’s Channel 5 hosted by adventurer Ben Fogle . The series is about meeting people who live in some of the most remote locations on earth. More often than not, these are western families or individuals who have had enough of the big city rat race. They’ve escaped to remote parts of the world to set up new lives in the wild.

Examples are the Alaskan wilderness, a Polynesian Island and the Arizonian desert. These are courageous and inspirational people who Ben stays with for a few days to learn how they live so remotely.

World’s Most Dangerous Roads

World’s Most Dangerous Roads is a British BBC TV series first aired in 2011. Two celebrities per episode are filmed as they journey by a 4×4 vehicle along roads considered among the world’s most dangerous. Episodes include the Death Road in Bolivia and the Ho Chi Minh trail in Vietnam . Many of the chosen celebrities are comedians so some humour is added to what otherwise is a fascinating and educational watch.

Long Way Round

In 2004, Ewan McGregor , Charley Boorman and cameraman Claudio von Planta, travelled from London to New York City on a motorbike. In the process, they created some awesome travel documentaries. The journey visited thirteen countries, starting in the UK, then passing through France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Canada, and the USA, ending in New York City for a cumulative distance of 18,887 miles (30,396 km).

They take the time to visit a variety of sights and landmarks while travelling, including the Church of Bones in the Czech Republic, the Mask of Sorrow monument in Magadan, Russia, and Mount Rushmore in the USA. They, of course, encounter many hurdles along the way. It wouldn’t be a great adventure without them.

Top Gear: Road Trip Specials

This one’s a bit of a wild card as Top Gear does not usually fall in the travel documentaries category. However, we love the Top Gear road trip specials. Why? Because they take place in some incredible world locations. Typical Top Gear antics include driving around Africa trying to find the source of the Nile, going off road from Bolivia to Chile and getting across the length of Vietnam on two wheels with a budget of just $1000. We know a lot of what happens is scripted but we still can’t help but enjoy these adventurous episodes.

An Idiot Abroad

An Idiot Abroad is a British travel documentary / road trip comedy television series broadcast on Sky 1. It’s  created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and starring Karl Pilkington . The ongoing theme is that Pilkington has no interest in global travel, so Merchant and Gervais make him travel to the Seven Wonders of the World while they stay in the UK and monitor his progress.

Most of each episode focuses on Pilkington’s humorous reactions to cultural differences and idiosyncrasies in the countries he visits. He also gets set hilarious tasks, often not related to why he believed he was there. The silliest of our travel documentaries but well worth a watch. 

Asian Provocateur

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan is sent by his mother on a ramshackle odyssey around his parents’ homeland of Sri Lanka in an attempt to connect him with his roots. Romesh is the kind of guy who likes his home comforts and finds friendliness uncomfortable so Sri Lanka is not his ideal place to visit. As he quotes, ‘I was a bumbling Englishman in a Sri Lankan disguise’, so you can imagine the funny situations he gets himself into.

Our Guy in India

Motorbike racer  Guy Martin buys a Royal Enfield motorbike at a Delhi market, gets a traditional Hindu blessing and sets off on a 1000-mile motorbike trip.  Guy explores a rarely-seen side of modern India as he heads to one of the world’s maddest bike races. He travels through various parts of the country coming across all kinds of interesting people and sights on the way. Does he win the race at the end? You’ll have to watch to find out.

The Mekong River with Sue Perkins

TV presenter Sue Perkins embarks on a life-changing, 3,000-mile journey up the Mekong , South East Asia’s greatest river, exploring lives and landscapes on the point of dramatic change. It’s a really interesting watch, learning how 1000s of people live on and around one of the world’s great rivers. There’s plenty of smiles and tears as Sue listens to the locals stories and changing way of lives.    

The Secret Caribbean with Trevor McDonald

The newsreader and journalist, Sir Trevor McDonald embarks upon a stunning and epic journey across the Caribbean. From the Bahamas in the North to his birthplace Trinidad in the south, uncovering the sun-kissed islands along the way.

In this three part series, Sir Trevor visits The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad. It’s an unforgettable expedition as he experiences the huge contrasts in cultures and lifestyles these islands have to offer.

Travel Man 48 hours

If you’re looking for more laughs with your travel documentaries then Travel Man is the British documentary series for you. It features presenter Richard Ayoade , travelling to a different location each episode with a celebrity guest. Ayoade takes a ruthless approach to getting the maximum from each city break. Cramming as much as he possibly can in 48 fast and funny hours. His unique presenting style has us laughing through every episode.

Charley Boorman by Any Means

By Any Means , also known as Ireland to Sydney by Any Means , is a television series following Long Way Round star Charley Boorman . Travelling from Wicklow , Ireland, to Sydney , New South Wales, Australia, it features him completing the journey using 112 modes of transport and only travelling by plane when absolutely necessary. A real epic adventure!

Joanna Lumley’s Trans-Siberian Adventure

Joanna Lumley embarks on the world’s greatest train journey for this three-part documentary series. Travelling from East to West, she departs from Hong Kong across 5,777 miles of both Asia and Europe. Joanna travels through seven time zones, taking in an immense panorama of vistas and cultures, people and places, before her final arrival in Moscow.

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Maybe you've caught the travel bug. Maybe you have returned home from a big trip abroad and are wondering where to go next. Or maybe you're an aspirational traveler who partakes in wanderlust from the comfort of your own sofa.

No matter what your motivations are, Netflix has you covered. In this article we list the best travel documentaries you can watch on Netflix right now. All of which are guaranteed to make you long for a week (or two) experiencing new sights and sounds.

1. Expedition Happiness

What is life’s purpose ? To be happy, sure, but how? In Expedition Happiness, a couple tries to find out. What is happiness after all? Is happiness a wedding? A loft overlooking a great view of the city’s chaos? A monotonous routine just to maintain a healthy bank balance?

After all, what is the point of living if you do not break the routine. Sit back and stream the Alaskan mountains to the Mexican beaches with the "Loft on Wheels" created by Mogli and Felix with their dog Rudi. Let your soul travel as these three try to figure out what happiness is.

Get to know the ups and downs of executing a moving residence, and to turn an old school bus into happiness.

If you love this one, you might also like these nature documentaries .

2. Street Food

Combining travel with food, this documentary series from the creators of Chef's table will probably leave you hungry after a few episodes. The first season concentrates on Asia, visiting Bangkok, Osaka, and Seoul, among other destinations.

The theme tying all of these locales together is, as you probably guessed from the name, the street food you can find there. While the focus is often on the food itself, the show also focuses on the local heroes who create it.

3. Somebody Feed Phil

This is hands down the most fun you'll have watching a food and travel documentary. The way that Phil approaches new food, new places, and new people is a breath of fresh air.

He’ll take you to places you never thought of. Places you’ll end up adding to your bucket list. After watching this I ended up adding to my list: coffee in Vietnam, vegetarian food in Israel, dragon fruit in Thailand, and hot dogs in Copenhagen, to name a few.

As Phil says, "If you like a dish, go to the source." Get delighted, get amused, get amazed and definitely get hungry while somebody feeds Phil.

4. Dark Tourist

Not all of the best travel documentaries have to be about the beautiful and the serene. If you’re in the market for a slightly twisted travel story, Dark Tourist is for you. David Farrier, a New Zealand based filmmaker and journalist travels around the world looking for unusual and often morbid tourist spots across the world.

This documentary explores a new phenomenon called dark tourism. This is where tourists intentionally travel to places associated with death and destruction. A war-torn country? Sure. A dangerous border crossing? Why not. A quick trip around radioactive environments? Don’t mind if I do.

5. National Parks Adventure

The US National Parks Service is more than 100 years old. That’s more than a century of protecting natural wildernesses in the United States.

This breathtaking documentary by filmmaker Greg MacGillivray will make you want to go visit a national park right away. Between the beautiful montages is a story of three artists as they revisit Roosevelt and Muir's camping trip, where the Parks Service began.

6. Pedal the World

Some titles are artistic, hinting at a deeper meaning. Others are starkly literal. Pedal the World belongs in the second group. Why? This is a documentary following one man's trip around the world by bicycle.

That man is Felix Starck, who also happens to be the director of Expedition Happiness. If you enjoyed that documentary, you'll likely enjoy this one as well. Keep in mind that this is an earlier effort, so it may be a little rough around the edges compared to the newer movie.

This is a must watch for bicycle enthusiasts and anyone obsessed with world travel.

7. Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father

Father-son bonding is a different experience for everyone. When comedian Jack Whitehall was young, he and his father Michael never really bonded.

Now, Whitehall wants to bring that spark back by taking a gap year and traveling with his father. Watch as this comedian trades the stand-up stage (see the best stand-up comedy specials on Netflix ) for a tuk-tuk in Thailand.

What better way to spend time with your parent than by going on a trip. But what happens when you have a slightly grumpy father and you are the overly energetic one? Quite a blast, actually, Watch as this father-son team gets into accidents, goes to odd places, and attempts to open up to one another.

8. Paul Hollywood’s Big Continental Road Trip

For most people, where you travel is the important part. For others, it's how you get there that matters. Car enthusiasts definitely fall into the latter group. If you count yourself among them, Paul Hollywood's Big Continental Road Trip should be next up in your Netflix queue.

This documentary follows the actor, baker, and part-time racing driver across a large swathe of Europe. The series sees Hollywood visit Italy, Germany, and France. In each hour-long episode, he chronicles the cars and culture of a given country.

If you're a fan of cars as well as the Great British Baking Show, don't miss this one.

9. Mountain

Feeling contemplative? Are you looking for a documentary that features breathtaking locations but takes a slower, more meditative approach? Mountain could be exactly what you're looking for.

Directed and produced by Jennifer Peedom, Mountain explores peaks around the world. Willem Dafoe narrates the film, occasionally reading passages from Robert Macfarlane's Mountains of the Mind.

Much like that book, the film examines the human fascination with mountains. Even if you never visit a mountain in your life, this film will give you a greater appreciation of them.

10. Night on Earth

Whether you're a night owl or you're afraid of the dark, night can a fascinating time. Night on Earth is a documentary in the style of Planet Earth that focuses on what happens at night across the world. Thanks to new camera technology, this is the best look at night you've probably ever seen.

Each episode has its own focus. The first episode follows predators and their prey, while other episodes touch on nighttime in the ocean or even cities. One episode even takes you behind the scenes to see how the crew captures such amazing footage.

Keep Going With Food Documentaries on Netflix

Travel and food often go hand in hand. But what if you're more of a foodie than a traveler? Now that you know about the best travel documentaries to watch on Netflix why not check out the best documentaries about food .

Want more? Here's how to find the best documentaries online .

• Entertainment
• Movie Recommendations

23 Binge-worthy Travel Documentaries on Netflix (2024)

By: Author Tracy Collins

Posted on Last updated: April 14, 2024

If you enjoy watching travel shows (whether for inspiration or research) you are in for a treat with this selection of the best travel documentaries on Netflix in 202 4

This eclectic list of Netflix travel documentaries and series will take you across every continent to meet the people, cultures, history and geography, natural wonders and wildlife that make up our beautiful planet.

Chosen by travel bloggers this is a selection of the best travel documentaries available on Netflix around the world.

Please bear in mind that not all these shows may be available on Netflix in your location ! If you would like unrestricted access to 15 Netflix libraries around the world (including Germany/USA/UK) we recommend Surfshark VPN. You only need 1 subscription to cover every gadget in your house. Click here for more information about Surfshark

Taco Chronicles

With surfshark vpn you can, dark tourist, down to earth, grand tours of the scottish islands, expedition happiness.

• Chef's Table

Somebody Feed Phil

Extreme engagement.

• Joanna Lumley's India

Chasing Coral

Magical andes, cuba and the cameraman, jack whitehall travels with my father, restaurants on the edge, tales by light, christiane amanpour: sex & love around the world, the serpent, the dawn wall, my octopus teacher, anthony bourdain: parts unknown, street food series (latin america and asia), more tv shows & movies from countries around the world, 23 best travel documentaries on netflix.

If you didn’t love the idea of eating tacos in Mexico City already, Taco Chronicles will make sure you do! In fact, you’ll discover that there’s even more to authentic Mexican tacos than you ever knew about.

In Taco Chronicles, you’ll go on a taco journey to Mexico City and beyond, to discover the unique types of tacos eaten in Mexico’s various regions and states. The show does start off in Mexico City, with the king of Mexican tacos — the taco al pastor.

From Mexico City, enjoy a virtual Mexican culinary food tour to its neighbouring state of Hidalgo, home of barbacoa (BBQ) tacos. Beyond Central Mexico, this food and travel documentary takes you all over Mexico.

In subsequent episodes of this two-season show, you’ll discover cochinita pibil (slow-roasted suckling pig) tacos in the Yucatan Peninsula, fried fish tacos in Baja California state on the west coast, cabrito (goat) tacos in Northern Mexico, and more.

Places/countries featured – Mexico

Chosen by Shelley of Travel Mexico Solo

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Over recent years, the public’s fascination with dark tourism destinations has boomed. Sites such as Chernobyl and Auschwitz draw in thousands of tourists every year. With so many of the population sharing a fascination for dark history, it is no wonder that so many have tuned into Netflix’s ‘Dark Tourist. 

The show follows journalist David Farrier as he travels around hoping to experience the most macabre destinations that the world has to offer. Farrier’s quest to unearth the morbid takes him to several high profile dark tourism destinations, including the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, on a JFK assassination tour and he even witnesses an exorcism in Mexico City.  

Although Farrier sometimes comes across as a mediocre Louis Theroux, this thought-provoking travel show succeeds in its aim and transports you into the unknown. The result is an interesting series that explores the darker side of life (and death).

Chosen by Sheree   of Winging the World

In the Netflix series Down To Earth , actor Zac Efron and wellness author Darin Olien travel across the globe learning about the wellness and sustainability efforts being made in numerous destinations.

Each of the eight episodes focuses on a different location and aspect of sustainability or personal wellness.

In the first episode, you’ll learn all about harnessing the earth’s energy in Iceland. From there, travel to Paris to see their efforts to reduce bottled water impacts, learn about sustainability in Costa Rica, and nutrition in Sardinia.

Also included in the series are food education in Lima, post-hurricane sustainability in Puerto Rico, London pollution reduction efforts, and Iquitos wellness in the Peruvian Amazon.

In one of the most intriguing segments, they learn about tap water differences from a water sommelier. The series lends a glimpse into some beautiful destinations and what locals are doing to keep them beautiful for decades to come.

Chosen by Samantha of PAonPause.com

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Historian and film-maker Paul Murton brings you on a fascinating journey to many Scottish islands over four seasons. He meets with locals; finds hidden gems; and explores the rich, unique, and sometimes tragic history of each of the islands. 

You may be surprised to find yourself binge-watching this relaxing travel documentary series. You will get caught up in Murton’s contagious curiosity about its people and his great admiration for its beauty. Every episode is filled with stunning scenery. The high production quality and engaging soundtrack heighten the enjoyment of the show. Fans can follow this up with his three other Scottish travel series.  

Queue up, Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands to enjoy some dreamy armchair travel or to gain a deeper understanding of the islands as you plan your trip to Scotland .  

Places featured: Isle of Skye , Islands of Loch Lomond, Hebridean Islands, Orkney Islands, and many more

Contributed by Erica at Trip Scholars

Expedition Happiness is a home movie/travelogue that follows the story of a German couple as they give up their life in Germany to do an epic road trip in the Americas with their dog Rudi.

The couple, whose names are Selima and Felix, purchased a yellow school bus in Florida for 9500 USD. After working on it for three months, they transformed it into their “Loft on Wheel”, a comfortable, spacious, and well-equipped adventure bus. 

The itinerary was to start in Alaska near Denali National Park , drive all the way down to Central America, cross over to South America, and finish in Argentina.

On their adventure, they documented all the incredible landscapes they saw, the people they met, and more.

Whether they were able to finish their epic adventure or not, you will have to find out on Netflix! 

Chosen by Sean of Living out Lau

Chef’s Table

Even if you’re not a foodie but love to travel, be sure to watch Chef’s Table on Netflix. This documentary series features renowned Chefs from around the world who are creating inspired culinary experiences.

Now in its 6th season with 30 episodes, the series doesn’t just showcase a chef’s creations, but takes you on a journey through each of their personal stories that has led to their creativity.

World renowned chefs like Italy’s Massimo Bottura will inspire you with how he came from humble beginnings to being on the world culinary stage. But one chef in particular has inspired us to travel for her food — Chef Ana Rôs, owner of  Hiša Franko restaurant  in Kobarid, Slovenia. 

After initially pursuing a career track in business, she spent years honing her craft and experimenting with the local foods of her native Slovenia. Today, she is now one of the top chefs in the world, Hiša Franko is one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World and newly Michelin-rated — and our dinner there on my birthday might possibly be the best meal of my life.

Watch the series and decide where your next culinary adventure will be.

Chosen by Lori of travlinmad.com

In “Somebody Feel Phil”, the creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Phil Rosenthal, travels the world to indulge in the scrumptious local cuisine and to learn more about the culture of these destinations.

There are currently four seasons on Netflix and each episode features a different city around the world. This documentary does a great job of portraying local customs and traditions and viewers will feel like they’re actually in that city with the locals.

Phil has a childlike wonder to him when he’s learning about the different cultures and he answers basically any potential questions the viewers could have about the destination. One of the best parts about the documentary is watching Phil turn the strangers he meets into his family. 

Places featured – Bangkok, Saigon, Tel Aviv, Lisbon, New Orleans, Mexico City, Venice , Dublin, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Cape Town, New York City, Marrakesh, Chicago, London, Seoul, Montreal, Rio De Janeiro, San Francisco, Singapore, the Mississippi Delta, and Hawaii. 

