Top Travel Shows That Inspire You to Explore the World Differently

If you’ve ever watched a travel show and suddenly felt the itch to pack your bag and disappear into the unknown, you’re not alone. The best travel shows don’t just highlight destinations—they shift how you think. They introduce you to stories, people, and moments that stay with you long after the credits roll. These top travel shows go beyond glossy cinematography and staged itineraries. They’re about curiosity, emotion, transformation, and what it really means to move through the world. If you’re ready to travel from your screen and come away changed, this list is where you start.

1. Parts Unknown – With Anthony Bourdain

Parts Unknown redefined what travel television could be. It wasn’t a food show. It wasn’t just about travel. It was about people and power, struggle and survival, beauty and contradiction. Anthony Bourdain took you to Lebanon, Congo, Iran, Detroit, Myanmar—not to show you tourist attractions, but to sit down at tables and talk about life. He honored voices that often go unheard. You felt his humility. His anger. His wonder. And most of all, his respect.

• Best episodes: Hanoi (Vietnam), Beirut (Lebanon), West Virginia (USA), Congo (DRC)
• Watch it for: The writing, the honesty, the perspective. It doesn’t tell you what to think—it invites you to see.

2. Somebody Feed Phil – With Phil Rosenthal

If Bourdain felt like sitting with a poet-philosopher, Somebody Feed Phil feels like tagging along with your endlessly curious, awkwardly charming uncle. Phil Rosenthal isn’t trying to look cool—he’s just delighted to be anywhere. Whether he’s eating deep-fried ants in Mexico City or getting emotional over soup in Tel Aviv, he makes you feel like travel is about joy, connection, and laughter. His show is disarming. You learn about places because you want to know what makes people smile there.

• Best episodes: Lisbon, Cape Town, Seoul, Tel Aviv
• Watch it for: The warmth, the humor, and the way food becomes a bridge between strangers.

3. The Kindness Diaries – With Leon Logothetis

This isn’t a luxury travel show. The Kindness Diaries is raw, emotional, and idealistic—in the best way. Leon travels the world relying solely on kindness. He doesn’t use money, credit cards, or hotel bookings. Along the way, he meets people who give him food, shelter, and compassion—and he gives back in powerful ways. This series reminds you that you don’t need to be rich to be generous, and that the best parts of travel often come from human connection, not five-star hotels.

• Standout scenes: Rebuilding homes in Cambodia, donating motorbikes in Vietnam
• Watch it for: Restoring your faith in people and rediscovering the emotional power of travel.

4. Street Food – From the Creators of Chef’s Table

In Street Food, the spotlight shifts from restaurants to the street vendors who nourish cities with heart and history. These are stories of survival, resilience, and cultural preservation. Whether it’s a grandmother making soup in Thailand or a couple running a tamale cart in Oaxaca, each episode goes deep. You don’t just see what they cook—you see why it matters, and how it holds a community together.

• Regions featured: Southeast Asia, Latin America, Japan, South Korea, India
• Watch it for: The stunning visuals and powerful backstories. It’s food storytelling at its most human.

5. Dark Tourist – With David Farrier

Dark Tourist is about the side of tourism that most people don’t talk about—nuclear zones, war sites, voodoo ceremonies, and death tourism. David Farrier explores these places with a mix of curiosity and caution. It’s uncomfortable at times, but that’s what makes it valuable. You learn about why people are drawn to danger, grief, and myth. You explore the ethics of tourism itself. It’s not always pretty—but it’s always thought-provoking.

• Unforgettable stops: Fukushima exclusion zone, Kazakhstan nuclear ruins, Mexican Santa Muerte rituals
• Watch it for: A totally different angle on travel and how we seek meaning in the macabre.

6. Long Way Round / Long Way Down – With Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

If you’ve ever dreamed of road-tripping around the world, this is your show. In Long Way Round and its sequels, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride motorcycles across continents—dealing with breakdowns, border delays, and weather disasters. But you also see generosity from strangers, small moments in remote villages, and reflections on friendship, masculinity, and vulnerability. It’s grand adventure grounded in human moments.

• Top routes: London to New York (via Europe, Asia, and Alaska), Scotland to Cape Town
• Watch it for: The blend of epic scale and emotional depth. You’ll want to ride—even if you’ve never touched a bike.

7. Travel Man – With Richard Ayoade

Travel Man turns travel into a fast, funny experiment. Richard Ayoade explores major cities in just 48 hours, often with an equally awkward celebrity guest. It’s not about depth—it’s about irony, tight itineraries, and unexpected commentary. The charm lies in his discomfort. He resists cliché, questions everything, and somehow still makes each destination appealing.

• Best cities: Barcelona, Marrakesh, Istanbul, St. Petersburg
• Watch it for: Smart humor, quirky tips, and a refreshing alternative to romanticized travel shows.

8. Tales by Light – Visual Storytelling at Its Finest

Tales by Light follows photographers and filmmakers on spiritual journeys through culture, wildlife, and landscape. The series doesn’t rush. It lets you breathe with the images, and feel the depth of each shot. You see the patience behind one perfect frame. From the Arctic to the Amazon, it reminds you that there are still sacred places—and stories—that deserve reverence.

• Top episodes: Indigenous rites in Papua New Guinea, wildlife photography in Kenya
• Watch it for: The quiet awe. And the reminder that how you look is just as important as where.

9. Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father

Travel doesn’t always bring people closer. Sometimes it highlights every difference. That’s what makes Travels with My Father so honest. Jack Whitehall and his conservative dad take road trips through Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S.—bickering, bonding, and fumbling through foreign customs. It’s awkward. It’s hilarious. And it feels surprisingly real.

• Memorable moments: Jack’s dad on a zipline, cultural faux pas in Cambodia, heartwarming dinners in Europe
• Watch it for: The laughs—and the unexpected depth in a father-son dynamic under stress.

10. An Idiot Abroad – With Karl Pilkington

Sometimes travel doesn’t transform—it frustrates. That’s what An Idiot Abroad captures. Karl Pilkington is sent around the world by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who delight in his discomfort. He complains, resists, and misses the point—until, unexpectedly, he doesn’t. And that’s where the real brilliance lies. You see how travel pushes even the most unwilling mind to expand, just a little.

• Strangest stops: India’s toilets, African tribes, Peru’s Inca trail
• Watch it for: Relatability. Because sometimes travel isn’t magical—it’s messy. And that’s okay too.

What These Travel Shows Actually Teach You

You don’t just watch these shows for the landscapes. You watch them for the people, the stories, the unexpected detours. They show you that travel isn’t about perfect plans or polished itineraries. It’s about being present, asking better questions, and letting the world change you in small, irreversible ways.

So next time you’re looking for inspiration, don’t just search for where to go. Ask yourself how you want to feel—and then pick the travel show that helps you get there.