{"id":44076,"date":"2020-05-06T14:39:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T21:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/?p=44076"},"modified":"2025-08-22T18:50:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T01:50:19","slug":"travel-documentaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/travel-documentaries\/","title":{"rendered":"12 OF THE BEST TRAVEL DOCUMENTARIES"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wondering how you can travel from home without stepping outside your front door? Then look no further than this list of the best travel documentaries and TV shows that will whisk you from your armchair to another country!<\/p>\n

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1) The Long Way Round<\/h2>\n

Two men taking motorcycles from London on a journey east all the way around the world might not sound that appealing but trust me, this is one of the best travel series I have ever seen!<\/p>\n

Long time friends Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman spend several months planning this epic journey around the world. The Long Way Round<\/a> journey begins in London and ends in New York – the longest route around the world – and takes you through Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia<\/a> right round to Alaska<\/a> and more. <\/p>\n

A film crew follows them but is always around a day behind and generally only meets them at border crossings, so you see the real good, bad and ugly of travel by motorbike through some harsh but beautiful landscapes.<\/p>\n

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2) The Long Way Down<\/h2>\n

Not satisfied with their journey around the world, Ewan and Charlie return for another motorcycle adventure taking the Long Way Down<\/a>, starting from the tip of Scotland<\/a> John O’Groats to the southernmost point in Africa, Cape Agulhas. <\/p>\n

The 15,000-mile bike adventure is an even harder challenge than the previous with extreme temperatures and harsh climate to deal with. But as with the Long Way Round, McGregor and Boorman are hilarious and honest making this series an absolute must watch!<\/p>\n

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3) The Kindness Diaries<\/h2>\n

In this series, we follow Leon Logothetis as he travels the world on the kindness of strangers. In the first series, Leon travels from LA through the US, Europe and Asia – hitting countries including Italy, Croatia, Greece<\/a>, Turkey<\/a>, India<\/a>, Cambodia<\/a>, Thailand and Vietnam<\/a>, travelling by vintage motorbike with no money in his pockets. Leon relies on the kindness of strangers to give him food and a place to stay each night. <\/p>\n

The Kindness Diaries Series 2<\/a> repeats the same idea, but instead Leon travels from Alaska, through the US down into South America in a vintage VW Beetle. <\/p>\n

This show demonstrates the kind hearts of strangers as Leon meets hundreds of people who help him and have also dedicated their lives to helping others. <\/p>\n

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4) Street Food<\/h2>\n

Available on Netflix, this 9 part documentary takes you to a different street market in Asia in each 30-minute episode. If you like to travel for food, then this series is for you! <\/p>\n

Discover the delicacies on offer in Bangkok, Osaka, Delhi, Yogyakarta, Chiayi, Seoul<\/a>, Ho Chi Minh City<\/a>, Singapore<\/a> and Cebu. Each episode comes with a story of the people who make the food, including a Bangkok<\/a> chef who has a Michelin-star after spending decades making crab omelets and the obsession with chicken rice of the hawkers of Singapore. <\/p>\n

5) Anything By David Attenborough<\/h2>\n

But seriously, any documentary by David Attenborough is worth watching and he has created several that are country and destination-specific, including ones in The Galapagos<\/a>, Africa<\/a> and Tasmania.<\/a><\/p>\n

I personally loved watching Galapagos<\/a> before my trip to the islands to get to learn about the history and emergence of these islands off the coast of Ecuador. <\/p>\n

Once you have made your way through the destination-specific documentaries you can watch Attenborough’s more general documentaries, including Big Pacific<\/a>, Seven Worlds One Planet<\/a>, and Wild North<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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6) Around The Next Bend<\/h2>\n

This 12 part documentary follows two young adventurers as they go on a 2,500 km rafting expedition along the famous Ganges river in India. <\/p>\n

Around The Next Bend shows you the colourful, beautiful and often challenging side of India. The two expeditions raft past the Taj Mahal, through Varanasi, through Nepal<\/a> and into Bangladesh. <\/p>\n

7) March of The Penguins <\/h2>\n

Who doesn’t want to spend an hour or two watching penguins making their way through Antarctica to the dulcet tones of narrator Morgan Freeman? <\/p>\n

March of the Penguins<\/a> is a classic docu-movie set in Antarctica<\/a>, following the emperor penguins as they go on a quest to find the perfect mate and to start a family.  <\/p>\n

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8) Figure It Out: On The Hayduke Trail <\/h2>\n

This series documents a thru-hike on one of America’s most challenging routes, The Hayduke Trail<\/a>. The journey is 800 miles through Southern Utah<\/a> and Northern Arizona. <\/p>\n

If you enjoy hiking or magnificent scenery then you will love following this trail as each episode takes you to a new part of the route, covering places such as Arches National Park, Moab, Escalante, The Wave, the Grand Canyon, Zion and Colorado<\/a> City. <\/p>\n

The documentary also explores how we can use the lessons that are learned whilst out in the wilderness to improve our day to day lives. <\/p>\n

9) Salt Of The Earth<\/h2>\n

Salt Of The Earth<\/a> is an Oscar-nominated 2014 documentary about the life and work of Brazilian photo-journalist Sebasti\u00e3o Salgado. Salgado spent 40 years documenting groups of people in remote corners of South America, Africa and Central Europe. <\/p>\n

The documentary sees Salgado talk about the stories behind the photographs and whilst sometimes difficult to watch it is a fascinating look into some areas of the world we may not ever explore ourselves. <\/p>\n

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10) Free Solo<\/h2>\n

Free Solo<\/a> is the story of solo climber Alex Hannold climbing 3,200 ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park with no ropes. Winner of the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary, this is a heart pounding story of one man’s obsession to do what has never been done before.<\/p>\n

The documentary will keep you on the edge of your seat, with amazing footage and heart stopping moments as you watch Alex’s attempt to climb El Capitan completely solo, sans ropes and all.<\/p>\n

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11) Expedition Happiness<\/h2>\n

Follow the journey of Felix Starck and his girlfriend Mogli as they adventure through North America in a refurbished school bus.<\/p>\n

Starck is famous for the documentary Pedal The World, where he goes on an 18,000-kilometer journey by bicycle through 22 countries. Arguably Pedal The World is the better of the two documentaries, with Expedition Happiness<\/a> a nice idea and an easy watch, but a little light on culture or interesting activities. <\/p>\n

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12) Anthony Bourdain: A Cooks Tour<\/h2>\n

In this series, famous food writer and presenter Anthony Bourdain travels the world indulging his passion for trying local cuisines. Along the way, Bourdain meets several eccentric characters bringing life to this docu-series.<\/p>\n

Discover foods from the Caribbean, New Orleans, Brazil, Minneapolis, New York<\/a>, Hanoi<\/a>, Singapore, Melbourne<\/a> and more in series 1 of A Cooks Tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Other Recommended Travel Documentaries<\/h2>\n