Chosen by Disha of Disha Discovers

While most people get engaged and then begin planning their perfect wedding, Tim and PJ, stars of the Netflix show Extreme Engagement, do anything but that. Instead, Tim and PJ get engaged and then set out on a worldwide exploration of marital traditions around the world. 

The couple journeys to places such as Mongolia, Brazil, China, Nigeria, and Papua New Guinea facing challenging experiences along the way that has them questioning their relationship and each other. 

You get to see a glimpse inside the cross-cultural challenges associated with a new romance along with an interesting insight into how other cultures celebrate love and marriage. 

Chosen by Michelle Snell from That Texas Couple

International travellers Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach cross the world and push their limits on an expedition to find genuine, unforgettable experiences.

DEPARTURES is an international award-winning and inspiring television travel series that will take you on the journey of a lifetime and beyond. From epic landscapes to unforgettable culture, learn what it takes to make it all happen through personal successes, crushing disappointments and memorable new friendships that could only be made by travelling abroad.

With two episodes for every continent, DEPARTURES will arm and reassure your wanderlust with hours of riveting programming that captures the beauty, drama, wonder and humor of taking a leap abroad.

DEPARTURES covers every aspect of world travel, showing you exactly what to expect at destinations around the globe. From beaches in Bali and cruising in the South Pacific Islands, to trekking on Mt Kilimanjaro and sailing up icebergs off Greenland, DEPARTURES takes you straight into a location’s unique atmosphere… giving viewers insight into a whole new way of life.

Places featured – Nearly 30 countries around the world including Japan, New Zealand and Russia

Chosen by Casandra of Karpiak Caravan Adventure Family Travel

Joanna Lumley’s India

Joanna Lumley is a British actress probably most well-known for her role as the outrageous Patsy of Absolutely Fabulous. What is perhaps less known about her is that she was born in Kashmir, India, in 1946, and the descendent of British colonists in India going back to 1777.

Originally aired in 2017 with three episodes, Joanna Lumley’s India takes viewers on a personal trip across the country where she explores modern India and finds connections to members of her own family and the experience of being and speaking English in India .

Lumley has also hosted travel shows on Japan, the Silk Road, the Caribbean, and the Trans-Siberia express train.

Places featured:  Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Gujarat, Mumbai, Ranthambhore National Park, Delhi, and Srinagar, Kashmir.

Chosen by Mariellen of Breathedreamgo

Chasing Coral is a fascinating documentary about the disappearance of coral around the world. In this chasing coral, a team of divers, researchers and photographers set out on an ocean adventure to document the bleaching of Coral in warming seas. This phenomenon is when corals lose their beautiful and vibrant colors to become white, dying shortly after. 

The point of this documentary is to show that the coral’s death is the result of climate change and the rise in temperatures that are absorbed by the oceans. 

The documentary takes us to some of the most beautiful destinations in the world such as the Florida Keys, Hawaii and the Bahamas. More than that, this documentary also shows the important damage climate change has done to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. 

I definitely recommend this documentary to anyone who wants to really understand the impact of human activity on the ocean’s ecosystem. 

Chosen by Camille from Everything Yoga Retreat

Magical Andes is one of the best travel documentaries on Netflix if you are looking to learn about the natural gems of South America. When searching amongst the 100’s of other documentaries you’ll find this particular docuseries created by Luis Ara and Alexandra Hardorf concentrates solely on the magical landscape of the Andes mountain range. 

This docuseries not only shows you all about the longest continental mountain range in the world, but talks about the wildlife, lakes, and forests, deserts, volcanoes, and other Mother Earth creations that exist in that region. 

Magical Andes focuses on truly stunning imagery and gives you a look into some of the  best places to visit in South America  that you simply wouldn’t see passing through in a car.

Places featured  – In season one, the Netflix documentary features spectacular views from Argentina and Chile. Then from the Aconcagua desert in Bolivia over to some of the more ancient cultures in Peru. The lush mountain of Colombia and Ecuador are also featured.

Chosen by Daniel of LayerCulture.com

If you’ve ever thought of visiting Cuba there are many Cuban movies and documentaries to help you to research your trip, but none are as epic as this one. 

Many people believe that Cuba is a country frozen in time, but this Netflix documentary features Jon Alpert’s travels to Cuba over a span of nearly five decades. 

And while the relationships between the United States and Cuba has been fragmented at times, he visited each time as an American journalist. It starts in 1970s, just over a decade since the Cuban revolution when the country was thriving. 

Instead of giving his perspective on Cuba, he interviews three families who share their own stories of every day life. He continues to visit Cuba to find these families to update their stories. Over the decades the political situation and relationship with the United States changes quite dramatically.

And while he also interviews Fidel Castro, most of the film is really about everyday Cubans and their highs and lows.

Chosen by Ayngelina of Baconismagic.ca

Jack Whitehall is a British comedian who attended private school and has a somewhat disjointed relationship with his father Michael because of this. Jack also never got to take a gap year before going to university so season one of Travels with my Father is all about Jack finally embarking on a traditional ‘gap year’ trip to Southeast Asia. The twist is he takes his father with him so they can strengthen their bond.

The series takes place in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and highlights some of the gap year activities that can be done including full moon parties on the beach and visiting Angkor Wat. By the end of their travels, they reflect on what they have learned about each other and themselves.

The show continues in a similar fashion in the subsequent seasons where Michael takes Jack on a culture and history tour around Europe, Jack shows Michael everything the US has to offer, and both his mother and father join him for a road trip in Australia.

Chosen by Steph from Book It Let’s Go!

If you love travel, design and food, Restaurants on the Edge needs to be on your Netflix list. In each episode, the show highlights a restaurant in a stunning location. 

The restaurants get a makeover from a design expert and the menu often gets an upgrade from the show’s chef, the goal is to take struggling restaurants and make them sustainable for the business owners. 

There are currently two seasons of Restaurants on the Edge on Netflix, with locations throughout the world. 

In season one, you’ll be treated to beautiful ocean views in Malta, as well as stunning architecture. The views continue with a cliff side restaurant in Costa Rica. 

Season two will take you around the world again, with restaurants in Finland, St. Croix and Arizona. 

Not only is it fun to see the upgrades these restaurants go through, but it’s also inspiring to see the impact the changes have on each person’s life making this show a must-watch. 

Chosen by Alenis of seasaltandfog.com  

If you are a fan of Italy, Italian art and History, then watch the gorgeous and surprisingly brutal history of the famous Medici’s of Florence.

The Netflix show is so well done with gorgeous cinematography, beautiful costumes and stage settings. The show includes all the surrounding countryside and historic sites that document the Medici Family and their major influence on Florence, Venice, and even Rome (two popes were related to the Medici family).

It also showcases early Catholic power and greed. The Pope had absolute power and a religious mission that seemed corrupt whichever person was Pope and ruler. 

The Medici focus really hits the major sites of the city and also the start of the Renaissance period in Italy. The crowning of the main dome in the cathedral was a major achievement during this time frame and it was really fascinating to see how this was depicted and shown in development and the struggles of the Medici family to get this undertaking done.

Also, it was interesting to see how easy it was during that time frame to create wealth and also lose it depending on your affiliations and business relationships with the pope and other influential rulers of that time.

Watch the Medici’s on Netflix and if you visit Florence, you’ll gain a better understanding of the Medici fame and fortune in the area.

Chosen by Noel of Oahu Travel Now

Below Deck is a series of reality TV shows. Each show is set on a luxury yacht which is rented out by wealthy charter guests, but the real action is with the young yacht crew, or yachties, who serve them, the characterful captains who lead them and the stunning locations. The original Below Deck was so successful that it rapidly gained two spin offs, Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Sailing Yacht.

The original Below Deck saw the crew sail around Sint Maarten in the Caribbean, followed by seasons in the British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, Tahiti, Thailand and Antigua.

Below Deck Mediterranean’s locations have included Mykonos in the Greek Islands, Split and Cavtat in Croatia, the Amalfi Coast in Italy, the Cote d’Azur in the south of France and Mallorca in Spain’s Balearic Islands. Below Deck, Sailing Yacht has only had one series, set in Corfu.

Contributed by Helen of HelenOnHerHolidays.com

The documentary series “Tales by Light” follows renowned professional filmmakers and photographers as they visit worldwide destinations and capture fascinating content which highlights different features of the natural world. 

Every episode focuses on a different subject such as wildlife, the oceans, landscapes, adventure activities, or cultural practices and traditions. The distinct approaches of the featured photographers really help to bring the stories to life and this program presents many less well-known countries and regions in a compelling way using panoramic landscapes and stunning visuals. 

The first season explores multiple destinations per episode, with visits to Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Alaska and Colorado in the United States, Vanuatu, the Himalayas, Antarctica, Ethiopia and Uganda.

The second season covers Kenya, Norway, Brazil, the Bahamas, India and Namibia, and the third season highlights Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Australia.

This series presents a journey across the globe and is sure to inspire travellers who are looking for their next adventure.

Contributed by Claire from  Claire Pins Travel  

In this cultural travel show, CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour (who in the past has covered major stories from countries like  Iran , Rwanda, and Pakistan) travels to six different cities around the world to explore women’s love lives across multiple cultures. She talks to experts in the field as well as everyday people — revealing facts and details that give a very insightful glimpse into the culture and values of women around the world. 

Christiane is a natural at asking just the right questions and at shining a spotlight on the stories of the women in each city.

While this show focuses heavily on love and sex, viewers will get to learn a whole lot about the overall mentality and life approach of each country — making this a perfect travel show that fosters deeper cultural appreciation.

Places featured – Tokyo (Japan), Delhi (India), Beirut (Lebanon), Berlin (Germany), Accra (Ghana), Shanghai (China)

Chosen by Jiayi of The Diary of A Nomad

Released at the beginning of 2021, The Serpent is not a travel show in and of itself, but it will inevitably allure travelers into visiting the many places explored by the main characters.

Aired on Netflix, the series tells the real story of Charles Sobhraj, a French serial killer of Indian and Vietnamese origins who in the mid-1970s drugged, robbed and killed a large number of backpackers travelling between Thailand, India and Nepal. 

Sobhraj and his Quebecoise girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc were finally identified as the authors of the crimes thanks to the work of Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg, who, albeit the many reservations of the Dutch ambassador to Thailand, set to investigate the disappearance of a Dutch couple and through a series of lead eventually managed to uncover the culprits.

Places featured: Over the course of 8 episodes you will be taken to Bangkok, the coast of Thailand, the peaks of Nepal, the streets of several Indian cities and even to Paris .

Chosen by Claudia Tavani of My Adventures Across The World

When Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson free climbed the Great Wall of the El Capitan rock face in the Yosemite National Park in 2018, the news spread like wildfire.

Dawn Wall is a US documentary about this story of perseverance and adventure.

Cameras follow these legendary free climbers as they undertake this nearly impossible task. It took Cadwell 7 years to reach the goal and we are given a detailed look into the events that led to this decision and the struggles that were involved throughout the journey.

There’s one constant theme that runs throughout the story and that is the strength of the human spirit.

This captivating documentary with great visuals should not be missed. The documentary is in English, but subtitles are available in different languages that include Spanish, French, and Chinese. 

Places featured : Yosemite National Park

Chosen by Rai from A Rai of Light

My Octopus Teacher is an award-winning and very heart-touching documentary on Netflix that covers how a filmmaker spent a year trying to capture a wild octopus on camera and also form a friendship with it. 

For about a year, Craig Foster films a wild octopus he came across while trying out free-diving through an underwater kelp forest in South Africa.

Over the period, Craig and the octopus develop a bond with the octopus almost showing Craig around and not being uninhibited by his presence as he follows it.

Craig watches as it protects itself, loses an arm to an attack and then regrows it too. At the end of the documentary, the octopus naturally passes away after mating and trying to protect its eggs. 

Filmed entirely near Cape Peninsula in South Africa, this beautiful documentary is not to be missed as it covers an offbeat relationship between man and nature. 

Places featured – A kelp forest off False Bay near Simon’s Town in South Africa

Chosen by Lavinia of Continent Hop

For the foodies of the world, who travel the world, and are strident realists about the world, “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” is an absolute must-watch.

Rugged, painfully honest, internationally renowned chef Anthony Bourdain travelled the globe in search of authentic food, people and life experiences. With no time for nonsense and all the time in the world for simple food done to perfection, he takes the viewer to eating establishments from tiny street food stalls to the finest of fine dining.

In his search for amazing food in amazing places, he guides you from the brutality of the Bornean jungle to the madness of Seoul’s foodie nightlife and the pure joy of a perfectly cooked steak in an Argentinian steakhouse accompanied by a glass of locally bottled Malbec. 

Parts Unknown leaves you an appetite for dinner and a bigger one for travel. Wanderlust is baked into every episode.

Chosen by Rosie of the Flying Fluskeys

The Street Food series is one for foodie lovers around the world to enjoy! Each episode follows the story of a local chef and how they started their now-famous street food shops.

From family restaurants to cultural fusions, you learn about a destination through food from the people who make it possible.

Volume one takes place in various Asian destinations, such as Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Delhi (India), Seoul (South Korea), and others.

The second volume takes place in Latin America, highlighting food in Salvador (Brazil), Bogota (Colombia), Lima (Peru), Oaxaca (Mexico), and more.

It is a delicious docuseries that will keep you salivating and also inspire you to understand how food and travel are one. Street Food will also encourage you to get out of your comfort zone if you normally avoid street food!

It is the ideal blend of travel and food for everyone to indulge in from home.

Chosen by Sojourner of Sojournies.com

📺 If you are looking for more travel inspiration on Netflix check out these posts:

• 39 Very Best Travel Movies to Inspire Your Wanderlust
• Best Spanish Series on Netflix (Binge-worthy TV for 2021)
• 10 best movies about South Africa to watch before you visit
• Best Netflix series set in Denmark
• 15 best Scandinavian & Nordic Noir Netflix series you can’t miss
• Best French series on Netflix

📖 If you enjoy reading about a country before you visit check out these posts

• A Complete Guide to the Best Books from Around the World
• Best books about Croatia (or set in Croatia)

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

50 Best Travel Shows Of All Time (& How To Watch Them)

Most of us can't reasonably travel all of the time. Thankfully, we can live vicariously through our screens when we cannot be globetrotting ourselves. Travel shows are a dime a dozen, mainly because many of us would rather explore than deal with our responsibilities. But how do you know which shows are worth your time? That depends mainly on your tastes and interests, but we can provide some solid starting points.

From celebrities heading their own adventurous docuseries to food-loving vagabonds visiting remote destinations, travel shows can show us scenes and cultures we would otherwise have no concept of. In fact, television often inspires travel, and watching world wanderers eat their way through exotic destinations is a great way to help plan your next trip. These 50 series are some of the best TV has to offer, and even if you don't make it through all of them, you may find a gem that piques your particular interest.

50. Nomad with Carlton McCoy

Classically trained chef and expert sommelier Carlton McCoy seeks out the best in international cuisine, music, and art in the CNN series "Nomad with Carlton McCoy." Premiering in May 2022, McCoy travels everywhere in the travel series, from the overlooked pleasures of Mississippi to the corners of Ghana. For McCoy, the show's focus lies in adventures and delights found away from the well-worn paths frequented by tourists. Instead, he enjoys savoring hometown favorites from local populations. What McCoy may lack in experience and poise, he and "Nomad" make up for with its premise to go behind the scenes of some of the world's most recognizable locales. 

The first "Nomad with Carlton McCoy" season is available to stream on  Prime Video with Discovery+.

49. Down to Earth with Zac Efron

The world is a beautiful place, and it's easy to showcase such on film. This is why a travel show has to be about more than just pretty scenery, and "Down to Earth with Zac Efron" delivers in a big way. The series puts a highly informative spin on the genre by taking viewers on whirlwind journeys worldwide in search of health secrets. We're not talking about avocado toast or juice cleanses, either.

Efron and wellness expert Darin Olien visit destinations to learn about topics like renewable energy, superfoods, and water quality. Have you ever heard of a water sommelier? The experts know a thing or two about what kind of water makes our bodies happy, and a "Down to Earth" episode in France consults one of the few professionals in existence. The series also has episodes on a seed bank stocked for the end of the world, Iceland's Blue Lagoon, and the Amazon rainforest.

Although "Down to Earth" earned Zac Efron a Daytime Emmy, lack of viewership caused the series to be canceled quickly. It had one season at Netflix and was picked up for another at The CW, only to be on the chopping block two episodes later. Lack of quantity does not mean lack of quality, though, and the "High School Musical" star's travel show is a solid viewing.

You can watch "Down to Earth with Zach Efron" on Netflix and The CW .

48. The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals

Sometimes, a typical hotel on vacation doesn't cut it, with intrepid travelers opting for more unique and luxurious digs during their stay abroad. The Netflix original series "The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals" explores everything from treehouses to alpaca farms to rent worldwide. Hosted by Megan Batoon, Jo Franco, and Luis D. Ortiz, the show reminds viewers that far more than cheap motels and chain hotels are available to make a vacation even more authentic and unique. While some of the rentals visited on the show run on the pricier side, these are balanced out with more cost-effective rentals for travelers not looking to shell out top dollar on accommodations.

"The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals" is available to stream on  Netflix .

47. Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy

Academy Award-nominated actor Stanley Tucci reconnects with his ancestral roots in the CNN travel series "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy." Premiering in 2021, the show has Tucci visit different regions in Italy to learn more about the local cuisine, culture, and history in a sun-soaked tour of the Mediterranean country. Though the major tourist centers of Italy are among the destinations in Tucci's tour, the host takes the time to explore restaurants and locations off the beaten track to reveal a more authentic Italian experience. Buoyed by Tucci's understated yet quietly charismatic presence, "Searching for Italy" has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, winning two for its achievement in nonfiction television. 

Available to purchase and rent through most digital retailers, "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" is also available to stream on Discovery+ .

46. Mysterious Islands

Accomplished pilot and explorer Kellee Edwards invites viewers to join her on his globe-trotting adventures with the Travel Channel series "Mysterious Islands." Edwards particularly takes an interest in some of the most remote islands on Earth, visiting them with her private seaplane to examine them from above and by foot. A refreshing contrast to the hustle-and-bustle of travel shows revolving around heavily populated locales, "Mysterious Islands" offers a more serene, nature-focused look at isolated getaways. Before hosting "Mysterious Islands," Edwards hosted and published a travel vlog through her website that catapulted her into the public eye.

"Mysterious Islands" is currently available to stream on  fuboTV and Philo .

45. Ride with Norman Reedus

"Cool" is the only way to describe "Ride with Norman Reedus." Cruising on a slew of bikes, "The Boondock Saints" and "The Walking Dead" actor meets up with a different travel partner in each episode to explore the open road of America and international destinations. With six seasons as of 2023, the series has become a lasting one on AMC.

Norman Reedus isn't the first to make a travel show centered on biker culture, so what makes it so unique? His vibe, for one. However, it's also the particular variety that his program offers viewers. Reedus does not stick to just one style or motorcycle manufacturer; he also has many celebrity guests. He has the bikers' seal of approval.

From Dave Chapelle to Keanu Reeves, you'll be surprised that some of your favorite celebrities ride and are just as captivating in an environment you don't usually see them in. Fans of Reedus' work will also be happy to see quite a few familiar faces as his "The Walking Dead" co-stars, including Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Steven Yeun, join in on the fun.

You can watch "Ride with Norman Reedus" on AMC+ .

44. Epic Drives

Car expert Arthur St. Antoine entered the pole position with the automobile travel series "Epic Drives," premiering in 2010. Backed with a whole fleet of cars, often with some of the world's coolest and fastest sports and luxury automobiles, St. Antoine opens the engine up and cuts loose on roads around the globe. From traversing the Pacific Coast Highway to showcasing winter driving tips on the frozen roads of Scandinavia, St. Antoine guides viewers through truly stunning international roadways. Though "Epic Rides" puts its slick automobiles in the forefront, the travel series is also keenly aware of how to capture the natural beauty of the gorgeous destinations visited. 

"Epic Drives" is available to stream on Roku and Prime Video  with a MotorTrend extension.

43. Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern

Prolific chef, author, and television personality Andrew Zimmern delves into the off-kilter local cuisine from around the world that outsiders may view as strange in the Travel Channel series "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern." Running steadily since 2006, "Bizarre Foods" has become a large television franchise in and of itself, spawning spinoff series and specials, while the main series has undergone several rebrands. Later, carrying the subtitle "Delicious Destinations," Zimmern's unique perspective on local cuisine proved as engaging as ever. Traveling anywhere from remote settlements in the untamed wilderness to local gastronomy usually avoided by tourists, Zimmern doesn't just focus on the cuisine and preparation itself but where the key ingredients come from. 

A Travel Channel staple for over a decade, "Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern" is currently available to stream on Max and Discovery+ .

42. Samantha Brown's Places to Love

Prolific travel television personality Samantha Brown created the acclaimed PBS series "Samantha Brown's Places to Love," which premiered in 2018. Markedly different from her previous programming on the Travel Channel, Brown's PBS show offers ways for prospective travelers to blend in more naturally with places they visit rather than disrupt local scenes. Featuring a more subdued approach, Brown presents a more authentic, understated cultural experience in the destinations she showcases. "Places to Love" was widely praised for its approach to travel programming and won two Daytime Emmy Awards for its outstanding achievement.

"Samantha Brown's Places to Love" is available to watch through local PBS outlets.

41. A Cook's Tour

Chef and author Anthony Bourdain's first foray into travel television was on the Food Network series "A Cook's Tour," which was filmed while Bourdain was simultaneously writing a book about his experiences. Running for two seasons from 2002-2003, the show took Bourdain around the globe to sample local cuisine and culture, with Asia being a prominent recurring destination. In Variety's review of the first season, "A Cook's Tour" was praised for focusing on destinations less well-documented by other travel shows while providing a man-on-the-street perspective. The series offers a fascinating look at Bourdain discovering his voice as a television host while still possessing his acerbic wit.

"A Cook's Tour" is currently available to stream in full on Prime Video and Tubi .

40. America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston

Notable writer and commentator Baratunde Thurston expanded from his usual political fare to launch the PBS travel series "America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston." Thurston travels around the United States, from Death Valley to the Appalachian Mountains, to document America's distinct and immersive outdoor destinations. More than simply hiking and camping, Thurston engages in local activities, including trying his hand at collecting wild rice and surfing, to better appreciate local cultures. Thurston takes the premise behind "America Outdoors" more liberally than most travel shows with similar scopes, with an entire episode reframing outdoor culture in Los Angeles. 

An engaging look at the United States' relationship with its outdoor spaces, "America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston" is available to stream on Prime Video with PBS Living or PBS Documentaries and PBS with WOSU Passport.

39. Travel Man

Popular British actor and comedian Richard Ayoade launched the breakneck travel series "Travel Man," blending comedy with hectic itineraries. Paired with a celebrity guest, Ayoade and his travel companion have 48 hours to take in the sights and cuisine in different international cities. Starting with the show's tenth season, Ayoade was replaced by British comedian Joe Lycett, but the overall formula remains largely the same. Buoyed by Ayoade and Lycett's hilarious personalities and its limited-time premise, "Travel Man" is as freewheeling and fun as travelogs get.

"Travel Man: 48 Hours in..." is available to stream on Prime Video and  Peacock .

38. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Beloved chef and restauranteur David Chang covers all the most important meals of the day around the world in the original series "Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner." Joined by different celebrity guest stars in each episode, including Seth Rogen and Kate McKinnon, Chang learns what constitutes traditional daily meals in major cities from Marrakech to Phnom Penh. Elevated by thoughtful and entertaining discussions between Chang and his guests, the series offers a broader perspective on the meals we take for granted each day. As with Chang's other travel and cooking shows, the international cuisine-driven travel series focuses on authenticity and a society's connection to its defining food. 

"Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner" is available to stream on  Netflix  and  Prime Video with Fuse+.

37. No Passport Required

With a country as richly vast and varied as the United States, there are plenty of interesting travel spots without ever having to go abroad. This underlying truth provides the basic premise to the PBS travel series "No Passport Required," which is focused on exploring the legacy of immigrant traditions and cuisines within the country. Hosted by noted chef Marcus Samuelsson, six major American cities are showcased as Samuelsson examines the immigrant legacy and food that lovingly define each locale. Going beyond the typical fare that colors each city's perception, Samuelsson meets with everyone from the Armenian community in Los Angeles to the Chinese legacy behind Las Vegas, showcasing some of the cultures that help to make each city great.

"No Passport Required" is currently available to stream on Roku ,  Prime Video with PBS Living or PBS Documentaries, and PBS.

36. Big City, Little Budget

The prospect of living in or visiting major American cities isn't cheap, but host Oneika Raymond guides audiences through more cost-effective approaches to modern metropolises in "Big City, Little Budget." Produced by the Travel Channel, the web series has Raymond visiting cities from sea to shining sea while also providing tips on how to navigate each place without having a robust budget at one's disposal. From frugal dining tips to which neighborhoods won't break the bank, "Big City, Little Budget" offers invaluable advice. With its bite-sized episodes, Raymond offers clear and concise guidance through cities from Miami to New York as she leans into approaching each destination on a budget without compromising the fun.

"Big City, Little Budget" is available to stream through the Travel Channel's YouTube channel .

35. I'll Have What Phil's Having

After helming the long-running sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," prolific television writer and producer Phil Rosenthal turned to travelog hosting, starting with the 2015 series "I'll Have What Phil Is Having." Running on PBS for six episodes, the show follows Rosenthal as he travels around the world to check out the local food scenes. Joined by celebrity guests like Martin Short and Ray Romano, Rosenthal's comedic perspective helps give the usual travel show proceedings a more engaging approach. Though short-lived, "I'll Have What Phil Is Having" provides an early look at the type of travel programming Rosenthal would host to greater success on Netflix.

"I'll Have What Phil's Having" is currently available to stream on Roku , Prime Video with PBS Living or PBS Documentaries, Pluto TV , and PBS.

34. Basic Versus Baller: Travel at Any Cost

Even the same iconic locales can offer vastly different experiences depending on the visitor's financial situation, and this dichotomy is explored in the travel series "Basic Versus Baller: Travel at Any Cost." Hosted by siblings Alex and Marko Ayling, the two showcase how to navigate major travel destinations on a budget or take advantage of the visit when flush with cash. Whether they're discussing different approaches to visiting Hong Kong or trying the varying cuisines of France, the Ayling brothers provide plenty of information and varying perspectives on the same destinations. One of the things that work in favor of "Basic Versus Baller" is that the show's premise isn't necessarily binary, as tourists can mix the frugal and luxurious options provided as they see fit. 

A dual-perspective on the travelog formula, "Basic Versus Baller: Travel at Any Cost" is currently available to stream on Hulu , Prime Video with Tastemade, and Peacock .

33. Ugly Delicious

Chef and author David Chang looks at the cultural history and deeper meaning behind popular cuisine in the Netflix original series "Ugly Delicious." Premiering in 2018, Chang and a group of celebrity guests explore the origins of different foods through extensive interviews and traveling to informative points from the cuisine's origins. A thoughtful discussion about food and its inextricable links to societal identity, "Ugly Delicious" blends serious insight with Chang's quick wit to great effect. Widely acclaimed for its approach to asking the hard questions about cuisine's impact on culture and cultural perception, the series was nominated for an Emmy Award.

"Ugly Delicious" is currently available to stream on Netflix .

32. United Shades of America

The United States is, like any nation, an incredibly complicated and occasionally contentious place to live, from sea to shining sea, across a variety of communities. Comedian W. Kamau Bell spotlights these communities, their traditions, and their struggles in the CNN documentary series "United Shades of America." From speaking with indigenous communities in South Dakota to the extensive Black populations in the Appalachians, Bell provides an all-encompassing tour of the modern American experience. Bell's thoughtful approach to admittedly somber subject matter paints a more complete look at the country and the many voices that bring it to life as he travels nationwide.

The winner of multiple Emmy Awards for its sweeping work, "United Shades of America" is available to stream on Discovery+  and  Max  and purchase and rent via online retailers.

31. Booze Traveler

A lot can be learned about a culture through its gastronomy, and host Jack Maxwell is determined to get to the bottom of this search for identity – and the bottom of many bottles – in the Travel Channel show "Booze Traveler." Exploring domestic and international destinations, Maxwell reveals how drinking culture informs daily life in places like Seoul and Dublin while partaking in local spirits himself. With Maxwell's easygoing personality at the forefront, "Booze Traveler" looks at how communities bond over their love of drink. As a former South Boston bartender, Maxwell lends an everyday perspective to his global travels. He is more interested in looking for a good time than asking the hard questions as the show breezily chugs along.

A fittingly rambunctious travelog, "Booze Traveler" is available to stream on Discovery+ and rent and purchase through most digital retailers.

30. Street Food

While acclaimed filmmaker and documentarian David Gelb focuses primarily on haute cuisine with his award-winning "Chef's Table" series, his other Netflix original show, "Street Food," takes a different perspective. Rather than spotlight a single cook per episode like his previous work, Gelb examines an entire city's street food scene, exploring the origins of the cuisine that defines it. From the robust marks of Singapore to hole-in-the-wall restaurants in New Orleans, "Street Food" and its rotating set of hosts provide an authentic culinary portrait of the show's destinations. Gelb's everyman approach and broader scope per episode, in contrast to "Chef's Table," is an effective change that "Street Food" takes full advantage of.

The first season of "Street Food" is set in Asia, the second in Latin America, and the third in the United States, with the series currently available to stream on Netflix .

29. The Kindness Diaries

Connecting with your fellow humans and experiencing people of different backgrounds and cultures is one of the enormous benefits of traveling; for some, it's their entire purpose. In a way, "The Kindness Diaries" encapsulates the spirit of travel, as host Leon Logothetis traverses the globe depending on the kindness of strangers.

Equipped only with a bright yellow motorbike swapped for an equally yellow vintage convertible in the second season, Leon Logothetis searches for kind-hearted people to supply his needs on his travels. This includes food, accommodations, and gasoline. You'll be pleasantly surprised how far one can get in the world just by simply asking — though, he does sleep in his motorbike's sidecar when necessary. While the destinations range from all over the United States to Europe, Cambodia, and Vietnam, this feel-good travel doc is more about the people we meet along the way. Even though "The Kindness Diaries" only has two seasons behind it, the beautiful souls depicted stay with viewers for the long haul.

You can stream "The Kindness Diaries" on Discovery+ .

28. Gordon's Great Escape

Famous chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay decided to visit the originating countries of some of his favorite cuisines in the British television series "Gordon's Great Escape." In an interview with The Guardian , Ramsay shared his lifelong love of Indian food and chronicled his first trip to India in the show. Beyond his visit to India, Ramsay filmed the second set of interviews exploring other parts of Southeast Asia and its cuisine, including Thailand and Vietnam. Offering Ramsay a chance to escape the limelight he was experiencing in America and the United Kingdom, the show reveals him rediscovering his love of cooking while learning about overseas culinary traditions.

"Gordon's Great Escape" is available to stream through Prime Video , Tubi , Roku , and Fox.

27. Long Way Down

Actors and longtime motorcycle aficionados Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman reunited for another international motorcycle voyage with the British travel series "Long Way Down." A follow-up to their 2004 series "Long Way Round," the 2007 offering has the two bikers travel from Scotland all the way to Cape Town, South Africa. Along the way, the pair rides through 18 countries by motorcycle as they traverse Europe and the length of Africa. Even for those not particularly enamored by motorcycles, "Long Way Down" is a fascinating look at life on the open road across two continents anchored by two charismatic leads.

"Long Way Down" is currently available to stream on Apple TV+ .

26. Globe Trekker

One of the longest-running travel shows from the United Kingdom is "Globe Trekker," originally broadcast from 1994 to 2016. With a rotating set of hosts for each episode, the British series highlights a different region and provides audiences with a thorough guide to the sights and culture. More than simply presenting the major tourist attractions, the hosts examine local traditions, including interviews with local industries beyond tourism and hospitality. With such an impressive breadth of episodes, "Globe Trekker" set an enduring standard for travel programming in the United Kingdom against which all other travel shows are to be judged. 

Unfortunately, "Globe Trekker" is unavailable to stream or purchase in the United States.

25. Man v. Food

Eating challenges can say a lot about a culture, from the type of cuisine competitors consume to the quantity eaten to succeed. Actor and television personality Adam Richman took it upon himself to travel all over the United States to face all manner of eating challenges in the Travel Channel series "Man v. Food." Heading to a different destination each episode, Richman singlehandedly subjects himself to various regional eating challenges, from consuming massive steaks to an entire platter of chili dogs in a limited time. "Man v. Food" gave the Travel Channel its highest-rated debut upon its premiere in 2008 (per the Los Angeles Times ), with the show revived in 2017 and Richman replaced by current host Casey Webb.

An amusing look at different American regions by the eating challenges that help define it, "Man v. Food" is available to purchase and rent through most online retailers and to stream on Discovery+ and Max .

24. Tales by Light

If a vacation isn't documented and shared on Instagram, did it actually take place? Photography in some of Earth's most jaw-droppingly gorgeous places is the central premise behind the Australian travel series "Tales by Light." Each episode follows different professional photographers who tell an immersive story about exotic destinations through their pictures and videos. The perfect travel series for the social media-oriented generation, "Tales by Light" delivers truly breathtaking photographs and videos from the overlooked corners of the world.

All three beautifully rendered "Tales by Light" seasons are currently available to stream on Netflix .

23. Conan Without Borders

As an extension of his popular talk show on TBS, veteran host Conan O'Brien took his series on the road on multiple occasions to experience different cultures around the world. These special episodes were compiled in the online "Conan Without Borders," as O'Brien eschewed his typical talk show format. Traveling everywhere from Cuba to South Korea, O'Brien explores the societal morays of each of these destinations with his usual comedic antics and insight. A welcome change of pace from his usual formula, O'Brien blends biting political commentary with a genuine appreciation for local cultures, with "Conan Without Borders" winning an Emmy for its efforts.

"Conan Without Borders" is currently available to stream on Max .

22. The Moaning of Life

When British comedian and actor Karl Pilkington faced something of a midlife crisis, he decided to examine the lives and cultures of others around the world to gain a better sense of perspective (per Cinema Blend ). The resulting international tour was filmed for the British travel series "The Moaning of Life," as Pilkington contemplated love, life, and mortality on the road. To expand his view on the human condition, Pilkington visits drive-thru weddings in Las Vegas, professional mourners in Taiwan, and fertility clinics in Japan. The Hollywood Reporter's review of "The Moaning of Life" complimented the show's existential subject matter and Pilkington's hilarious perspective on the world to make its messaging less somber.

A good-natured look at life, death, and everything in between with an international scope, "The Moaning of Life" is available for purchase and rent on most major digital retailers, including Prime Video and Vudu .

