If you’re into travel, then you’re probably into travel TV shows. Which hosts make the top 10? Here are my favorites:
10. Rick Steves. He’s got that awkward uncle vibe going, but his shows and books are chock-full of useful information about Europe and beyond. His support of NORML definitely gives him more street cred with the PBS crowd.
9. Karl Pilkington. An Idiot Abroad is brilliant. For the life of me, I can’t figure out if his dislike of travel is an act.
8. Ewan McGregor/Charley Boorman. You don’t have to be motorcycle obsessed like our very own Bots to enjoy the duo’s epic motorcycle journeys Long Way Round and Long Way Down. They are the ultimate buddy movies and the backdrops are unreal.
7. Michael Wood. His In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great
6. Andrew Zimmern. He certainly gets credit for the unique locales and the open-mindedness to try new and weird things. But the writing on his show, Bizarre Foods, is just terrible. He is a smart and insightful guy, but you can’t really tell by watching his show.
5. Grub Smith. This Englishman’s short-lived series Travel Sick was the predecessor to Bizarre Foods and has the frivolity and locker room humor of Dave Attell’s Insomniac. Smith is truly an underrated talent.
4. (Tied) Ian Wright and Simon Reeve. Ian is the best of the Globe Trekker hosts. He never takes himself too seriously but his shows are serious. Reeve is a relative newcomer and has the potential to be the next Michael Palin.
3. Dave Attell. Attell became my favorite comic after I watched his Insomniac series. The show’s premise– anonymous comic stays up all night– was ruined by the very success of the show. Everyone recognized Attell from his show and the magic was gone. But when he was a relative unknown, he explored the dark, the depressing, and the mundane with wit and a bit of irreverent compassion.
2. Tony Bourdain. He’s about as good as it gets. His complex, neurotic, anti-establishment turned semi-sellout persona is clearly exhibited in every episode. His ability to verbally and poetically share his ideas and experiences with the viewer is uncanny.
1. Michael Palin. The king of travel shows. I’ve never been a fan of Monty Python, but Palin truly shines in his second career as a travel presenter. The way he interacts with the locals is charming. His ability to share his experience through the camera lens with just body language and facial expressions is unequaled. And the sheer insanity and length of his journeys are the envy of any hard-core traveler. His earlier works (Full Circle, Pole to Pole, Around the World in 80 Days) are admittedly better than his more recent works (Sahara, Himalayas, New Europe).
Image source: Maxichamp
