These shows will get you off the couch and into interesting places of the world now that borders are open again.
Explore the world from the comfort of your own home while planning your trip by watching one of these travel-themed series set in different places.
1.Long Way Up
Actor Ewan McGregor has been in the travel show business for 16 years, believe it or not. Long Way Round, a 2004 series, following McGregor and his buddy Charley Boorman on a motorcycle journey from London to New York City via Europe, Asia—and then, after a flight to Alaska, Canada, and the United States. Long Way Down, released in 2007, transported the team from Scotland to South Africa on motorcycles for the second time.
They've now turned their bikes (electric this time) to South and Central America, with the most recent iteration tracking the two for 13,000 miles from Ushuaia, Argentina, on the continent's southernmost tip, to Los Angeles. Hijinks, hazards, and breathtaking beauty are all on display, as is customary.
Although neither of the previous shows are presently accessible to stream in the United States (though they are available on Apple TV+ in the United Kingdom), Long Way Up is an Apple TV+ original that is available to all.
Watch on: Apple TV
2. Bridgerton
Bridgerton is an incredible show with spectacular costumes and lovely settings that is now in its second season.
If you're one of the few people who hasn't seen Bridgerton (apparently, it's Netflix's most successful series ever) and you miss the United Kingdom, it's time to watch Shonda Rhimes' soapy, steamy Regency-era drama, which reimagines the time as one in which equality reigns: Black and white people coexist as equals, and the Queen is Black.
It revolves around Daphne Bridgerton, a debutante, and Simon Basset, the reluctant Duke of Hastings. The Bridgerton family house, Ranger's House in Greenwich, London; promenades in Bath's green parks and Royal Crescent; and receptions at Wilton House near Salisbury as the Duke's country mansion are among the scenic British settings.
Watch on: Netflix
3. Planet Earth and Planet Earth II
The wait between the premiere of Planet Earth, a breakthrough natural history show hosted by Sir David Attenborough, and its sequel, Planet Earth II, was ten years long, but it was well worth it. Smooth-coated otters in Southeast Asia, Tibetan foxes, severely endangered Ethiopian ibex, and blue whales, among many others, are featured in the first season, which focuses on a specific biome and the flora and wildlife that reside there in each episode.
Part II, however, contains two of our favorite episodes. In the sixth episode, high-definition cameras travel to cities to demonstrate how leopards in Mumbai, monkeys in Jodhpur, and catfish in southern France coexist with humans in what may be nature television's most heart-racing episode.
Watch on: amazon.com
4. Travel Man
If you've seen Anthony Bourdain's film The Layover, you'll recognize the premise of British comic Richard Ayoade's Travel Man. Over the course of 48 hours, the show follows the comic and mostly English celebrity friends as they travel around locations such as Helsinki, Miami, and Hong Kong.
Start with Ayoade's journey to Paris with original GBBO host Mel Giedroyc or the season two episode in Copenhagen with current host Noel Fielding if you're a fan of the show. Paul Rudd in Helsinki and Chris O'Dowd from Bridesmaids in Vienna are two other familiar faces.
Watch on: Hulu
5. Street Food
This show, created by the same people that brought you Chef's Table, takes you out of the kitchen and onto the streets for a tour of some of the world's best street food and snacks.
The first season of the show is set in Asia, and it travels to nine different nations to meet the people behind the food, including Jay Fai of Bangkok's Raan Jay Fai, a Michelin-starred street stall offering tom yum soup, and Truoc of Ho Chi Minh City, who sells a variety of snail meals.
The second season, which debuted on Netflix in July, focuses on Latin America, with trips at Doa Vale's in Oaxaca for memelas and chef Pato Rodriguez's Las Chicas de las Tres food stand in Buenos Aires.
Watch on: Netflix
We can't all be on the road every day of the year, but that doesn't mean we can't travel. We have the world at our fingertips thanks to some of the best travel shows available on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, with episodes ranging from marketplaces in Mexico to hawker stalls in Singapore to the deepest regions of the Arctic, and back to BBQ spots in Charleston.