21. Long Way Round

The first of a trilogy of documentary series, 2004's "Long Way Round" puts Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in the driver's seat as they ride motorcycles from London to New York City eastward. The 19,000-mile journey is undertaken to promote the international humanitarian causes spearheaded by UNICEF, while McGregor and Boorman endure pitfalls and injuries in their journies around the globe. Inspired by the experience, McGregor and Boorman wrote a book detailing their journey, including McGregor adopting an orphan encountered along the way. The kind of celebrity road trip that doesn't feel overly pretentious or self-indulgent, McGregor and Boorman provide a unique perspective as they embark on a truly epic journey.

"Long Way Round" is currently available to stream on Apple TV+ .

20. Three Sheets

Not all cuisine is solid, which is why the 2008 travel series "Three Sheets" showcased a decidedly liquid diet as it visited drinking cultures around the world. Hosted by comedian Zane Lamprey, the show highlights local alcoholic beverages at a multitude of destinations, learning about their history and cultural impact. Of course, this examination goes beyond a mere history lesson, with Zamprey partaking in the beverages, usually in impressive quantities. Part travel series and part televised pub crawl, Lamprey is often accompanied on his journeys by a group of guests, including his college friend Steve McKenna.

After starting on MOJO HD, "Three Sheets" was broadcast on various platforms before ending its run on Spike in 2011. Most of the series is currently available to buy on Prime Video .

19. Worth It

The popular Buzzfeed series "Worth It" offers three different and simultaneous perspectives on the worldwide dining scene in each episode. The show has the three hosts, Steven Lim, Andrew Ilnyckyj, and Adam Bianchi, order three different dishes from a range of price points at varying destinations. This can entail a cheap cup of coffee or designer espresso costing hundreds of dollars while visiting Tokyo. The underlying question is whether or not the dishes are worth the price. Winning a Streamy Award, "Worth It" has been credited with changing how people approach food criticism online, actively comparing quality with price points worldwide (per SBS ).

Available to stream on Hulu , "Worth It" helps viewers know how best to check out the food scenes and types of cuisine in several countries.

18. Somebody Feed Phil

After getting his start travel hosting on PBS, Phil Rosenthal went bigger and better for the Netflix original series "Somebody Feed Phil" in 2018. While maintaining the broader premise of his previous show, "I'll Have What Phil Is Having," Rosenthal's Netflix series feels like a more personal experience for its host. Occasionally checking in with his brother, parents, and son while he is on the road, Rosenthal continues to sample local cuisine from around the world. As Rosenthal visits major international cities, he spotlights local charities and nonprofit organizations active in the destinations, providing a more community-based scope.

"Somebody Feed Phil" is currently available to stream on Netflix .

17. Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father

Popular British comedian Jack Whitehall and his longtime television producer father, Michael, take their paternal dynamic on the road for the Netflix original series "Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father." With a decided focus on familial comedy, the Whitehalls find themselves in countless awkward and hilarious situations worldwide as they bond together over their international trips. The two men learn about the cultures they visit, from Cambodia to Turkey, with the final season bringing the father-son duo back to the United Kingdom. Though Jack and Michael Whitehall's antics are played for laughs, the societies they visit are largely treated with the utmost respect as they travel through the jungle and desert together.

All five "Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father" seasons are available to stream on Netflix .

16. Extreme Engagement

Journalists and producers PJ Madam and Tim Noonan decided to put their then-recent engagement to the test around the world for the Netflix original series "Extreme Engagement." The miniseries has the happy couple travel around the globe for over a year to see how their relationship endures. While the premise feels relatively scripted, rather than providing an authentically spontaneous show, "Extreme Engagement" offers a romantic twist on the travelog format. Noonan and Madam visit romantic destinations that keep the focus on love and lasting relationships, from observing ancient fertility rituals to meeting cultural practices promoting romantic love.

A love odyssey that spans the islands of Indonesia to remote villages in Africa, "Extreme Engagement" is currently available to stream on Netflix .

15. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Restauranteur and television host Guy Fieri has become something of a cultural icon himself, and Fieri's flagship series is the enormously popular "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." Premiering in 2006 on the Food Network, the show has Fieri travel across North America, stopping at diners, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and dive bars to sample their signature cuisine. Occasionally joined by an impressive set of celebrity guest stars, Fieri has visited hundreds of locations as part of his cross-country odyssey. Due to the sheer popularity of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," many of these spots have seen a noticeable increase in business following episode airings.

As the gold standard among Fieri's travel and food reality shows, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" is available to rent and purchase via most online retailers and to stream on Discovery+ and Max .

14. Survivorman

Travel isn't just luxury hotels and all-inclusive resorts; for some, vacations involve roughing it in the wild and returning to nature through camping and other immersive experiences. The Canadian travel and wilderness survival series "Survivorman" takes these sensibilities to their extreme as host Les Stroud spends over a week alone in remote locations. With only a handful of tools and the clothes on his back, Stroud has to make do with local flora and fauna to survive these conditions for the allotted time. As a much more stripped-down and extreme approach than "Man vs. Wild," Stroud takes audiences everywhere, from the frozen expanse of Alaska to the predator-filled Amazon rainforest.

For those looking for the ultimate survivalist approach to the world's most unforgiving locations, "Survivorman" is available to stream on Discovery+ and Roku and to rent and purchase through most digital retailers.

13. An Idiot Abroad

When comedian Karl Pilkington's friends and frequent collaborators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant learned he had no interest in world travel, the two created the series "An Idiot Abroad" in response. Capitalizing on Pilkington's often innocently naive worldview, the British travel show is primarily played for laughs as Pilkington makes wry observations about the destinations he visits. Not content to simply let Pilkington take in the picturesque sights, sounds, and cuisine, Gervais and Merchant have Pilkington endure several challenges, including bungee-jumping in New Zealand and swimming with sharks in Australia. MSN's review of "An Idiot Abroad" praised the mishaps for Pilkington's voyages orchestrated by Gervais and Merchant, with Pilkington's odd perspective and observations elevating the entire show.

A humorous look at the most gorgeous international locales, "An Idiot Abroad" is available to purchase and rent on most digital retailers, including Prime Video and Vudu .

12. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

After two seasons on the Food Network with "A Cook's Tour," Bourdain made the leap to the Travel Channel to host his popular travel series "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations." Running for nine seasons from 2005-2012, Bourdain upped the scope considerably from his previous series while still retaining its everyman qualities. Backed by a more ambitious production, Bourdain visits a wider range of locales while incorporating his love of pop culture and inviting celebrity guests, including Bill Murray and Sean Penn. One of the more notable episodes sees Bourdain and his film crew trapped in Beirut during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War. "No Reservations" went on to win two Emmy Awards and multiple nominations as a testament to the show's captivating perspective on the world. 

"Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" is available to purchase from most online retailers and to stream on Discovery+ , Max , and through the Travel Channel website with a linked television provider.

11. Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted

After exploring and experiencing culinary traditions in Southeast Asia firsthand in his first travel series, chef Gordon Ramsay expanded the scope of his follow-up show " Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted " to encompass the whole world. Premiering on National Geographic in 2019, "Uncharted" has Ramsay visit different countries to learn about their cuisine and cooking techniques and take advantage of local thrills. From white water rafting through Laos to climbing up Alaskan mountains and glaciers, Ramsay showcases a more outdoorsy side of himself beyond the world of restaurants and kitchens. In Forbes' review of the series, Ramsay's genuine enthusiasm for the subject matter and destinations he visits was praised for elevating the premise and showing a new side to the temperamental chef.

"Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted" is available to stream through Disney+ and Hulu .

10. Chef's Table

After directing the universally acclaimed documentary film "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" in 2011, filmmaker David Gelb teamed up with Netflix for its original documentary series, "Chef's Table." Premiering in 2015, the show focuses on a different cook for each episode, from a Korean monk renowned for her kimchi to Mexican street food in Philadelphia. With its highly detailed and stylized cinematography and in-depth portraits of its subjects, "Chef's Table" is one of the best documentary series currently on the air. "Chef's Table" brings a global scope to cuisine while never losing sight of the very grounded and human story behind each of the cooks that make every dish possible. The show has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards as it shines a light on everything from Michelin-starred restaurants to hole-in-the-wall dining locations. 

The main "Chef's Table" series and its numerous spinoffs are available to stream on Netflix .

9. The Amazing Race

In contrast to "Survivor," which keeps its contestants in a single remote location for an entire season, CBS' long-running reality series "The Amazing Race" takes full advantage of its global scope. Teams of two speed through different legs around the world, following clues and completing challenges to gain an edge. On the air since 2001, "The Amazing Race" has showcased some of the most stunning locales on the planet while pitting its teams in genuinely thrilling competitions each season. With many seasons of "The Amazing Race" offering a journey with contestants circumnavigating the globe, the travel element to the reality competition series is unmistakably at the forefront.

"The Amazing Race" is available to stream on Hulu , Netflix , and Paramount+ .

8. Expedition Unknown

With so many legends and historical mysteries around the world demanding answers, archaeologist Josh Gates sets out to find the truth in the Discovery Channel series "Expedition Unknown." From cryptozoology searches for mythical creatures like Bigfoot to attempting to discover clues linked to the lost city of Atlantis, Gates positions himself as a real-life Indiana Jones. Part globe-trotting history lesson, part debunking widely known myths, "Expedition Unknown" provides a fun twist on international travel off the beaten path. As an immensely popular show, "Expedition Unknown" has spawned several spinoff specials, miniseries, and after shows as Gates widens his worldwide search for truth.

"Expedition Unknown" is currently available to stream on Discovery+ and  Max and is available to purchase or rent through most online retailers.

7. Dark Tourist

Not every tourist is going to check out conventional art museums or major family-friendly attractions in their voyages around the world. The Netflix original series "Dark Tourist" offers travelers a chance to check out the more off-beat elements of local cultures, sometimes venturing into the outright macabre. Hosted by journalist David Farrier, "Dark Tourist" visits the purportedly haunted areas of major cities and tourism sites capitalizing on local tragedies and notorious figures around the world. From exploring irradiated sites to touring museums dedicated to infamous serial killers, "Dark Tourist" certainly isn't every traveler's cup of tea by the way it provides a morbid twist on the genre.

"Dark Tourist" is currently available to stream on Netflix .

6. The National Parks: America's Best Idea

Celebrated documentarian Ken Burns, who has crafted documentary series chronicling numerous elements of American culture and history, turned his attention to the country's national parks. The 2009 six-episode miniseries "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" recounts the history behind the parks and how they each capture the stirring beauty of the United States. From the enduring legacy of John Muir to the evolution of the National Park Service, "The National Parks" is a must-watch for anyone planning to visit the natural wonders nationwide. Universally acclaimed, "The National Parks" won two Emmy Awards, with critics praising how the documentary series presented the parks as a gorgeous extension of the national identity.

Released with a companion book expanding its story, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" is currently available to stream on PBS with WOSU Passport and Prime Video with PBS Documentaries.

5. The Grand Tour

After being ousted from hosting "Top Gear," Jeremy Clarkson and his co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May took their globe-trotting automobile expertise to Prime Video for "The Grand Tour" (via Variety ). Retaining much of the format from their previous work together on "Top Gear," "The Grand Tour" has participants travel to different destinations using an impressive array of cars. From Cambodia to Madagascar, "The Grand Tour" showcases thrilling routes and cars, backed by the hosts' irascible wit. The Independent's positive review of "The Grand Tour" praised the show as distilling the best elements from "Top Gear" while boasting a significantly larger production budget.

With jaw-dropping destinations and high-octane action, "The Grand Tour" is currently available to stream on Prime Video .

4. Passport with Samantha Brown

Television personality Samantha Brown has built an impressive empire of travel shows on a number of platforms. One of Brown's most enduring lines of programming to date is "Passport," which sees Brown extensively explore different regions around the world for the ultimate experience. Starting with 2004's "Passport to Europe," Brown launched several different shows, taking her informative style to examine Latin America, China, and eco-friendly tourism. Brown's "Passport to Europe" won a Daytime Emmy Award while the subsequent "Passport to Latin America" was nominated for an Emmy, as a testament to Brown's eye for entertainment and educational quality. 

Brown's "Passport" series are currently available to stream on Discovery+ .

3. Anthony Bourdain: The Layover

As someone who hosted travel shows since 2002, Anthony Bourdain has experienced a lot of extended layovers and quick detours between trips to larger destinations. This premise of enjoying a locale on a tight turnaround time drives the core premise behind his Travel Channel series "The Layover." With only 24-48 hours in each location, Bourdain enjoys as much of the tourist-oriented and locally authentic experiences as he can before departing once more. A more tightly paced approach to Bourdain's usual travel fare, "The Layover" still finds the time to provide an informative look at different city cultures all over the globe. 

Invaluable for those looking to make the most of their time on a tight schedule, "Anthony Bourdain: The Layover" is available to stream on Discovery+ , along with purchase and rent options on most digital platforms.

2. Rick Steves' Europe

Perhaps the gold standard in public broadcasting produced travel shows, "Rick Steves' Europe" follows travel author and television personality Rick Steves as he explores cities in Europe. Running from 2000 to 2021, Steves not only shares the biggest cultural landmarks and defining fare in each destination, but he provides audiences with valuable travel tips along the way. More than simply focusing on the biggest tourist spots, like London and Paris, Steves adds plenty of overlooked getaways, including Slovenia and Oslo. With a steady hand and wealth of knowledge, Steves has provided his even-keeled traveler wisdom to those interested in visiting Europe for decades.

"Rick Steves' Europe" is currently available to stream on the show's website , PBS with WOSU Passport, Prime Video , and Tubi .

1. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Television personality Anthony Bourdain's final travel show was "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," which ran for 12 seasons on CNN from 2013 to 2018. Though "Parts Unknown" certainly retains the focus on local cuisine prominent in Bourdain's past travel shows, the CNN series weaves in more sociopolitical commentary in examining its locales. The series came to an abrupt end  following Bourdain's tragic death , with the remaining episodes becoming a tribute to the late host and his unique worldview. Led by Bourdain's insightful and incisive perspective on the places he visited around the world, "Parts Unknown” was widely acclaimed and won numerous Emmy Awards across its run. More than just a show about food and culture, "Parts Unknown" examines the overlooked qualities of its destinations and what brings people together on a universal level.

Available to purchase on most digital retailers, "Parts Unknown" is also available to stream on Max and Discovery+ .

Our ranking methodology

Everyone has that one show they're connected to, whether popular or not. "Best" is always subjective, and your all-time favorite series may not even be something someone else knows exists. That doesn't mean it's any less valid, though. We've tried to keep our personal opinions from this list and instead relied on more tangible elements when compiling our rankings. You'll find some of the most beloved, compelling, and critically acclaimed travel shows — and some you may have never heard of.

A travel show's host can be as important as the places traveled. There's a reason why Anthony Bourdain will always appear on lists like this one. His captivating storytelling capabilities and genuinely raw nature make for compelling TV that viewers resonate with. This kind of grab power shows up throughout our list of picks, with the face and voice of a program helping to boost some of the programs in our rankings.

We've considered the likability of the shows chosen here by scouring reviews from multiple sources, like Reddit, Rotten Tomatoes, and IMDb. We've also factored in the number of seasons and any accolades a show may have been given. A lack of awards certainly doesn't dull a hidden gem's luster, though, so don't be surprised that many shows featured here have gone under the award committees' radar.

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AT HOME , STAYCATION · May 6, 2020 Last Updated on July 26, 2024

12 OF THE BEST TRAVEL DOCUMENTARIES

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Wondering how you can travel from home without stepping outside your front door? Then look no further than this list of the best travel documentaries and TV shows that will whisk you from your armchair to another country!

1) The Long Way Round

Two men taking motorcycles from London on a journey east all the way around the world might not sound that appealing but trust me, this is one of the best travel series I have ever seen!

Long time friends Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman spend several months planning this epic journey around the world. The Long Way Round journey begins in London and ends in New York – the longest route around the world – and takes you through Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia right round to Alaska and more. 

A film crew follows them but is always around a day behind and generally only meets them at border crossings, so you see the real good, bad and ugly of travel by motorbike through some harsh but beautiful landscapes.

2) The Long Way Down

Not satisfied with their journey around the world, Ewan and Charlie return for another motorcycle adventure taking the Long Way Down , starting from the tip of Scotland John O’Groats to the southernmost point in Africa, Cape Agulhas. 

The 15,000-mile bike adventure is an even harder challenge than the previous with extreme temperatures and harsh climate to deal with. But as with the Long Way Round, McGregor and Boorman are hilarious and honest making this series an absolute must watch!

3) The Kindness Diaries

In this series, we follow Leon Logothetis as he travels the world on the kindness of strangers. In the first series, Leon travels from LA through the US, Europe and Asia – hitting countries including Italy, Croatia, Greece , Turkey , India , Cambodia , Thailand and Vietnam , travelling by vintage motorbike with no money in his pockets. Leon relies on the kindness of strangers to give him food and a place to stay each night. 

The Kindness Diaries Series 2 repeats the same idea, but instead Leon travels from Alaska, through the US down into South America in a vintage VW Beetle. 

This show demonstrates the kind hearts of strangers as Leon meets hundreds of people who help him and have also dedicated their lives to helping others. 

4) Street Food

Available on Netflix, this 9 part documentary takes you to a different street market in Asia in each 30-minute episode. If you like to travel for food, then this series is for you! 

