You can’t go on holiday so you’ll have to do with these 7 Netflix travel series instead

Sorry for rubbing it in

4 years ago

If we’re not even allowed to leave our front door for non-essential trips, we sure aren’t going to be jetting off anytime soon on our usual trips around the world at this time of year. It sucks, I know, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is called Netflix. You can’t do it yourself, but you can most certainly watch other people do it and plan for a day when you can, right?!

So, grab your spade and your speedos, whip out your “to do” list and find a comfy spot, because we’re going to quench that sense of escapism that you’re craving right now with a list of 7 of the best offerings that Netflix has to make you feel like you need not leave the comfort of your home (for now, at least):

Somebody Feed Phil

Let’s get one thing out of the way straight up. Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Ramond and figurehead of the show, is a Marmite bloke. Absolutely lovely, bumbling and tremendously easygoing with everyone that he happens upon, but strange – so his presenting style won’t be for everyone.

But do not fear, because for every dad joke that is pounded into your face, is served a beautiful plate of food that you will wish certainly was, across some of the most farfetched corners of the world. Every episode shows a new location, and now that the third season has just been released, that makes 17 different gastronomical hotspots for you to add to your bucket list. It’s hard not to get a serious sense of wanderlust after watching Phil eat his way through the globe, and you’ll rightly feel envious.

Dark Tourist

Okay, not your usual holiday, unless the darker side of things tickles your fancy (like literally paying to be scared out of your skin for fun). Expect tours of nuclear ruins with Geiger counters in hand, bizarre museums that feature memorabilia associated with some of the most deplorable acts of violence in human history and discussions with serial killer fanatics that visit spots where murders have taken place, openly defending and romanticising the actions of people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson.

Presenter David Farrier is the love child of Louis Theroux and classic Vice, ensuring that this series is not only a travel documentary but an in-depth study into why people pursue dark experiences across the globe that aim to disgust, frighten and cast a light on the evil in this world. It’s brutal, it’s somewhat disturbing (without being too gory) and it’s a fantastic insight into a side of tourism that few people think to indulge in. 11/10.

The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes

Okay okay, I know it’s not necessarily a travel show, but The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes certainly takes us across the globe as it seeks to cast a light onto how the other side live with the biggest and most beautiful homes across the world. If this isn’t going to make you want to travel the world, it’s certainly going to make you want to build your own home.

The presenters have all of the snobbish musings of Kevin McCloud of Grand Designs fame turned up to eleven, but that’s absolutely okay, not only because they’re professionals in architecture but because the properties are so impressive that they’d turn anyone into a babbling mess. They tour a bond villa in the middle of the desert, there’s some houses that show the utterly ingenuitive ways that people make living work in the busiest American cities and, oh! There’s LOTS of big swimming pools.

Conan Without Borders

It’s one of the great injustices in this world that Conan Without Borders isn’t discussed more in popular discussion as one of the all-time great comedy series on Netflix.

You know Conan O’Brien for his talk show in the US, right? Not only is he gifted with a sense of humour that is completely universal, but he is lucky enough to also be able to travel around the world and visit places that we’d never be able to tread foot in. For example, a particularly memorable episode sees him visit the border between North and South Korea, where he jokes around with the staff and brings a smile to all of their faces. A must watch.

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

The next in the series of “famous people eating food” comes Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, and it really is just excellent. Following the usual tropes of the travel series, Bourdain goes around exploring diverse and interesting communities and cultures that are much different from our own, learning and eating to excess as he does so. If you fancy yourself a bit of a foody, then this one is for you.

Bourdain unfortunately died by suicide whilst filming an episode of the program in Strasbourg, but his legacy lives on through his informative approach and presenting style that very clearly oozed a passion and love for culinary excellence.

“You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind” – Anthony Bourdain

White Lines

I take back what I said about Phil being a Marmite bloke earlier, because Netflix has never made anything more deserving of that title than White Lines. I even wrote a whole piece about how terrible it is. However, that is simply my opinion, and there are many people that think completely opposite – I couldn’t in good conscience put Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father on this list now, could I?

Although obviously not mentioned in the aforementioned article, I will say one singular thing in support of it, and that is that the locations in this series are enough to whisk anyone away to wistful memories of summertimes spent in their favourite European haunts, no matter how woeful the storyline and acting is (in my opinion, as I said). There are too many different opinions knocking about to not give this series a go, so please go for it (and let me know when you inevitably hate it).

Street Food

Is there any better basis for a travel show? Nothing, and I repeat NOTHING, is more universal than our collective love of food as humans. Just imagine a travel show in which they only did tours of museums? Or exclusively went to theme parks to review the rides? That sounds kind of cool actually…

ANYWAY, if you see any series on Netflix based around rollercoasters then let my lawyers know, but in the meantime, you must watch Street Food. Take the coolest cities in the world, add the explorative element of their diverse and delicious street food, and you get a wet lap (from DROOL) and a hankering for your nearest takeaway. Whether it’s Thai food carts or curries from India, it’s torturous to watch on an empty stomach.