5 Travel Shows to Binge This Christmas

 There’s travel optimism on the horizon. So if you’re wondering how to release your wanderlust next year, there are some incredible travel shows to help inspire you. And with a quieter Christmas on the agenda than usual, you might find you’ve got time to fill with some armchair travels. Here’s our pick of some of the best…

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown 

 Follow in the footsteps of late American chef, Anthony Bourdain, as he travels the world. In season 4, episode 5, watch as he wanders a labyrinth market in Hue, Vietnam, slurping soups and noodles and marvelling at the flavours. As he perches on a plastic stool to devour Vietnamese street food, washed down with a local beer, scooters toot and weave behind him. It evokes a typical scene of Vietnamese life that’ll have you craving the sights and flavours of Vietnam and itching to join the throngs of scooters through the streets. Step forward Pho, Fun & Sun in Vietnam, a 10-day journey with plenty of opportunities to try the rich, fresh, healthy and flavoursome foods in Hue that Anthony raves about. If you’ve not caught the series before, it’ll come as happy news to hear that there are 12 seasons on Netflix to see you through Christmas and beyond.

Down to Earth with Zac Efron

Also on Netflix, join Zac Efron as he crisscrosses the globe looking for health and sustainability innovations as he goes. In episode 3, he visits Costa Rican eco-lodges, tastes cacao and native fruits, meets herbalists and locals, and delves into jungles. If the sight of Zac flying through the trees on a zipline has you hankering for your own Tarzan experience, try Rainforest & Restful Retreats in Costa Rica.  It’s a trip that takes you deep into Rincon de la Vieja to zipline, rappel, climb and swing through the trees to your heart’s content. Perhaps you’ll even return home as contemplative as Zac.

Long Way Up

 Switch over to Apple TV to watch Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride through South and Central America on electric Harley-Davidsons. On Long Way Up, they venture from southern Patagonia northwards. By episode 11, they’ve reached Mexico. As Ewan and Charley take a hot air balloon over an ancient temple, it’ll whet your appetite to discover more about Mexico’s fascinating civilisations for yourself. Over 8-days on our Secrets & Civilisations in Mexico trip, you’ll uncover Mayan marvels including the world-famous Chichen Itza.

Street Food: Asia

 Back over on Netflix, Street Food: Asia will have you drooling (and frankly, wanting food that isn’t turkey and mince pies). If the promise of Delhi’s chaat and nilhari in episode 3 stirs a longing for your own Indian adventure, our Bazaars & Backwaters in India trip fully immerses you. It starts in Delhi, with ample opportunity to sample the food. During your time in the city, you’ll be guided by ex-street children and visit a Sikh temple to eat alongside some of Dehli’s poorest citizens. More foodie experiences await later in the trip when you take a street food tour of Jaipur and visit a spice plantation in southern India.

Travel Man: 48 Hours In…

 If Richard Ayoade’s Travel Man has passed you by, perhaps the Christmas break will give you enough time to catch up on all 39 episodes on Channel 4’s catch-up service, All4. In the series, he hones the art of a weekend break. In the Marrakech episode, Stephen Mangan joins Richard to weave the city streets searching for a (somewhat dubious) feast. At Exodus Edits, we’ve upped the ante and made a minibreak to Morocco easier, more palatable, and more challenging too – you’ll climb Mount Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains for a weekend like no other.