Discover the delicacies on offer in Bangkok, Osaka, Delhi, Yogyakarta, Chiayi, Seoul , Ho Chi Minh City , Singapore and Cebu. Each episode comes with a story of the people who make the food, including a Bangkok chef who has a Michelin-star after spending decades making crab omelets and the obsession with chicken rice of the hawkers of Singapore. 

5) Anything By David Attenborough

But seriously, any documentary by David Attenborough is worth watching and he has created several that are country and destination-specific, including ones in The Galapagos , Africa  and Tasmania.

I personally loved watching Galapagos before my trip to the islands to get to learn about the history and emergence of these islands off the coast of Ecuador. 

Once you have made your way through the destination-specific documentaries you can watch Attenborough’s more general documentaries, including Big Pacific , Seven Worlds One Planet , and Wild North .

6) Around The Next Bend

This 12 part documentary follows two young adventurers as they go on a 2,500 km rafting expedition along the famous Ganges river in India. 

Around The Next Bend shows you the colourful, beautiful and often challenging side of India. The two expeditions raft past the Taj Mahal, through Varanasi, through Nepal and into Bangladesh. 

7) March of The Penguins 

Who doesn’t want to spend an hour or two watching penguins making their way through Antarctica to the dulcet tones of narrator Morgan Freeman? 

March of the Penguins is a classic docu-movie set in Antarctica , following the emperor penguins as they go on a quest to find the perfect mate and to start a family.  

8) Figure It Out: On The Hayduke Trail 

This series documents a thru-hike on one of America’s most challenging routes, The Hayduke Trail . The journey is 800 miles through Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. 

If you enjoy hiking or magnificent scenery then you will love following this trail as each episode takes you to a new part of the route, covering places such as Arches National Park, Moab, Escalante, The Wave, the Grand Canyon, Zion and Colorado City. 

The documentary also explores how we can use the lessons that are learned whilst out in the wilderness to improve our day to day lives. 

9) Salt Of The Earth

Salt Of The Earth is an Oscar-nominated 2014 documentary about the life and work of Brazilian photo-journalist Sebastião Salgado. Salgado spent 40 years documenting groups of people in remote corners of South America, Africa and Central Europe. 

The documentary sees Salgado talk about the stories behind the photographs and whilst sometimes difficult to watch it is a fascinating look into some areas of the world we may not ever explore ourselves. 

10) Free Solo

Free Solo is the story of solo climber Alex Hannold climbing 3,200 ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park with no ropes. Winner of the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary, this is a heart pounding story of one man’s obsession to do what has never been done before.

The documentary will keep you on the edge of your seat, with amazing footage and heart stopping moments as you watch Alex’s attempt to climb El Capitan completely solo, sans ropes and all.

11) Expedition Happiness

Follow the journey of Felix Starck and his girlfriend Mogli as they adventure through North America in a refurbished school bus.

Starck is famous for the documentary Pedal The World, where he goes on an 18,000-kilometer journey by bicycle through 22 countries. Arguably Pedal The World is the better of the two documentaries, with Expedition Happiness a nice idea and an easy watch, but a little light on culture or interesting activities. 

12) Anthony Bourdain: A Cooks Tour

In this series, famous food writer and presenter Anthony Bourdain travels the world indulging his passion for trying local cuisines. Along the way, Bourdain meets several eccentric characters bringing life to this docu-series.

Discover foods from the Caribbean, New Orleans, Brazil, Minneapolis, New York , Hanoi , Singapore, Melbourne and more in series 1 of A Cooks Tour .

Other Recommended Travel Documentaries

• Around The World For Free  Alex Boylan circumnavigated the world without a penny in his pockets!
• Mother India Compelling documentary showing the lives of 25 orphans in India living along the railway
• Unbounded A team of twenty-something travellers hike the Greater Patagonian Trail
• DIY Destinations Budget Travel Show Discover the best budget travel destinations around the world
• Rick Steves Europe In the 7 seasons of this series, Rick Steves guides you through Europe showcasing his favourite spots and some off the beaten path destinations  

I hope that this article has given you some ideas for how to travel through documentaries. If you have any other favourite travel documentaries or series not included please leave these in the comments below. 

Want to share your own travel tips by guest writing for We Are Travel Girls? Please visit our Contribute page for guidelines and to submit your article.

Subscribe to get access to our FREE eBook with tips for saving money when you travel!

Read More Stay Home Travel Ideas

• 10 Ways To Have A Staycation At Home 
• 25 Of The Best Travel Movies
• 10 Novels To Inspire Your Wanderlust
• 16 Travel Themed Cocktails To Enjoy At Ho me

We Are Travel Girls Founder Becky van Dijk of  BeckyvanDijk.com Connect with Becky  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  YouTube

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James Cala says

April 20, 2021 at 5:55 am

Amazing list, I love the combination of food & travel as well!

One suggestion is a new travel docu one of my travel buds showed me. It’s on youtube: Same same but different – a documentary about backpacking. Really loved it, beautiful story and depicts for me amazing the backpack culture.

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Top 20+ best travel documentaries 2024.

Are you searching for the best travel documentaries ? Read our reviews below to find inspiration!

Documentaries, like virtually every other cuisine of celebrity, have thrived lately. Chalk this up to streaming solutions old and new pouring billions into initial content to fulfill their readers’ insatiable enthusiasm for new films and shows or just the glut of intriguing stories waiting to be informed. Rarely strikes in the box office, nonfiction narratives are especially well-suited to on-demand screening, nevertheless, offering individuals who invest hours binge-watching milder fare the rare chance to feel as though they’re learning something because they sit on the sofa.

Obviously, an amount never equals quality, so we’re devoting our entire year to seeing as many movies and string to pluck the very best that’ll expand your cognitive and emotional horizons. Below you will discover the top documentaries available in 2024 (such as docuseries, the kind which might have gained more than any other in your streaming revolution). You’ll discover streaming hits, vague treasures, and theatrical props, but all of them share one common attribute: They will help you understand the planet, for better or for worse.

Top 20+ Best Travel Documentaries

Last update on 2024-09-09 / Affiliate links / As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

‘Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution’

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Executive produced from the Obamasthis documentary investigates the milestone motion towards equality and accessibility for individuals with disabilities-and it all began with a bunch of teens in summer camp, only down the street from Woodstock. What starts out as an investigation of a close-knit set of individuals turns to the minute-by-minute documentation of a nation-wide effort. From minute one, you are feeling that the frustration, anger, and jealousy that serve because of the required spark for change.

Murder into Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story

Netflix delivers a fresh look at the event of Cyntoia Brown, a young girl who served 15 years behind bars for murder before being granted clemency in 2018 by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Celebrity assistance from Rihanna, Kim Kardashian West, and LeBron James attracted attention to and aided her launch. But, Cyntoia didn’t authorize the documentary.

The newest Netflix docuseries ponders why”infants would be the best puzzle.” Infants follow 15 babies during their first year of life since they develop in and find out about the world around them. The documentary stocks extensive interviews with investigators, who discuss the science supporting their development. Prepare for some serious infant fever watching these cute little ones.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

The beautiful story of Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old world-renowned sushi master using a very small restaurant inauspiciously situated in a Tokyo subway station, the first of its type to be awarded three Michelin stars.

This stunning and thoughtful movie portrays Ono’s lifelong pursuit of devotion whilst investigating the toll that his obsessive devotion exacts on his connections. An intriguing glimpse into Japanese culture.

Chef’s Table (2017)

Each episode of the Emmy-nominated docuseries visits another global location to get an in-depth interview with among the world’s most renowned chefs.

Creator David Gelb also directed the critically acclaimed Jiro Dreams of Sushi, as well as both productions, discuss a similar psychological and artistic sensibility hallmarked by persuasive narratives and mesmerizingly beautiful cinematography. Check out a detailed article on What is cinematography?

Sahara with Michael Palin (2002)

The traveling documentary is a brilliant account of the numerous civilizations and areas dotting the beautiful Sahara desert. In the arid shores in Morocco, refugee camps in Algeria, into the mysterious deserts of Timbuktu and magnificent starlit nights at Nigeria, this 4-episode attribute also considered one of the very best travel documentaries on Netflix ever resides deep to the enchanting African odyssey.

Aside from exploring the different hidden jewels of this fantastic desert, the characteristic also comprises Palin’s rendezvous with numerous Muslim scholars, tribes, and refugees to emphasize the different cultural and religious beliefs that the individuals of this desert abide by.

The documentary not only highlights the vastness of the isolated desert areas but additionally beautifully highlights the many prevalent cultural influences in Africa and practices like polygamy and female genital mutilation.

Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2013)

How can it be like living in the coldest place in the world for a year? The harsh climatic conditions create Antarctica nearly inhabitable and also an enigma for the entire world. This visual masterpiece highlights the inhabitable features of this continent and traverses the audiences through the lifestyles of scientists and technicians living in isolation over the continent, braving the unforgiving winters. If you’re a nature enthusiast, you may love its opulence even in its own bitter hardness.

Traveling isn’t only about pristine beaches, intimate lanes, and lush valleys. Living in a location where the sun does not shine for months and if it will, it forgets to place, is something you ought to encounter. Ever heard of Survival of the Fittest? You need to see one of the very best travel documentaries of all time. Get up, close, and personal with it!

180 Degree South (2010)

180 Degree South is an assimilation of this unforgettable journey undertaken by Jeff while recreating the epic trip hauled off by Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins throughout their road trip in 1968. Jeff’s travel was adventurous as he opted to surf, sail, and scale before eventually making it into Chile.

Watch it to get exciting experiences, gritty travelling, and the proper technique invented before pulling such jobs.

THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS (2008)

‘The North Sea and the sand are the beginning for me…’ states Agnès Varda, prestigious filmmaker of the Nouvelle Vague and photographer of genius, who dated 80 in this autobiographical collage of private memory and atmosphere, takes us into the shores that shaped her youth, her marriage, her artwork and outside.

‘Time passes, except about the shores, which are classic…’ she motives, recalling fondness Belgian sands at La Panne and Middelkerke. And notably the port town of Sète at France’s southern area of Occitanie, where she talks of visiting fishermen at the 1940s dwelling in rough tents on the dunes, canvas walls slung with storm lamps and older pans.

Noirmoutier, the French island in the Bay of Biscay, ” recalls her husband Jacques Demy particularly enjoying, and she movies it in tribute, and using this freshness it is since becoming a destination for lovers of the film. ‘What’s the cinema?’ Varda inquires,’It’s LIGHT coming from someplace…’ We watch her sailing up the Seine at a wooden vessel, directly beneath the Ponts des Arts, the craft painted the sun-flashing yellowish of this Provençal sunflower which Varda always appeared to incorporate in her films.

I had the fantastic fortune to interview Varda if she was 90, only months before she died, and that I took a lot of sunflowers as a gift – she obtained them with a yelp of joy, saying they reminded her of French reds, her eyes hot as landing lights.

Stream on Amazon, Google Play and YouTube

Tokyo Idols (2017)

Fascinating and at times creepy look in the eccentric world of teen idols in Japan and their fanatical middle-aged devotees.

Shows how otaku (pop culture geeks) select the escapist fantasy provided by those budding starlets, some as young as 10, over connections with real girls.

Conan Without Borders (2018)

Late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien hits the street in this show that brings him along with his sense of comedy to far-flung destinations.

Street Food

The founders of’Chef’s Table’ take to the roads at a food-centric show that attracts audiences to some of the planet’s most energetic cities to find the rich tradition of road delicacies. In the hawker stalls of Singapore into the food carts of India,’ Street Food’ highlights the tales of perseverance and civilization which bring life into a nation’s cuisine. This is the best travel and food documentaries Netflix.

Winning an Academy Award for the Best Documentary, Free Solo shares the unbelievably intimate narrative of free soloist climber Alex Honnold along with his unwavering determination in preparing for the growth of his life. From the documentary, Honnold attempts to realize his lifelong dream of scaling the world’s most renowned rock: the 3,200-foot El Capitan at Yosemite National Park… and he plans to do it with no rope. If you’re searching for a gripping adventure story, this is it.

Visible: Outside on Video

Apple TV+ brings this historical documentary about LGBTQ+ representation on tv throughout the previous twenty decades. Essential characters, such as Ellen DeGeneres, Rachel Maddow, and Oprah Winfrey, along with other private first-person interviews illuminate the progress toward approval off and on the little screen.

‘Tiger # ‘ng: Murder, Mayhem and Madness’

This Netflix docuseries was a massive hit (pun certainly intended, sorry). If all your friends have not told you about it, the show covers Joe Exotic, the bizarre polygamist musician and presidential candidate that owned and operated a zoo of large cats. Yes, it is as odd as it seems. Oh, and he is in jail on a murder-for-hire plot, that’s the driving force of the story. The show is presently becoming backlash from a number of the interviewees in addition to animal rights activists, but the deep dip into the mad world of major cat owners, and also the terrible conditions that the animals have problems, was eye-opening for me personally.

Losing Sight Of Shore (2017)

Losing Sight Of Shore is one of the best time travel documentaries of the past ten years. The movie follows four female friends as they train, strategy, then sail (at a rowboat) from California across the Pacific to Australia. It is absolute insanity. The film is harrowing, emotionally wrought, and superbly executed. It keeps you on the edge of your chair as you feel that the wonderful ups and unpleasant downs of traveling on the border.

This is a superb way to spend 90 minutes one of this week also, possibly, it will motivate you to get out there also.

Fire At Sea (2016)

Traveling is not always about Instagram hashtags and wanderlust. At times it’s about success. Fire At Sea delivers a harrowing glimpse into the realities of refugees fleeing Northern Africa to get Europe – especially Sicily, Italy in this circumstance. The film juxtaposes the way the little backwater city became the flashpoint for refugees landing in Europe. It is a stark narrative of humanity, suffering, and soul to overcome and endure.

‘Cheer’# ‘

Another one you might already know of, you need to absolutely run to see Netflix docuseries Cheer. In the event, your friends have not told you all relating to this in gushing terms, here is the gist: The Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team is considering if perhaps not the greatest teams in the country. It’s 40 members in total, and being chosen is only the start. The show carries us through”creating the mat,” a.k.a. cto choose team associates to compete at the finals. From the time we reach the National Cheerleading Championship, we have fallen in love with half of the group (Jerry!!). It is a pleasant, feel-good balance to a few of the others on this listing.

‘Miss Americana’

After Taylor Swift took the point in the 2019 American Music Awards, where she had been named Artist of the Decade, she started her operation by singing”The Man” while dressed in primitive white shirt apparel together with all the titles of her six records in large black decoration, reminiscent of a prison uniform’s stripes.

The outfit and tune were a nod to what the singer had disclosed on societal media 10 days before: That Scoot Borchetta and Scooter Braun, founders of significant Machine Tag Team, her former label, were preventing her from performing tunes from her record. Suffice to say, it has been a crazy couple of years from the renowned singer’s lifestyle. Director Lana Wilson was along for the ride, after Swift for its highly awaited documentary premiering on the opening day of the year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Hillary recounts the life and livelihood of the former First Lady and presidential candidate on Hulu. There is lots of time to see before going to the polls to the 2020 presidential election. Obviously, no Hillary Clinton documentary could be complete without touching the contentious 2016 election, yet this account features interviews with Hillary, Bill, Chelsea, and much more to get a private standpoint.

Roll With Me

If there was ever a time to put our problems in view, it is right now. While we might have tendencies to feel sorry for ourselves because we socially space from normality, let us have a second (or even 90 minutes in this instance ) to see the narrative of a newly-sober paraplegic because he tries to bounce back from the stone bottom via a 3,100-mile wheelchair trek across the USA.

See also:  Top 30 Best Travel Items 2024 Review

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The 50 Best Travel Films of All Time

It's arguable that, more than any other piece of pop-culture ephemera, movies have the power to transport—to sweep you away on a European adventure ( Before Sunrise ), cross an African desert ( Out of Africa ), even send you to the never-before-seen Paradise Falls ( Up ). These 50 films are especially captivating, with well-told stories that evoke the magic (or harsh reality) of travel, and beautiful scenery that overwhelms the senses. Read on for the favorite travel movies of editors past and present—and get your Netflix queue ready.

This gallery was originally published in 2015 and has been updated.

