As the second wave of international lockdowns continues due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many are seeking ways to scratch that travel itch that has been festering itself on that small section of our backs. As a result of personally being grounded, I have found the best way to satisfy my wanderlust is by planning out my future trips, and as a result, my bookshelf, and my Netflix queues, have evolved to reflect this. While travel blogs are another perfect way to get some travel kicks with the plethora of options available, in this post I am going to suggest my favourite travel shows, books, and magazines that I use to satisfy my travel urges from the comfort of my couch.
Tv Shows
departures.
Following the adventures of three Canadian guys as they travel around the world over the course of three years, Departures is my all-time favourite travel resource. While most travel docu-series focus primarily on purely informational content, Departures is able to capture the joys of travel itself. While the fun-loving hosts provide statistical information of their destinations, the true pleasure of watching this show is seeing them organically experience each episode’s country. Whether it be road-tripping across Cambodia with a group of locals and stopping at a local bar to celebrate a large birthday party to signing up for a professional fight in Thailand, watching the two hosts explore a country is the truest embodiment of backpacking that I have seen out of a television show, and in doing so always offers me inspiration in planning my next trips.
Rogue Trip
The newest father-son travel series sees the familiar face of American television journalist, Bob Woodruff, and his son Mack, as they journey to the less-traveled corners of the world. As a fan of getting off the beaten path myself, the duo’s choices of destinations in Columbia, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Ukraine, were able to offer travel inspirations unique from the plethora of travel series that can be found on all streaming platforms. As having studied journalism for two years in university, I found this show particularly interesting in the way Bob Woodruff interacts with the locals to fully understand each destination and inspires me to incorporate Woodruff’s inquisitiveness with the fun-loving nature of Justin and Scott from the Departures series above in my travels.
Down to Earth with Zac Efron
Powered by Zac Efron’s Hollywood fame, this show relies more on his television personality for its entertainment. Joined by his life mentor Darin Olien, the pair travel around the world while exploring new healthy and sustainable ways to live life. While watching the pair interact with an obvious aloofness in the subjects of which they are interviewing can be a bit off-putting at times, the subjects themselves can be rather interesting. While reviewers online have given this show a negative review as they have deemed many of the episodes as spouting pseudoscience rather than anything informative, I think these reviewers have missed the point of travel docu-series altogether. While traveling it is important to stay open-minded to new cultures and ideas altogether, including those things that we ourselves may deem as pseudo, and in this regard, I believe this show does a good job of demonstrating the collection of new ideas and concepts that comes with travel.
National Geographic: Wild, and Lost Cities series
Just about anything National Geographic is perfect for getting your taste of adventure from home. Still, two of my personal favourite shows that can be found on the Disney+ streaming service are the Wild series, exploring the natural sides of exotic destinations, and the Lost Cities series, following explorer Albert Lin as he uses modern archaeological technology to explore the remnants of the past. Between these two series, National Geographic can take us on an adventure from the jungles of the Congo, Hawaii, and Sri Lanka, to the ancient cities of Micronesia, Jordan, and the Knight Templars.
Books
10 Years a Nomad: A Traveller’s Journey Home by Matt Kepnes
I first discovered Matt Kepnes’ travel blog, Nomadic Matt, when I was planning out my first trip back in 2015, and it has since become one of my go-to spots for planning all of my trips. In his new novel, “10 Years a Nomad,” Matt tells the story of the ten years he spent on the road. From quitting his job to travel full time to developing his location independent income as one of the, if not the, most successful travel blogger out there, the book details all the obstacles, both personal and business, that Matt has experienced over his extended amount of time traveling. While not necessarily a unique story of quitting his job to travel, it is still a pretty rare thing to be done, and this book is perfect for rekindling one’s wanderlust.
Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson
If you truly want to transport yourself to the throws and woes of travel, then Bill Bryson is the read for you. In Neither Here Nor There, Bryson retraces his European backpacking trip from the ’70s in the modern-day while using his humorous writing form to bring the reader on the adventure with him each step of the way. Starting early on with his experience on an extended overnight bus ride, with all sorts of odd characters working their way on his nerves, Bryson’s stories of his trip are found to be super relatable to travelers, making it easy for us to place ourselves next to him on that bus, while still just melting into our living room couches.
