Archive: Travel on TV and Video
At Europe Through the Back Door, we of course recommend the "Rick Steves' Travels in Europe" public TV show. But there's lots more travel on TV and video. What other educational travel shows are worth recommending? And which movies set in Europe are best for whetting a traveler's appetite?
My local cable provider doesn't carry the Travel Channel, but Lonely Planet
videocassettes are available at my public library, and these witty, informative,
and well-produced programs are a total delight. I turn to them when I
want to armchair travel to places I'm not likely to see for myself (Greenland
for instance) or just want a good dose of good-humored commentary (Ian
is always fun to follow). I could do without the requisite shot or two
of some animal being killed for food/adventure/sacrifice, but other than
that, I'm hooked.
Tom T. <email>
Los Angeles, CA USA 12/09/99
I love the Lonely Planet series on the Travel Channel. The 3 hosts
have an obvious passion for travel to exotic places. They're the kind of
people you'd love to travel with. They plunge right in to the culture, and
the camera work and music give the viewer a sense of involvement I've never
experienced in a travel show before. Each show covers a country or two (much
like the Lonely Planet guidebooks). They're often about the more exotic
destinations (Asia, Middle East, etc.) but many are about "tamer" spots
like Europe and the U.S. They aren't necessarily filled with practical tips,
as are Rick Steves' videos, but they convey a passion for the places they
visit that makes you want to hop the next flight.
Jim
CO USA 12/09/99
Whatever happened to the Discovery Channel series, "Travellers,"
with a group of 20- and 30-somethings, hitting the main tourist attractions
in a city, then doing culture sidebars, including off-the-wall diversions.
Great show. Of course, Rick, your show is still tops.
Jennifer <email>
USA 10/13/99
An unexpected source of visual images of Europe is the "Joy of Music" show,
found on many religious stations and featuring the music of Diane Bish.
She has managed to find her way to the organ bench in some of the most famous
churches in Europe, and her shows frequently consist of vignettes of her
at the keys that fade to scenery of the churches, towns and countryside
in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, and Scandinavia as well.
The show is not at all "preachy," and non-Christians should enjoy it if
they enjoy great scenery and classical organ music. I included a couple
of the places she has played on my recent itinerary, and was not disappointed.
Russ <email>
Galt, CA USA 09/07/99
One film that, for me, encapsulated romantic notions of the "Old World", along with good doses of history, psychology, philosophy, and especially ethics, is "The Razor's Edge." There are two versions, one with Tyrone Power, and the other with Bill Murray (yes, the comedian, but this established him as a credible actor in my book).
The story follows Larry Darrell from pre-WWI suburban Chicago, to the front in France, where he stays and eschews a life of comfort that has been planned out for him. He journeys to India and Tibet to study with the lamas. He works in a coal mine in northern England, and as a fishmonger in Les Halles in Paris, and has a lasting effect on other people.
I'd read the book by Somerset Maugham and think that both films do a
very good job of staying true to the book, perhaps Murray's version a
bit more so. To me, as a seeker, the journey is the reward.
John Glasscock <email>
Bloomington, IN USA 03/08/99
Make sure to rent a few movies related to your destination before you go.
I usually pick European-made films since most American celluloid visions
of Europe are of the park-bench-in-front-of-the-Eiffel-tower, clog-clad-tulip-farmer-by-the-windmill
selection. My two favorites are Fellini's Roma (also check out La Dolce
Vita) and Jean de Florette (an absolute must-see for visitors to Provence).
Andrew <email>
USA 03/05/99
We have also just started getting the Travel Channel. I stop
everything to watch Rick Steves' Travels in Europe on Saturdays at 12 p.m.
I only wish they offered it more than once a week.
Gary & Marjorie Arp <email>
Waverly, IA USA 02/06/99
The Travel Channel is awesome. I especially like the Lonely Planet,
especially the ones with Ian. He is wacky and the places he goes are amazing.
Anna <email>
Kenosha, WI USA 01/30/99
Destination Images is a wonderful company that has produced a video
on Germany and Austria. They also have one on France, Amsterdam and Holland.
They are presently doing a video on Italy which should be finished in the
spring. The videos give you ideas on how to plan your own trip. Our first
trip to Germany was based on their video and it worked wonderfully. We pretty
much followed their video and the trip was even better than we thought it
would be. After we returned home, we have watched this video many times
to relive what we saw.
Lynda <email>
Mountain Home, AR USA 01/21/99
I totally agree with A. St. Maurice- the Travel Channel is THE BEST! Not
only does it show ETBD (sometimes even has weekend-long marathons!) but
it also has Lonely Planet and a bunch of British shows such as Holiday that
are really great.
K. Utan <email>
Arlington, VA USA 01/07/99
Canon is sponsoring a series on ESPN called "Canon Photo Safari." It
is a 30-minute show concerning travel photography. Each week, a different
location is visited. Last week was Tical in Guatemala, this week Thailand.
Here in North Carolina it is on at 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays.
dan woodlief <email>
durham, nc USA 12/02/98
The Travel Channel is absolutely the best source for travel shows on
American TV. It features shows like Lonely Planet, Condé Nast Traveler's
Amazing Destinations (although the magazine is extremely stuffy, the show
is good), Travel Daily, and, of course, Rick Steves, which is on Saturdays,
with two episodes. We have satellite dish, so I'm not sure if most cable
providers are getting it. But if you don't, go to their website and find
the number to call to ask your cable place to get it. Really an excellent
channel.
Andrew<email>
Plover, WI USA 12/01/98
There is a really cute show here in England called the Diceman. The
two guys on the half hour show travel by the roll of the dice. I've lived
in the UK for only 3 months so I find the show interesting to see the
different parts of Britain. It comes on in London at 14:30 M-F on the
Home and Leisure channel which changes to Discovery (on my cable) later
in the day. It's a fun concept for traveling. I thought the dice concept
could work well at times when travelling with a group. No fights about
where to go, just let the dice or a flip of a coin decide what sites you'll
see in an area. The website for the show is www.diceman.co.uk and has
listings of the different places visited.
Lenore <email>
London, UK 11/29/98