Roman Holiday (1953)

What’s not to love about this black-and-white classic? It’s got Audrey Hepburn, it’s got Gregory Peck, it’s set in Rome ; there’s a quirky, comical love story. Hepburn plays a princess in town for a goodwill tour, Peck a journalist for an American news bureau who misses his big interview with HRH. When he helps a young, seemingly drunk woman one night and lets her sleep it off in his apartment, he realizes he may have the scoop of his career as the next day’s news reports say the princess has canceled her engagements due to illness. And then he pieces the two together. What follows is a grand romp, with Peck playing the regular joe and local guide to the princess, who just wants to shed the royal obligations and enjoy a little freedom for a change. Their tour of Rome proves the perfect catalyst for their budding romance, and it’s impossible not to have the same effect on the audience. –Corina Quinn

To Catch a Thief (1955)

Cary Grant as a cat burglar, Grace Kelly as a rich debutante, falling in love under the guidance of Alfred Hitchcock? Sold. This stunning thriller was filmed in Cannes and Nice and perfectly captures the Golden Age of travel we always wax poetic about, that time when bringing a gold lamé gown to the beach was a no-brainer. – Meredith Carey

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Russia during the Soviet Revolution doesn't exactly sound like a prime tourist destination, but director David Lean makes a big argument for the country's haunting beauty in this romantic epic (even thought it was actually shot in Spain). From the opulence of Imperial Moscow to the flowering countryside of the Urals to the windswept Siberian tundra, Lean's camera is as much as in love with the landscape as it is with Julie Christie's doe-eyed Lara. – Jenna Scherer

The Endless Summer (1966)

“Catch a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world,” sang the Beach Boys; and if ever a film embodied that mindset, it’s Bruce Brown’s 1966 surfer documentary. Brown shadowed buddies Robert August and Mike Hynson on a round-the-world surfing trip, filming their travels to places like Hawaii , New Zealand, and South Africa as they crested waves and met like-minded surf obsessives. The film’s impact on surf culture and tourism was huge, thanks in no small part to Brown’s cinematography, as well as the subjects’ ability to make riding those impossibly large waves seem effortless. – Amy Plitt

Two For the Road (1967)

Travel is a constant theme in this romantic dramedy about a married couple, played by Albert Finney and Aubrey Hepburn. The movie starts off with a road trip to Saint-Tropez, and as they drive through France, the audience is treated to flashbacks of previous trips that have affected their relationship. - Jenni Miller

Easy Rider (1969)

Released the year of the Woodstock festival—perhaps the biggest event of the ’60s counterculture movement— Easy Rider couldn’t have come out at a better time in history. The film plays out like a motorcycle travelogue, following Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) on their sojourn from Mexico to Los Angeles to New Orleans . Shot on a shoestring budget, the film is flush with desert landscapes and towns that the pair of nogoodniks (and co-stars, like a young Jack Nicholson) pass through on their drug-and-booze-fueled hippie adventure. – Will Levith

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

While the 2017 remake of Murder on the Orient Express was pretty to look at , you simply can't beat the 1974 original. The mystery boasts an excellent ensemble cast led by Albert Finney as Agatha Christie's iconic Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. He’s minding his own business on the long-distance train when a fellow passenger is murdered in the middle of the night. Poirot agrees to investigate the murder, along with the train's first-class compartment full of characters, ranging from a Russian princess to a gorgeous young countess. Throw in the snowy Yugoslavian countryside, and train travel has never looked so glamorous. (Minus the murder, of course.) – J.M.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark was a giant-sized collaboration between two of the world's biggest blockbuster directors at the time: Steven Spielberg ( Jaws ), who directed, and George Lucas ( Star Wars ), who executive produced. The film follows hunky explorer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as he circles the globe on a quest to track down the legendary Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. With filming locations in France and Tunisia (which stood in for Egypt ), Raiders is travel porn at its mega-blockbuster best. – W.L.

National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

Vacation was the world’s introduction to the Griswold family, led by accident-prone dad-in-chief Clark (Chevy Chase). The film spoofs the tried-and-true American tradition of the family road trip , taking the Griswold car through at least two real-life national parks—Death Valley and Grand Canyon—on their way to the fictional amusement park, Walley World. Add in an unforgettable cameo from Christie Brinkley and a hit theme song in “Holiday Road,” and you have a movie every vacationer should watch once in their lifetime. – W.L.

Romancing the Stone (1984)

The ’80s were the era of the action movie, but Romancing the Stone took that concept and blew it out, mixing in pinches of Indiana Jones and pulpy romance novel. Co-starring Reagan Era sex-symbols Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, the adventure begins when novelist Joan Wilder (Turner) travels to Colombia in search of her kidnapped sister. – W.L.

Out of Africa (1985)

Meryl Streep and Robert Redford star in this tragic love story about a married baroness who falls for a big-game hunter, based on the autobiographical novel by Isak Dinesen. Filmed on location in the U.K. and Kenya, including the Shaba National Game Reserve , Out of Africa feels about as epic as the doomed love affair between two very different people. – J.M.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

Set around Thanksgiving, Planes uses the travel rush in the days leading up to the holiday as a more-than-worthy comedic vehicle. Steve Martin goofs as Neal Page, who faces a series of travel nightmares on his trip from New York City to Chicago in advance of Turkey Day. After his flight is canceled due to inclement weather, Page ends up sharing his trip home with salesman Del Griffith, played by the late, great John Candy. The actors' chemistry is hard to deny… especially when they’re sleeping in the same bed together on the road. –W.L.

Withnail & I (1987)

“We’ve gone on holiday by mistake!” Withnail’s (Richard E. Grant) desperate moan is the centerpiece of this British cult comedy, which sees two hard-drinking, unemployed actors escaping the horrors of their impoverished London flat with a trip to the countryside. Naturally, the countryside turns out to be even worse. But the desolate, windswept beauty of Cumbria, in Northern England, is the perfect setting for their self-created drama and melancholy. – J.S.

Thelma & Louise (1991)

Thelma & Louise reinvented the concept of the buddy movie by putting two women on the road, escaping good-for-nothing men and setting off on an adventure of their own making. For the first time, women were at the center of the picaresque. Ultimately, Thelma and Louise don't get their happy ending, but the best coda is knowing their movie paved the way for countless other women to hit the road on their own. – Lilit Marcus

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving, and Terence Stamp star as two drag performers and a transwoman who travel to Alice Springs, Australia , in a lavender-hued school bus they've named Priscilla. A road trip across the Outback serves as a dusty backdrop for personal revelations and general awesomeness, like a fireside lip-sync performance of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." – J.M.

Before Sunrise (1995)

Richard Linklater turned the stroll-and-talk into an art form in his slow-cinema trilogy. It all began with this quiet, lovely indie, which features a baby-faced Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy flirting and philosophizing as they wander the cobblestone streets of Vienna after hours. The city becomes the third character in the romance, just as Paris would nine years later in Before Sunset, and Messenia, Greece, nine years after that in Before Midnight. All three movies are a testament to travel's power to realign your perception of your own life. – J.S.

The English Patient (1996)

From its star-crossed love story to its sweeping cinematic shots, few movies of the modern era are as lavishly romantic as this adaption of Michael Ondaatje's Booker Prize–winning novel. With a storyline split between pre-war Egypt and post-war Italy, director Anthony Minghella gives us artfully crafted glimpses of both locations: a bombed-out villa in Tuscany and Lawrence of Arabia -esque sweeps of the Egyptian desert (actually filmed in Tunisia). – J.S.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

It may be creepy as hell, but The Talented Mr. Ripley also happens to be one of the most beautiful depictions of Italy ever captured on film. Set in the 1950s, the movie follows a group of pretty young things (including Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Matt Damon as the titular sociopath) on their luxurious-slash-murderous holiday, from the pristine beaches in Lazio to the opulent hotels in Venice . – Caitlin Morton

The Beach (2000)

Richard (played by a boyish Leonardo DiCaprio) finds himself tramping from one Thai hostel to the next, desperately searching for something meaningful. A tip from a fellow traveler in Bangkok sends him on a journey to a hard-to-reach island, described as the ultimate paradise—white sands, clear water, and only a handful of other travelers who’ve sworn to keep its location a secret. But, of course, paradise isn't exactly what it seems—and the same goes for real life too, as fans have since trashed the filming location , Maya Beach, forcing its closure. – Megan Spurrell

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

Y Tu Mamá También follows two best friends and a sexy older woman as they road trip through Mexico, searching for a magical (and fictional) beach called Heaven’s Mouth. Director Alfonso Cuarón shows the beautiful nature of Oaxaca , but also gives a no-holds-bar glimpse into the poverty that exists in Mexico—an aspect that most films set there simply gloss over. – C.M.

Amélie (2001)

Paris is one big shiny confection in this sun-drenched modern fairy tale. Jean-Pierre Jeunet's camera looks at the city through candy-colored lenses, primarily following his quirky-loner heroine (Audrey Tautou) through the winding streets of Montmartre. Everything seems to be lit from within, from the green water of the Canal Saint-Martin to the lurid red lights of a Pigalle sex shop. The city has never looked so dreamy. – J.S.

L’Auberge Espagnole (2002)

For anyone who’s ever studied or lived abroad, discovering L’Auberge Espagnole (i.e. “the Spanish Inn”) is like finding the Rosetta Stone. The film follows a French student, Xavier, who travels to Barcelona in search of himself. Cooped up in a giant apartment with six other contemporaries—all from different countries—Xavier wades through the muddy waters of cohabitation with men and women who don’t share his customs or language. Look out for a fantastic post- Amélie cameo by Audrey Tautou. – W.L.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Steven Spielberg's stylish caper tells the real-life story of Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio), a teenage con artist who manages to avoid the feds while pulling off elaborate schemes. Abagnale famously impersonated a Pan Am pilot, and the film plays this up with plenty of vintage air travel eye candy. – A.P.

Catch a glimpse of Eero Saarinen's space-age TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, in a conversation between Abagnale and Carl Hanratty, played by Tom Hanks. The terminal has been turned into a hotel , which just officially opened in May 2019. – M.C.

Lost in Translation (2003)

Lost in Translation chronicles the budding friendship of two Americans in Tokyo (played with the perfect amount of resignation by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson), shot in typically beautiful Sofia Coppola fashion. From the upmarket Park Hyatt hotel to the neon-filled karaoke bars and streets, the movie is like a tourism ad for Tokyo. But more importantly, it’s a melancholy portrayal of loneliness—even in a city filled with millions of people. – C.M.

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

Before there was Eat, Pray, Love , there was Under the Tuscan Sun —the story of a woman who buys a villa in Italy after her marriage falls apart. As we watch Frances (Diane Lane) renovate her gorgeous new house and take day trips to the Amalfi Coast, the thought of dropping everything to move to Tuscany suddenly doesn’t seem so ridiculous. – C.M.

Sideways (2004)

The allure of California’s fantastic vineyards is well known (and documented), but wine culture still has a sniff of exclusivity. That’s what makes Sideways, whose wine-touring protagonist is actually a middle-aged slob, so relatable—and hilarious. Aside from telling a great story with great characters, the movie also happens to showcase some of the most beautiful vineyards and tasting rooms in Santa Barbara. Have a glass while you watch—just not merlot. – C.M.

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

This is where it all began for Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Gael García Bernal), whose road trip across Latin America with his pal Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) opened Che's eyes to political injustice. Director Walter Salles filmed their travels through major landmarks in South America, as per Che's memoir, from the Andes mountain range to Machu Picchu and even a leper colony in San Pablo. – J.M.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

And you thought your family road trips were dysfunctional. How about cramming your elderly father-in-law, voluntarily mute son, suicidal brother, overworked husband, and quirky daughter with beauty queen aspirations into a lemon of a VW bus? Toni Collette manages just fine (sort of). I'm stressed just thinking about it, but somehow Little Miss Sunshine manages to find that perfect intersection of humor and nostalgia that makes you feel warm and fuzzy by the time the movie ends. – M.C.

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Wes Anderson reimagines the all-American family road trip as a rail journey across India. Set on a cramped train rattling across the subcontinent, Darjeeling juxtaposes the claustrophobia of travel against the backdrop of Rajasthan's vast open spaces . Anderson's love of strange and beautiful objects is very much at home in the colorful, busy aesthetic of India; but the movie's most arresting visuals come in the form of barren desert and mountain landscapes. – J.S.

Into the Wild (2007)

The true story of Christopher "Alexander Supertramp" McCandless's disappearance and demise in the Alaskan wilderness can be viewed as poetic or moronic, depending who you talk to. But there's no denying the essential sense of beauty and desolation in Sean Penn's filmic take on the story. As McCandless, Emile Hirsch rides the rails, kayaks the Colorado River, summits snowy peaks, races into the Pacific, and embodies a classically American vision of unchecked wanderlust—exuberant, unstoppable, and foolish. – J.S.

In Bruges (2008)

"Maybe that's what hell is: The entire rest of eternity spent in effin' Bruges ." Cinema has given us few vacationers as reluctant as Ray (Colin Farrell), an Irish hit man lying low in Belgium's most picturesque city. With its gentle, touristy beauty, the medieval town makes an unlikely setting for Martin McDonagh's darkly comic tale of mob justice—which, of course, only makes it funnier. – J.S.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Woody Allen movies usually pay homage to New York City, but he switched geographical gears for 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona . The film shows the adventures and subsequent love affairs of two young women visiting Barcelona , and the city ends up becoming a character itself. As you see all of the gorgeous architecture and landscapes through these tourists’ eyes, you’ll want to hop on a plane and listen to acoustic Spanish guitar immediately. – C.M.

Up might have been rendered as a digital “cartoon” in the vein of Toy Story , but it’s anything but a kid's film. A heart-wrenching tale of love and loss, the film follows septuagenarian Carl (voiced to crotchety perfection by Ed Asner) and his young friend, Russell, as they travel to South America together in Carl’s house-turned-dirigible (we’ll leave it up to your imagination). Up is one of those rare travel films that makes you realize that you’re just floating on like everybody else is on this giant, blue orb called Earth, with nothing holding you down except maybe a little gravity. Have a box of tissues handy. – W.L.

Up in the Air (2009)

George Clooney stars as Ryan, a “downsizing expert” (i.e., companies hire him to fly all across the country to inform strangers they’ve lost their job) who loves life on the road. An obsessive frequent flyer, he’s also about to reach his goal of getting a million miles. The arrival of a young upstart Natalie (Anna Kendrick) who wants to downsize via video conferencing—possibly eliminating their need to travel—sets the two on the road, for him to mentor her. He also meets Alex (Vera Farmiga), a woman equally in love with her transient life, and the two begin meeting up when their schedules overlap. Natalie’s growing disillusionment with the business they’re in, along with Ryan’s deepening relationship with Alex, begin to challenge his cherished way of life, and make him question what that collection of miles is really worth. – C.Q.

Away We Go (2009)

A few months before their baby is due, Verona (Maya Rudolph) and Burt (John Krasinski) decide to take a road trip to find the perfect location to raise their family. Their journey takes them from Phoenix and Tucson to Madison and Montreal , a city that has never seemed more friendly or inviting. The movie is a wonderful tour of North America’s cities, as well as a touching tribute to love and family. – C.M.

The Trip (2010)

Not quite a buddy comedy—you get the sense that the characters played by British comedians Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan may not even like each other very much—this meandering 2010 film is hilarious nevertheless. Brydon and Coogan road-trip through England to dine in fancy restaurants, all the while one-upping each other’s jokes and pondering the meaning of life, death, and relationships. Come for the beautiful shots of the English countryside , but stay for the goofy jokes—particularly the brilliant bit riffing on Michael Caine and Sean Connery impressions. – A.P.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Gil Pender, played by Owen Wilson, is a wide-eyed screenwriter and aspiring novelist on a trip to Paris with his fiancée (Rachel McAdams). Like many tourists in the City of Light, he retraces the steps of Parisian creatives past, drinking coffee (and absinthe) in the same places they once did—until, late one night, a car of these very icons appears, sweeping him back in time to an evening of revelry among the literati of the 1920s. Sure it's time travel, but past or present, Paris always enchants. – M.S.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Facing widowhood, and the realities of aging, a handful of Brits decide to flip retirement on its head. Rather than succumb to creaking stairlifts and hospital-grade linens that come with retirement at home, they follow advertisements for the Marigold Hotel in Jaipur, India , which promises grandiose accommodations at a bargain—and an exhilarating second act. Cue tangled love stories, easy laughs, and endearing fish-out-of-water moments delivered by a crowd-pleasing ensemble cast (including Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, and Bill Nighy), who prove how deeply travel can stir us, at any age. – M.S.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Walter Mitty is the visual embodiment of "wanderlust," following a daydreaming, work-laden Life magazine employee (played by Ben Stiller) as he embarks on a journey his own imagination couldn't have conjured. Looking for one lost, cover-worthy photo slide from renowned photojournalist Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn), Mitty heads from the streets of Manhattan to Greenland to Iceland and even to the Himalayas. It's a stunning, fantastical movie that'll get even an armchair traveler up to the passport office. – M.C.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Of all the fictional hotels in the cinematic world, none come close to rivaling the top-notch service of the Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson's hyper-stylized confection. Complete with a world-class dining room and pink façade, the hotel owes much of its success to Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), the most dedicated concierge of all time. Whether he’s fighting off murderous armies or providing, er, "company" to the older female guests, it becomes immediately clear that Gustave would truly do anything for his beloved GBH. – C.M.

Tracks (2014)

Standing in for real-life writer Robyn Davidson, Mia Wasikowska travels across the breathtaking landscape of Western Australia with only four camels and a beloved dog for company. Her occasional human visitors include a photographer for National Geographic (Adam Driver), an indigenous Australian elder named Mr. Eddy who guides her through sacred lands, and various tourists who come to gawk at the so-called Camel Lady. Davidson’s solo trip was beyond the pale for a woman in the '70s, but it's still incredibly inspiring today. We'll just leave the camel-training to someone else. – J.M.

Wild (2014)

Reese Witherspoon donned a pair of ill-fitting hiking boots and a giant backpack for her role as Cheryl Strayed , a writer who trekked 1,100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail after the devastating loss of her mother. (The film is based on Strayed’s best-selling 2012 book of the same name.) Strayed crosses the dusty Mojave, crazy forests, snowy fields, and muddy trails, losing toenails but gaining mental clarity—or at least self-acceptance—along the way. – J.M.

Spectre (2015)

Art imitates life, but this time it was the other way around. The 26th James Bond movie's intro scene follows Daniel Craig through a Mexico City Dia de los Muertos parade that didn't actually exist until enough tourists showed up that the city decided to create one in the movie's image . As in most Bond movies, the plot crosses a multitude of borders, from Austria to Italy to Morocco, as the MI6 agent fights the global criminal organization Spectre and a perfectly villainous Christoph Waltz. – M.C.

Carol (2015)

A forbidden 1950s love affair between shop girl and photographer Therese (Rooney Mara) and soon-to-be divorcee Carol (Cate Blanchett) grows stronger on a winding road trip, that takes the couple from New York City through Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, before reality catches up. The Oscar and Golden Globe nominee is a great period piece as well as a love letter to road trips. – M.C.

