7 Adventurous Travel Documentaries
Documentaries are a great way to give an audience information about the world in an immersive, entertaining way. That’s what makes travel documentaries so enjoyable. Through the screen, they share the experience of travelling with the audience, who don’t always have the time or means to do it themselves. Luckily, the world is a massive cluster of differnt cultures and environments, which gives endless source material for travel documentaries. These seven documentaries are sure to take you on wild adventures around the planet from the comfort of your sofa.
Long Way Around
If you like motorbikes and travel, you’ll love Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s docuseries Long Way Around. Together, they travel the world and indulge the landscapes on their motorcycles, challenging their bikes to some of the most difficult roads. As well as being incredibly fun, McGregor and Boorman’s narration brilliantly delivers the elation of experiencing the world's cultures and nature. Long Way Around takes you on a ride around the globe from the perspective of two laid-back people, whose life-loving attitude makes for an exciting, wholesome watch.
👉 Watch Long Way Around on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Long Way Around as DVD on Amazon
Our Planet
Narrated by David Atteborough, Our Planet delivers extraordinary nature guides around the world to the comfort of our living rooms. Each episode focuses on a specific environment, from jungles to coastal seas to frozen worlds. As well as giving us information about the many species and their ecosystems around the world, Our Planet warns of the devastating effects the ever-expanding human race is inflicting on nature. Stunning shots of melting glaciers crashing into the water and walrus’ falling to their death from the cliffs of their melted habitats warn of the tragic effects of climate change in an impactful way.
👉 Watch Our Planet on Amazon Prime
Dark Tourist
Dark Tourist follows journalist David Farrier's experiences around the globe that most tourists would be too afraid to endure. We get to watch his visits to places like the radioactive site of Fukushima and the world's most extreme haunted house located in Tennessee without us having to risk cancer and torture. Along his journey, he meets quirky characters that we don’t run into in everyday life, like vampires in New Orleans, Jeffrey Dahmer enthusiasts in Milwaukee, and fundamentalist Christians preparing for armageddon with assault rifles.
Life In A day
A compilation of 80,000 clips shot in the same day from 192 people around the world, A Life In A Day serves as a time capsule for life in 2010 for future generations. It’s a unique twist to a travel documentary that gives viewers insights on how people from different places live their everyday lives. The best part about Life In A Day is that it is timeless. The documentary will stay relevant for all future generations to come as a beautiful and thorough demonstration of everyday life in the past. Even giving it a watch just over a decade later offers insights into different cultures and of how much the world has changed since then.
👉 Watch Life In A day on Amazon Prime UK
👉 Buy Life In A day as DVD on Amazon
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
If you're a foodie but also a travel buff, it’s well worth giving Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown a watch. The docuseries follows the famous chef Anthony Bourdain’s travels around the world and his exploration of the various cultural food practices. As well as delievering the wonder of the diverse cultures in the world, Parts unknown explores a variety of dishes that will seem bizarre to some and normal to others. Not all of his experiences are without hardships, like when Bourdain desperately attempts to cook a meal for a hungry crew along the Congo river.
👉 Watch Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown on Amazon Prime
Austin To Boston
If you're a fan of music and a good old American road trip, Austin To Boston would be a great add to your watchlist. Four bands - Bear’s Den, Ben Howard, The Staves, and Nathaniel Rateliff - embark on a two week tour through a 3,000 mile road trip in their volkswagens. With great old-fashioned music, the bands play at a variety of venues, from Austin’s SXSW Music Festival to small bars. Austin To Boston offers an immersive insight intto the often dreamt about life of musicians. But just like any road trip, there’s still hassles the bands need to try and overcome like cars breaking down, limited space, and poor weather.
👉 Watch Austin To Boston on Amazon Prime
Expedition Happiness
Expedition Happiness follows couple Selima and Felix as they abandon their life in Germany to explore the Americas in a 9,500 dollar school bus. They document the adventures and people they meet along the way, offering an adventure-packed insight into their travels. Many of us get the urge to abandon everything and travel, so Expedition Happiness is a great way to satisfy this urge by offering a form of escapism.
