Best Travel Shows to Watch on Netflix or On Demand

Last Updated on September 8, 2023

Living through a time when everyone is pushing to work more, produce more, and get better at the daily grind, while the economy keeps pulling us back, traveling seems like a luxury. For many people, the yearning for wanderlust has been murdered by the constant need of budgeting. Although this is soul-crushing for most but losing hope is not the answer. Now, with the best travel shows, you can enjoy the true virtual travel experience in the comfort of your home. These shows offer you the opportunity to roam around the Egyptian steers by night and get back to the office in the morning.

More TV channels and online streaming sites are pushing for personalized human experiences via travel shows. From renowned journalists, comedians, and correspondents, these shows allow the viewer to enjoy traveling from a different perspective.

To catch the best shows, stream them, download or even enjoy them on the go, you need cable TV that offers the freedom to choose. With over 220 channels and multiple online built-in streaming sites, Optimum TV will be the best companion in your quest to explore the world.

Travel shows are no longer boring and lengthy with robotic voice-over compilations; they are now niche specific so, you get to choose the show based on your preference.

From taking you to the root of traditions to helping you explore details, these shows will offer you a unique perspective of the world.

Table of Contents

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Average Runtime: 42 min

What is it about? The famous American chef embarks on the journey of fun, travel, and food to know about the best part of the world and what makes them stand out.

Available on: HBO Max and Discovery+

Correspondent: Anthony Bourdain

Mixing the passion for food with the taste of exploring new things, this show will take you on a ride to experience traveling like never before. Parts Unknown, offers a unique take on authentic food experiences. Exploring tastes in the most controversial yet culturally rich places, this show is a tribute to the strange places and the countries misunderstood.

A very authentic first-hand food experience in places like Congo, Libya, and Myanmar. As a food lover, this is a show that offers very blunt commentary on taste. In case you are planning to travel to these places, the show will offer you an understanding of taste so, you will know what to eat.

Ugly Delicious

Average Runtime: 50 min

What is it about? Award-winning chef, David Chang, travels the world and meets artists, writers, and famous chefs from each country to enjoy the authentic food experience while exploring the culture

Available on: Netflix

Correspondent: David Chang

Food is the only way to bring people close, but sometimes food might bring people to dispute. This show is a perfect mix of both, offering a very authentic picture of flavor bombs from around the world. Hosted by the Award-winning chef, David Chang, this is not your average show where the host complements everything.

A little raw, maybe too much for some, but one thing is for sure, it is realistic.

From a viewer’s point of view, it is the perfect food guide to offer you a very accurate review of the flavors around the world. Soaked in spices, and drenched in flavors, Ugly Delicious should be on the list of every foodie.

Dark Tourist

Average Runtime: 40 min

What is it about? A Kiwi journalist with a passion for traveling explores the deepest, darkest, and most gruesome secrets of famous tourist destination

Available on: Netflix

Correspondent: David Farrier

Tourism can be fun and games, but it can also be gloomy sometimes. Revisiting the most gruesome, gut-wrenching, and horrific incidents in history by exploring their location, this show is an introduction to the dark side of history. From the Japanese nuclear disaster to the genocide in Rwanda, the correspondent will take you to the worst places on earth.

Hauntingly exhilarating and flawlessly captured, Dark Tourist is no child’s play. Might not be light, and refreshing but the show will defiantly keep you awake for a few nights.

Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father

Average Runtime: 30 min

What is it about? A fun-loving comedian open to new ideas explores things with his grumpy old journalist dad, making jokes, boding and pushing boundaries

Available on: Netflix

Correspondents: Jack Whitehall and Michael Whitehall

What happens when a celebrated journalist and his famous comedian son embark on the journey to discover the best and worst of the world? From seeking authentic experiences to enjoying the best food, they experience the world just like a family would. Light, refreshing, and painfully relatable, this series will remind you of every awkward family vacation.

The best part of this series is the iconic British banter with dark humor, some irony, and enough sarcasm to last for a lifetime. If you are missing your family, or you need a reason not to miss them, this show is a perfect example for both.

Sacred Wonders

Average Runtime: 59 min

What is it about? English actress, Sue Perkins, gets to explore religions, faith, spirituality, and the connection to the divine as she discovers the best places to pray in the world

Available on: iPlayer

Correspondent: Sue Perkins

In the world of islamophobia, Antisemitism, and growing Anti-Christian sentiment, a journalist tries to explore what lies beyond the naked eye, and away from the cameras. Getting to the root of events and locations that are good enough to offer spiritual awakening, she tries to relate to the people on the other side.

Beating the odds, reaching the truth, and exploring the spiritual side of the capitalistic curse, this series might not make you religious, but it can surely poke you to think better. Focusing on the driving power behind religion and, the wiliness to push boundaries when it comes to protecting their truth. From renovating mosques in Mali to people risking their lives for fulfilling religious norms, this is a story of exploring the idea of worship and places of worship.

The history of travel series runs half a century old, however, these travel series lack human perspective, which makes them boring. These shows have brought a very fresh perspective that will keep the audience hooked.