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Consider Luca Guadagnino's Call Be By Your Name a starter guide to the Italian countryside life (specifically in Bergamo, and greater Lombardy) you've always wanted: Riding bikes through hundred-year-old piazzas, fossil-diving in Lake Garda, and waking up to a breakfast of soft-boiled eggs and freshly picked peaches. – Rachel Coleman

Roma (2018)

Another Mexico-based film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Netflix’s Roma follows the story of Cleo, an indigenous woman working as a maid in 1970s Mexico City (Cuarón hometown). The sweeping black-and-white masterpiece provides glimpses of CMDX's Colonia Roma neighborhood, complete with shuttered house-fronts and laundry fluttering on clothes lines across the rooftops. While Colonia Roma is a tad more gentrified today (think lots of coffee shops and Airbnb properties ), Cuarón's film perfectly captures the neighborhood he grew up in some 50 years ago. – C.M.

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Crazy Rich Asians tells the story of Rachel Chu, a Chinese-American professor who travels to Singapore to meet her fiancé's wealthy family. The world of Singapore's old-money elite is filled with yacht parties and royal weddings, but between all that extravagance, Rachel—and viewers—get glimpses of the city's greatest hits: Gardens by the Bay , the infinity pool of Marina Bay Sands , Chinatown's pastel-colored shophouses, and allll the hawker center street food . If you saw the movie and immediately started researching your next trip to Singapore, you're not alone: Orbitz reportedly saw a 20% spike in inquiries to the city in the week following the movie's premiere. Now if only we could figure out how to spend the night in the Young family mansion... – C.M.

Midsommar (2019)

Midsommar was easily one of the most discomforting movies of 2019. But two things shone beautifully through all the creepy cult rituals: Florence Pugh’s performance, and the sunny countryside of Sweden. (Most scenes of the Hårga village were actually filmed just outside of Budapest, but the filmmakers definitely tricked us into wanting to visit Sweden in June.) Scandinavia’s famous midnight sun was used as a tool to warp time and unsettle viewers, but it sure did shed some serious light on northern Sweden’s decorated farmhouses, verdant meadows, and coniferous forests. Just stay away from the mushroom tea, and you’ll be fine. – C.M.

The Farewell (2019)

Golden Globe award–winning Awkwafina stars in this movie about the Chinese-American experience, the power of family, and the importance of levity in the face of grief. The movie follows Billi (played by Awkwafina) as she heads from her home in New York City to visit her grandmother and extended family in Changchun, in northeast China. Visiting under the guise of a wedding—and the reality of a secret cancer diagnosis for her grandmother, Nai Nai—Billi struggles to adjust to mainland Chinese life, and the reality that her grandmother may not always be around. It's absolutely a tear jerker. But it's also funny, sweet, and ultimately heart-warming, with the lives of first-generation Americans and daily life in China taking center stage. –M.C.  

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (2019)

Quentin Tarantino’s films tend to focus more on plot and character development than setting, but the director still knows how to incorporate location into his complex storylines. (I’d lie if I said the Kill Bill movies didn’t make me want to visit Japan even more than I already did.) The best example of this technique can be seen in his latest movie, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood . Rather than relying on mood and language alone, Tarantino uses slow pans across Hollywood Boulevard and backdrops of recognizable sites like Westwood Village to give us a (slightly fantastical) sense of Los Angeles in the late 1960s. Many scenes were filmed in still-standing bars in restaurants , in case you want to recreate some of the less murder-y storylines for yourself. – C.M.

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The Best Travel Shows Of All Time (TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime & More)

If you are like me and always yearning to travel, then one of the best ways to do this from home is to watch amazing travel shows on TV.

Over the years I have spent way too much of my spare time consuming every travel show under the sun. And, I thought it was high time I shared some of them with you.

So, without further ado, here are some of the best travel shows on TV – whether it be DVD, Netflix or Amazon.

1. Long Way Round

I remember watching the Long Way Round years ago (2004), which is still clear in my memory. The world-famous Ewan McGregor and one of his best friends Charlie Boorman, pursue their passion for BMW motorbikes and adventure travel and head east from London, as far as possible.

The journey was nearly 19 thousand miles (33,000 kms) and took them through Europe, overland through Asia (Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia) to the USA and New York.

Of course, they do take a crew with them, but this is hardcore overland travel at its best. No script, all the hardships are shown. Boy, they had a difficult time in some parts of Asia!

Update: They have the latest episode in this series, Long Way Up, which features the boys riding from Ushuaia in Argentina to Los Angeles. This is more or less the classic Pan-American Highway route that travelers love!

2. Long Way Down

Following on from the 2004 success, Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman set out again in 20017. This time North to South from Scotland to Cape Town in the Long Way Down . This is yet another infamous overland route and also not a simple one.

Many of the roads and countries in Africa are not in the same state as their European counterparts, so they had some challenges with their suspension. They also had quite some adventures and exciting visits, even with presidents!

If you liked the first one of the series, then this is an equally good follow-up.

It’s also available on Amazon.

Below is a quick intro to the show. It’s worth taking a look.

3. Anthony Bourdain (Parts Unknown, No Reservations, A Cook’s Tour & The Layover)

With the sad news of his recent passing, how can I not include one of the food travel show classics from Anthony Bourdain and his team at CNN? This series was still being filmed at the time of this death, and they have since tried to finalise it without being able to use him for voiceovers. However, there is so much material in this series, you won’t be stressed looking for things to watch.

Anthony was actually made famous by his book, Kitchen Confidential , where he revealed how things work in the restaurant business. I actually read this book over 20 years ago, long before I even realised he was on TV.

Parts Unknown is a unique take on travel from Anthony where he visits various countries around the world that interest him and explores all the great food they have on offer. But, he does not go for the classy restaurants and showy food, he looks for the best of what locals enjoy.

And dives right in himself! It’s super-inspiring to see someone so famous get down and dirty and have absolutely zero pretence. He loves food. He loves people. And he loves to travel. What more could you ask for in a TV Show.

Some of the series from Parts Unknown is available on Amazon .

As are some of his older series like No Reservations , A Cook’s Tour , The Layover

And here is a quick preview of season 7 from CNN.

4. Departures – with Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach

Two best friends from Canada decide they need a little excitement in their lives and head off for a year of adventure.  They end up exploring vast areas of the world and looking for as many unique experiences as possible.

The series is quite in-depth, covering 43 episodes , and almost as many countries. And by the time you have finished it, I will be surprised if you don’t just get up and go traveling yourself.

You can grab it on Bluray on Amazon.

Here is a quick intro to the series.

5. Simon Reeve Travels

I absolutely love to watch Louis Theroux on TV. His bumbling, almost nerd-like charm somehow disarms all the crazy nut-jobs that he interviews.

Simon Reeve, at least to me, seems like his equal in the BBC travel world. He is not a gung-ho daring, Tom Cruise look-alike. He is a down-to-earth, easy-to-like, bumbling reporter who takes to the most interesting places on earth. And makes you fall in love with them all as much as he does.

We have started watching some of his earlier shows. We have started with his crazy trip around the Equator. But some of the others are available on the BBC (if you live in the UK) including such trips as: the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Australia, Africa, Colombia and many more.

Here is a quick intro to the Caribbean series.

6. Rick Steves Travel Series

Another prolific traveler and creator of travel-related content both on and offline is Rick Steves. If you type in many European-related travel searches in Google, you will often find his website in the top ten.

He seems to have been everywhere worldwide and made a TV show about most of it. He appeals to an older demographic in my opinion, as his commentary is a little stiffer, but you can certainly learn a lot from this guy.

You can check them out on his website.

And below is an intro to Season 9 of his European series.

7. Michael Palins (Various Adventures around the world)

Michael Palin, a former Monty Python member and Jon Cleese, has been producing top-notch travel series for years and is a little more old-school than Rick Steves. His shows focus on longer adventures, similar to A Long Way Round, although perhaps not as challenging.

They are fun to watch, and you certainly get to see some of the lesser-explored regions of the world. Although some of these series will be a little dated by now – I remember watching some decades ago!

And just as I said that I took a look and saw he has since made some new series on Channel 5 in the UK, including a trip into the forbidden land of North Korea !

Michael Palin’s Around the World in 80 Days

8. An Idiot Abroad

Venturing into a little bit of Travel Comedy, An Idiot Abroad is the brainchild of the creator of the British (original) The Office, along with a few co-creators. The idea is to send someone who has almost never left their town, let alone lifestyle and send them to some very foreign destinations.

Along the way, they experience some extremely challenging destinations and situations all in the name of broadening their horizons. Karl Pilkington will never be the same again, and maybe neither will you.

You can grab Season 1 and Season 2 on Amazon.

Here is a quick Best Of from the China episode to give you a taste of the show.

9. Travel Man with Richard Ayoade

Another long-running comedy travel show from the UK, Travel Man is very short episode focused on 48 hours in various cities, mainly in Europe. Of course, now that he is on about his 10th season, he has started to venture a little further afield. Apart from his sarcasm, one of the best things about the show for me is the wacky things he (or his team) finds in every location. Not your run-of-the-mill tourist attractions.

Each episode is extremely sarcastic and accompanied by another usually British comedian, so people outside the UK may have trouble laughing or even understanding what he is saying. His accent is strong and his vocabulary is broad. You might have seen him as one of the wacky IT experts in t he IT Crowd (which you can see on Netflix ), a little like the British version of Silicon Valley, albeit filmed years before.

There are various seasons up for grabs on Amazon .

If you want to see if it’s up to your alley, here is a quick taste of Richard with some of his fellow comedians on the show.

10. Top Gear

Intended as a bit of a petrolhead’s show about cars, Top Gear has also done a significant amount of travel-related shows over the years too. From the drives down the most dangerous roads in the world to almost killing themselves in places like Switzerland. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May will show you a great time on the road and while traveling.

You can check out Season 1 here on Amazon and other seasons that follow.

11. Joanna Lumley’s Travel Series

Joanna Lumley became famous back in the 70s, but for me, she became even more famous for her role in Absolutely Fabulous. Since then, she has traveled and filmed it all for us. She has also done a “making of” series that I enjoyed. She may seem very posh and British when you first see her shows, but if you love sarcasm and comedy then just wait a bit and she will deliver!

Here is a list of her extensive travel shows you can catch on BBC or other online streaming services:

• Joanna Lumley’s Hidden Caribbean
• Joanna Lumley in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon
• Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights
• Joanna Lumley’s Japan
• Joanna Lumley: The Quest For Noah’s Ark
• Joanna Lumley’s India
• Jennifer & Joanna: Absolutely Champers

The Best Travel Shows On Netflix

Netflix is a bit of a special category in this post because they don’t have many of the more famous shows above at the moment.

12. Dark Tourist

One of the more recent and perhaps more infamous trends in travel right now is called Dark Tourism. With the recent airing of the series about Chornobyl, it seems to have accelerated even more.

One wacky New Zealand traveler, David Farrier heads to some quirky and sometimes dangerous locations in eight episodes of Dark Tourist , which sees him head to most continents. From the recent Japanese nuclear disaster to perhaps shooting a cow in Cambodia, he tries it all.

13. Street Food: Asia

If you like to combine mouth-watering food and travel, a popular past-time, then this is a recent addition to Netflix that I am currently devouring. It shows you some amazing chefs who are almost always out on the street and serving the locals with something of an obsession. From Thailand to India, you get to see it all – no-frills cooking from some of the best street food vendors in the world.

14. Tales By Light

Another show I have been checking out lately is Tales By Light , a travel and photography-based series up to season 3. It follows a famous Australian photographer all around the world, delving into the lives of the people he meets and how he experiences travel through the lens.

15. Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father

A show I have not had a chance to see, but it certainly looks like a travel comedy worth checking out. It involves a comedian and his stuffy father taking far-flung adventures to foreign lands and trying to teach each other a thing or two.

16. Somebody Feed Phil

A more modern version of a travel & food show, Somebody Feed Phil , is about exploring the places and food no one talks about. Phil is quite the quirky and loveable character, so you will either love him or loathe him. I watched half the first season and did not fall in love with it. However, given that Netflix has commissioned 6 seasons of the show, there must be a lot of people who love it.

17. Conan Without Borders

Following famous TV night show host Conan O’Brien to some adventurous destinations around the world, this is yet another travel and comedy combination you won’t want to miss. From Haiti and Cuba to K-Pop in South Korea this is as wacky as it is travel.

18. Restaurants on the Edge

“Restaurants on the Edge” is a Canadian reality TV series premiered in 2020. It showcases chef Dennis Prescott, designer Karin Bohn, and restaurateur Nick Liberato assisting struggling restaurants in scenic, remote locations like seashores, lakes, and mountains. This is a little like Gordon Ramsay’s old show Kitchen Nightmares, but more travel related.

The goal of the visits on this show is to rejuvenate these places by integrating them with the local culture. Additionally, the show offers a travel experience, with episodes featuring the experts exploring local areas, meeting artisans, and tasting authentic local foods.

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About the author roger timbrook.

Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!

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100 Best-Reviewed Documentaries of All Time

Capturing truth, life, and reality — one movie at a time. The best documentaries allow us to see the world with a fresh set of eyes, from social experiments ( Super Size Me ) to quirky competitions ( The King of Kong ) to political exposés ( Citizenfour ) to the ultimate cat video ( Kedi ).  These are the top movies of the form, with each accredited Certified Fresh from at least 100 critics reviews. Most recently, additions include The Rescue (documenting the miraculous 2018 Thai cave operation), Roadrunner (a raw portrait of Anthony Bourdain), Summer of Soul (which won the Golden Tomato Award for Best Documentary ), Flee (a moving memoir of self-discovery), Val (exploring iconic actor Kilmer’s life), Fire of Love (a cinematic vista centered on a doomed romance), The Truffle Hunters (a savory delight), and musical odysseys with David Bowie , The Velvet Underground , Billie Eilish , and Sparks . Now, we present the 100 best-reviewed documentaries, ranked by Tomatometer. — Alex Vo

Man on Wire (2008) 100%

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021) 99%

I am not your negro (2016) 99%

Fire of Love (2022) 98%

20 Feet From Stardom (2013) 99%

Life Itself (2014) 98%

Flee (2021) 98%

Inside Job (2010) 98%

Murderball (2005) 98%

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) 98%

Blackfish (2013) 99%

The Velvet Underground (2021) 98%

Kedi (2016) 98%

Jodorowsky's Dune (2013) 98%

Weiner (2016) 96%

Capturing the Friedmans (2003) 97%

Project Nim (2011) 97%

Spellbound (2002) 97%

The Truffle Hunters (2020) 97%

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) 97%

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) 97%

The Sparks Brothers (2021) 95%

Waltz With Bashir (2008) 97%

Citizenfour (2014) 96%

The Fog of War (2003) 96%

The Look of Silence (2014) 96%

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010) 96%

Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015) 96%

Restrepo (2010) 96%

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) 96%

Undefeated (2011) 96%

Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry (2021) 96%

The Rescue (2021) 96%

Amy (2015) 96%

Bowling for Columbine (2002) 95%

The Act of Killing (2012) 96%

Searching for Sugar Man (2011) 95%

The Cove (2009) 95%

Winged Migration (2001) 95%

The Queen of Versailles (2012) 95%

The Imposter (2012) 95%

West of Memphis (2012) 95%

De Palma (2015) 95%

Food, Inc. (2008) 95%

Marley (2012) 96%

In the Shadow of the Moon (2006) 95%

Gimme Danger (2016) 95%

Control Room (2004) 95%

Born Into Brothels (2004) 95%

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003) 95%

March of the Penguins (2005) 94%

Stories We Tell (2012) 95%

Touching the Void (2003) 94%

Room 237 (2012) 94%

Val (2021) 93%

Wordplay (2006) 94%

Life, Animated (2016) 94%

Tickled (2016) 94%

The Gatekeepers (2012) 94%

Encounters at the End of the World (2007) 94%

Lost in La Mancha (2002) 94%

The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003) 94%

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) 93%

Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World (2016) 92%

The Eagle Huntress (2016) 94%

Best of Enemies (2015) 93%

Senna (2010) 93%

Super Size Me (2004) 92%

Grizzly Man (2005) 92%

Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005) 92%

Tabloid (2010) 92%

Into the Abyss (2011) 92%

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) 93%

Tarnation (2003) 92%

Sicko (2007) 91%

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021) 91%

The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002) 91%

Waiting for Superman (2010) 89%

Young at Heart (2007) 90%

Moonage Daydream (2022) 92%

Shut Up and Sing (2006) 89%

Tim's Vermeer (2013) 90%

The Corporation (2003) 89%

Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006) 89%

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004) 88%

The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005) 88%

Jesus Camp (2006) 88%

The Wolfpack (2015) 87%

Shine a Light (2008) 86%

Tyson (2008) 86%

Bully (2011) 85%

Gunner Palace (2004) 86%

Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) 84%

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) 85%

The September Issue (2009) 83%

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) 82%

Inside Deep Throat (2005) 83%

The Armstrong Lie (2013) 82%

The Unknown Known (2013) 81%

Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) 81%

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The 50 Best Documentaries of All Time

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2. Exit Through the Gift Shop

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The 25 Greatest Time-Travel Movies Ever Made

It must say something, surely, about humans, how often time-travel movies are about returning to the past rather than jumping to the future. As Mark Duplass’s forlorn character says in Safety Not Guaranteed , “The mission has to do with regret.” With all the potential to explore the unknown world of the future, so often when our minds conspire to bend the rules of time it’s instead to rehash the old. It’s compelling to watch a character in a movie do what we cannot — right past wrongs or uncover the reason for or meaning behind the events in their lives, whether they be emotionally catastrophic or merely geopolitically motivated.