The Irresponsible Traveller: Tales of Scrapes and Narrow Escapes by Michael Palin, Rolf Potts, and Tim Cahill
Much like Bryson’s novels, The Irresponsible Traveller has a collection of stories from various figures in the traveling world that tells the stories of the struggle that goes into the act of travel to produce those glamorous tv shows, magazine articles, and Instagram posts. Like most of the shows or books featured in this article, The Irresponsible Traveller tells relatable stories that better emulate the physical experience of travel, making it easy to lose yourself in the adventures of its pages.
Bonus: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Unlike the rest of the stories featured in this article, “The Count of Monte Cristo” is a fictional narrative that doesn’t overtly emphasize travel itself. However, as my favourite novel, and with the main character of Edmund Dantes being the exotic citizen of the world, living outside of the French society of which the novel is set, and a character of whom it is impossible not to dream to emulate, I include it in this post as it always leaves me thirsting for the location independence enjoyed by the titular character.
Magazines
Ultimate Road Trips
With our normal methods of travel currently on hold throughout the Pandemic, the most feasible mode of travel is via road trips, and the new Ultimate Road Trips magazine is the perfect place to find inspiration and begin planning your next adventure. With over 60 routes spanning all six continents, excluding Antarctica, this magazine will help you find epic drives no matter where your travels are bringing you. While many of the featured routes have worked their way onto my to-do list, current international travel restrictions keep me confined within Canada’s borders. However, Ultimate Road Trips Magazine still offers a solution with the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia, where I will likely be found this summer if border restrictions don’t lighten up.
Centennial Travel-The World’s Most Amazing Places
While there is nothing particularly unique about this publication, Centennial Travel’s The World’s Most Amazing Places issues are a perfect place to find travel inspirations for destinations that aren’t necessarily on the traditional tourist trail. In their 2020 issue, they offer destinations across six different categories; “Nature Havens,” which brings you from the polar regions of Norway to a Grand Canyon doppelgänger in Brazil; “Historic Hideaways” to be discovered in every corner of the world; “Mysterious Monuments” to ogle over; “City Surprises” that will bring you through the more hidden corners of popular metropolis destinations such as Sydney, Paris, and Buenos Aires; and “Hidden Hotels,” found on the side of a cliff or frozen into the landscape of Sweden.
Lonely Planet- Dream Trips 2020
Lonely Planet is a hallmark in the trip planning industry, and their 2020 issue of their Dream Trips publication is a perfect place to begin. Bringing you from the jungles of Uganda to the Island life of the British Virgin Islands, be ready to add a page to that bucket list because they offer a plethora of potential destinations. The only caveat with this magazine is that Lonely Planet did not put a whole lot of thought towards budget travellers when putting this magazine together. Even a single one of these ‘dream trips’ would be pretty costly against the rest of your travel plans if you were to follow all the suggestions offered in terms of accommodations and meals.
National Geographic- 100 Journeys of a Lifetime
Again, I’m sure you can’t go wrong with anything National Geographic. Along with the Destinations show I have mentioned at the top, this magazine has been a favourite for satisfying my travel bug while stuck at home. While the layout and style are similar to the centennial travel magazine, I think the destinations they detail in this one make it more appealing to my personal preferences. As the title indicates, the magazine features 100 destinations, organized into five categories; the “Water” category will bring you everywhere on the water, from a cruise between Washington and Alaska, trips down the Amazon river and to island destinations in Greece; “Road and Rails” feature destinations with epic drives or train adventures through amazing landscapes; under “Wilderness,” you will find inspirations from beautiful hikes up towering mountains, to diving deep into tropical seas; for the foodies out there, the “Food and Drink” section is perfect for outlining the best street markets, the finest restaurants, and must-visit wineries; the “History and Culture” section offers inspiration for trips that delve into the arts and histories of the world.