So absent is the future from the canon, in fact, that when it is involved, typically future dwellers are leaving their own time to come back to the present. Back to the Future Part II aside, it seems as if there’s something about going forward in time that just doesn’t track for humans. (Of course, you could argue that this is because the present-day concept of bidirectional time travel would infinitely multiply or change beyond recognition any future that may occur, but that’s a knot for another article.)

In any case, the time-travel stories deemed worthy of Hollywood budgets aren’t always straightforward in their mechanics. Some films on this list barely qualify as time-travel movies at all; others could hardly qualify as anything else. There are movies about trips through time but also ones about the bending and fracturing and muddying thereof; then there are those about, as Andy Samberg aptly puts it in Palm Springs , “one of those infinite time-loop situations you might have heard about.” There’s even a movie in which we get only 13 seconds’ worth of time travel, when it functions more like a joke whose punch line hits at the film’s climax.

What these films all do have in common is a fascination with changing the way time works. That being said, the list leaves out movies in larger, more extended franchises in which time meddling is a one-off dalliance thrown into a sequel with little by way of foreshadowing: think Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , Avengers: Endgame , and Men in Black III . (It also leaves off perhaps the Ur-time-travel movie, Primer , and the quite good Midnight in Paris because their directors don’t deserve the column inches.) We’re looking at self-contained stories using time mechanics from the start, with preference given to those that involve themselves more intently with the ins and outs of time travel; that ask questions about time, aging, memory and so forth; and that try to succeed at it in new and interesting ways. So let’s get to it.

25. Galaxy Quest (1999)

Does Galaxy Quest really count as a time-travel movie? Some compelling reasons argue that it doesn’t: Time travel isn’t a major factor in the plot, and the time traveling that does occur is, yes, only a 13-second jump. But its use of time travel is meaningful insofar as the movie itself is a loving spoof of Star Trek , which makes use of time travel in three films ( one of which made this list ), not to mention dozens of episodes across its various TV iterations. Tacking on time travel as a deus ex machina for the actors in a Star Trek– like show pressed into service as an actual space crew by an endangered alien race is the exact right amount of ribbing in a movie that’s as on point as it is hilarious.

Galaxy Quest is available to rent on Amazon .

24. Happy Death Day (2017)

Pick away at the surface of a time-loop movie and you find a horror movie. Most of the entries on this list are covered in enough feel-good spin to land as comedies, but Happy Death Day stares the horror of the time-loop phenomenon right in the face. (It’s also quite funny.) Reliving the same day over and over is an unimaginably potent form of psychological torture, and adding murder to the equation does little to dull that edge. The film follows a college-age protagonist struggling to escape from a masked slasher hell-bent on killing her again and again while she tries to solve the mystery of how she got stuck in a time loop.

Happy Death Day is available to rent on Amazon .

23. Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Seriously, this may be the only good movie in which the film’s whole focus is using a time machine to travel into the future. The fact that it’s a sequel is telling — the characters already traveled into the past in the first movie , and the filmmakers decided to save “traveling even further into the past“ for the third film in the trilogy. Still, Back to the Future Part II is a fun time that makes great use of sight gags and references, recasting scenes from the first film in the distant future year of 2015 with all its hoverboards and self-lacing Nikes.

Back to the Future Part II is available to rent on Amazon .

22. See You Yesterday (2019)

It’s a dirty little secret of time-travel movies that they tend to be, well, pretty white. Tenet ’s Protagonist aside, if Hollywood’s sending someone through time, they’re almost certainly not a Black person, and for obvious reasons: Most of post-contact North American history is deeply unfriendly to people of color, and the problems a person running around out of time and place is going to encounter are deeply compounded if they’ll likely be the target of racist abuse or violence — which makes See You Yesterday all the more compelling. Produced by Spike Lee and featuring one of filmdom’s most famous time travelers in a cameo role, it follows a Black teenage science prodigy who uses a time machine to try to save her brother from being killed by a police officer.

See You Yesterday is streaming on Netflix .

21. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

No offense to the Back to the Future franchise, but time travel never looks more fun on film than it does in the first Bill & Ted movie. It’s a concept that feels distinctly of a different era, so pure is its zaniness, that it’s hard to imagine anyone concocting it today. The titular duo, Californian high-school students in the ’80s, travel through the past looking for historical figures in order to ace a history project, then bring them all back to the present. High jinks ensue! We get Genghis Khan in a sporting-goods store and Mozart on an electric keyboard. What more could you want?

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is streaming on HBO Max .

20. Source Code (2011)

Time-travel-film aficionados know this won’t be Jake Gyllenhaal’s only stop on this list, but no matter. Source Code finds him repeating the same eight minutes over and over as he struggles to find the culprit in a train bombing — with each replay ending in his own death by explosion. For some reason, a romantic subplot is shoehorned into this, along with a bunch of frankly unnecessary technical mumbo-jumbo, but the core idea is a compelling mix of the time-loop movie and the train whodunit that Gyllenhaal is a perfect fit for.

Source Code is available to rent on Amazon .

19. 12 Monkeys (1995)

Some sort of law of nature dictates that every genuinely good idea and/or piece of true art has to at some point be turned into a Hollywood movie. Thank God La Jetée was adapted into something that can stand on its own feet artistically. 12 Monkeys may not retain its source material’s black-and-white look or stripped-down, static-image presentation, but it is a rollicking good time nonetheless. That’s in no small part due to director Terry Gilliam getting the best out of Bruce Willis and a young Brad Pitt, and recasting World War III as a planet-decimating virus. Which, like at least one other movie on this list , “speaks to the present moment,” or whatever.

12 Monkeys is available to rent on Amazon .

18. Run Lola Run (1998)

Unlike almost all of the other films on this list, the terms time travel and time machine don’t show up anywhere in Run Lola Run . Rather, it’s a sort of de facto time-loop scenario in which the protagonist tries repeatedly to pay a ransom to save her boyfriend’s life. In fact, if not for a few key details, it could easily be characterized (and often has been) as an alternate-endings movie rather than a time-travel film. But the fact that Lola seems to be learning from her past attempts with each successive one suggests that she is, indeed, using knowledge gained from previous loops to bring a satisfactory end to this situation.

Run Lola Run is available to rent on Amazon .

17. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

One of the most striking things about Groundhog Day is the mutability and replicability of its core conceit. Perhaps the best case in point is Edge of Tomorrow , sometimes known as Live. Die. Repeat. after its original tagline. It’s the kind of physically grueling movie only an actor as genuinely unhinged as Tom Cruise could pull off. A noncombatant thrust into a war against invading aliens, Cruise’s character finds himself reliving day one of combat over and over, slowly but surely refining his techniques in order to survive the extraterrestrial onslaught. Like the central twosome in the much less violent Palm Springs , he winds up with a partner in (war) crime, teaming up with the similarly time-trapped Emily Blunt, and the explanation for the replay glitch here is actually pretty satisfying.

Edge of Tomorrow is streaming on Fubo TV .

16. Star Trek (2009)

If you could create some sort of an advanced stat to measure controversy generated per unit of interesting filmmaking decisions, J.J. Abrams would have to be near the top in terms of his ability to rig up movie drama from almost nothing. This is a guy whose filmography is like Godzilla rip-off, Spielberg homage, safe reboot of cherished IP, repeat. Star Trek may be his best film, though, a sure-footed reinvention of a dorky sci-fi franchise that made it, well, cool. Somehow, the beauty of Spock and Kirk’s bromance being woven through chance encounters with future selves kind of … works?

Star Trek is available to rent on Amazon .

15. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

There’s a relative dearth of time travel in animated film, which perhaps is a function simply of the fact that it’s less impressive to stage in a world that’s already unreal. If you can Looney Tunes your way through physics, what’s so special about grabbing the flow of time and tying it into a bow? Still, the original Girl Who Leapt Through Time deserves mention here. It’s a beautiful story that interlaces the complexity of time leaping with the intensity of teenage emotion and the thorny process of growing up where the opportunity to redo things leads, over time, to growth — a less shitty Groundhog Day , in a way.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is available to rent on Amazon .

14. Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

She may not be the most famous, decorated, or emulated actress of her generation, but Aubrey Plaza is someone whose personality spoke to the irony-soaked 2010s in a way that simply could not be denied. Her character on Parks and Recreation , April Ludgate, was, by all accounts, created specifically to channel Plaza’s real-life personality to the screen, and she plays essentially the same character in Safety Not Guaranteed . Here, she’s a sarcastic intern at a magazine working on a story about a would-be time traveler and using her feminine wiles to slowly gain his trust. The chemistry between Plaza and Mark Duplass is probably the film’s high point; the subplot about the FBI feels like it was clipped out of a bad X-Files episode.

Safety Not Guaranteed is streaming on Tubi .

13. La Jetée (1962)

At only a 28-minute run time, La Jetée is arguably too short to merit inclusion on this list. However, what it lacks in content (and in, well, moving images; it’s almost exclusively a collection of static black-and-white shots set to voice-over), it more than makes up for in inventiveness and influence, and it would be a travesty to leave it out in favor of more recent by-the-book fare. Tracing the tale of a man held prisoner in post-WWIII Paris being used in time-travel experiments as his captors seek to remedy the postapocalyptic state of the world, he’s sent into both the future and the past and ends up unraveling a lifelong personal mystery while he’s at it.

La Jetée is streaming on the Criterion Channel .

12. Planet of the Apes (1968)

Unlike the worse but more straightforwardly time-traveling Tim Burton remake, the relationship between the original Planet of the Apes and time travel is inexact — technically, the astronaut crew that lands on the titular planet does travel forward 2,000 years, but it’s not done via a time machine. The travel isn’t instantaneous: It literally does take them 2,000 years to get there; they’re just unconscious and on life support. Still, the way the film’s ending handles the iconic reveal is exactly in line with the best of the time-travel canon, the telescoping, mise en abyme feeling of the world shifting in front of your very eyes without your moving an inch.

Planet of the Apes is available to rent on Amazon .

11. Groundhog Day (1993)

The famous Bill Murray vehicle essentially invented the infinite-time-loop genre (and it’s hardly a movie that succeeds on the strength of its concept alone), but the idea at its core is so steeped in the casual misogyny of late-’80s and early-’90s cinema that it’s hard to watch today without cringing. Murray’s character employing what amounts to PUA-style techniques over and over and over in a desperate bid to fuck his hapless co-worker just doesn’t hit the way it did back then. If the story arc didn’t present a guy detoxifying himself of the worst aspects of masculinity in order to be worthy of a woman’s love as the primary way for a 20th-century white man to achieve full personhood, this would be much higher on the list.

Groundhog Day is streaming on Starz .

10. Predestination (2014)

This is probably the most complicated film on the list. Following a “temporal agent” (played by Ethan Hawke) who’s trying to prevent a bombing in 1970s New York, it’s based on a Robert A. Heinlein short story and features Shiv Roy herself, Sarah Snook, in a star-making turn as someone with a complicated backstory and a secret. Like the best sci-fi, the film’s premise raises all kinds of fascinating questions about the titular concept and throws in some interesting musings on sex, gender, and the self in the process.

Predestination is streaming on Tubi .

9. Looper (2012)

Wes Anderson gets a lot of flak for his overwrought twee visuals, but Rian Johnson has a knack for making movies that feel and function like dioramas even if they don’t look it. Narratively speaking, everything here is constructed just so — and there’s a certain beauty in that — but who ever had a profound experience of art by looking at a diorama? Looper was probably Johnson’s least precious pre– Star Wars film, which is nice because the temptation to drastically overmaneuver the mechanics of a time-travel story can lead to disaster. The tech used to Bruce Willis–ify Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s face is distracting, and the third act’s retreat from the postapocalyptic city of the future to the postapocalyptic corn farm of the future is a brave choice that the film struggles to land. Still, Johnson’s vision of a future in which organized crime runs time travel is compelling and well worth a watch.

Looper is streaming on Netflix .

8. Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Darko is a bit of a genre mash-up. Part high-school movie, part sci-fi flick, part bleak meditation on the soullessness of late-’80s America, it’s nevertheless a weirdly successful piece of filmmaking that makes fantastic use of a young Jake Gyllenhaal, a great supporting cast (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, and Patrick Swayze among others), and an absolutely iconic haunting cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World.” Watching high schoolers navigate parallel universes, wormholes, and time travel is a dicey proposition, but director Richard Kelly makes it work, somehow.

Donnie Darko is streaming on HBO Max .

7. Back to the Future (1984)

While it’s clearly superior to the sequel (and leagues ahead of the final film in the trilogy), the original Back to the Future is a bit of a mess (John Mulaney was right , to be honest). Its racial and gender politics are cringey, and the incest subplot is weird (“It’s your cousin Marvin. Marvin Pornhub . You know that new plot element you’ve been looking for?”), but there’s a clear interest in time travel beyond its shimmering surface: the very real addressing of the “grandfather problem” in time travel via the slow disappearance of Marty from his family photo, the accidental invention of rock music, and a genuine curiosity about the nuts-and-bolts mechanics of time machines. Ahh, what the hell. It’s a romp.

Back to the Future is available to rent on Amazon .

6. Palm Springs (2020)

No offense to Gen-Xers and boomers, but the best time-loop movie of all time is Palm Springs . The film isn’t without its missteps, but it’s much more curious about life than Groundhog Day was through the eyes of Murray’s misanthrope. Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg‘s characters, stuck in the loop together, are a perfect comedic match, and their shared humanity makes for a beautiful arc. The film raises questions about what’s worth doing in life when nothing lasts and how to stay sane when every day is the same. Of course, as a sort of polar opposite of Tenet , it benefited from coming out during the pandemic by speaking, as it does, to the experience of lockdown.

Palm Springs is streaming on Hulu .

5. Tenet (2020)

Interstellar wasn’t enough for Chris Nolan, apparently. Tenet ’s legacy may end up being little more than that of the COVID action movie no one saw — a bloated thriller that Nolan fought to get into theaters and bar from home viewing reportedly to swell the size of his own pockets. It really did suffer from bad timing, though, because this is genuinely a quintessential big-screen popcorn movie whose absurdity is all the more palatable when it’s given the audiovisual bombast it deserves. Ambitious in scope as it traces a war on the past by the future (yes, you read that right), Tenet is as enamored of action tropes as it is in bucking them, and its investment in rendering visible the brain-bendingly knotty mechanics of moving through time is laudable, even when the movie itself remains opaque — as impenetrable as the future, as hazy as the past.

Tenet is streaming on HBO Max .

4. The Terminator (1984)

A partner to Blade Runner in the mid-’80s invention of sci-fi noir, The Terminator is a stunning film in many ways, despite the third act’s now-iffy visual effects. While it’s not James Cameron’s debut, and it would go on to be bested by its sequel , it functions as an incredible showcase for an emerging young director who would exclusively make big stories for the rest of his career. Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as the relentless, unemotional killer cyborg sent back from the future to terminate the mother of the eventual resistance leader, and the film’s romantic subplot has just the perfect amount of time-travel-induced cheesiness for it to work.

The Terminator is streaming on Amazon Prime Video .

3. Interstellar (2014)

It’s not inaccurate to say Christopher Nolan is a director who’s more interested in scale and scope than in expressing the minutiae of the human experience in its purest form. But in Interstellar, a Nolan movie in its titular ambitions, there’s a core element of time travel wrought not as sci-fi fireworks but as a paean to the sheer force and will of the power of love. It both does and doesn’t work, depending on your capacity for cheese in space, but even besides that, Nolan’s use of time as story arc — the way Miller’s planet functions, in particular — is conceptually masterful in the best kind of time-travel-movie way.

Interstellar is streaming on Paramount+ .

2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Whereas the franchise’s first movie spends more time on the question of time travel, in the second it takes a bit of a back seat to the action itself. It’s hard to fault director James Cameron for this decision; T2 remains one of the best action movies of the ’90s and — along with Jurassic Park and The Matrix — one of the decade’s best when for special effects. The groundbreaking T-1000 would honestly be enough to get this movie on the list; a tween John Connor grappling with questions of predestination and the fact that he is vicariously responsible for his own conception feel almost like icing on the time-travel cake. Much as in 12 Monkeys , time travel here is mistaken for delusion, as valiant Sarah Connor, in a Cassandra-esque nightmare, has to battle against the future only she knows is coming. Of course, Cassandra never had access to any firepower stored in underground desert arsenals.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is streaming on Netflix .

1. Arrival (2016)

It’s fair to wonder whether Arrival really is, in fact, a time-travel movie. The Ted Chiang short story it’s based on isn’t about time travel per se; rather, it’s an exploration of alternate forms of temporal understanding. The linguist protagonist, played by Amy Adams, doesn’t travel through time so much as come to experience it differently. Still, the plot ends up hinging on foreknowledge that she is granted not via visions but by actually experiencing her future simultaneously with her present and past. For our purposes, though, that’s time fuckery enough to merit inclusion, and boy howdy does the film deliver in overall quality. Partly, that’s simply a question of the source material. Chiang is arguably the most talented (and possibly the most decorated) American sci-fi writer of his generation. But the source story is not especially Hollywood friendly, and director Denis Villeneuve has adopted it lovingly, borrowing a plot device from another of Chiang’s stories, the more straightforwardly time-travel-based “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate,” in order to add some third-act blockbuster flavor. The result is a beautiful meditation on love, choice, and courage that packs art-film ethos into a genuine sci-fi blockbuster.

Arrival is streaming on Hulu and Paramount+ .

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