The other option to feed your wanderlust spirit is to watch adventurous and travel documentaries as an option to feel refreshed. Therefore, Awesome Traveler prepared them for you to enjoy and get inspired during your free time.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, people became more and more interested in travel documentaries. Even if you come home from a long day of work, and you miss traveling.
No problem, live the moment and accede beyond your expectations, explore and wander using your imagination.
Whether you are a travel blogger, a world traveler, or someone who enjoys wanderlust across the universe. This is made for you. They will inspire you to travel more often.
I divided them into 4 categories: Adventure, Food, Nature, and culture and tradition documentaries series. You can choose to watch based on your preferences and likes.
Let’s Begin With The List Of The Best Travel Documentaries:
Adventures Travel Documentaries:
1- National Park Adventures:
Robert Redford narrates National Parks Adventure as he takes you on a tour and shows you the most exotic national adventurous parks in the USA. Seize the moment to live life to the fullness through the screen and get the most out of your relaxing time.
Do you miss traveling?
No problem, take the tour of the historic sites and untamed wilderness of America’s greatest parks. I papered for you the trailer to watch, and below that is the link for the full documentary.
By the way, you can also find the National Parks Adventure documentary on Netflix:
2- Maidentrip (2013):
Maidentrip documentary is about a 13-year-old Dutch girl who sails the world alone. Laura Dekker became the youngest person, to sail alone. She has been preparing for the trip since she was 8 years old.
When she turned 13, she decided now was a good time to go. She faced some challenges and fought 8 months in court to make that happen. The whole trip took about 17 months.
3- Pedal The World (2015) An Adventure Around The World With A Bike:
Pedal the World: An Adventure Around the World with a Bike is a story about a traveler called Flex who biked around 18000 Km. He visited 22 countries for 365 days.
You can join his journey and discover new places for yourself to enjoy and get inspired by his accomplishments.
He did not have the guts to do it, but he had it all on him. His story hopefully will inspire you to travel around the world and achieve your dream.
4- Dark Tourist:
Dark Tourist is perfect for those who like the thrill of facing danger. It is not like any adventure. Dark Tourist is a living and dies adventure.
David Farrier is not like any other world traveler, instead, he took the journey to risk his own life and visit the most bizarre and dangerous places on Earth.
This journey made him feel more alive and happier as he has been forced out of his comfort zone.
You can find the full documentary on Netflix.
5- Touching The Void:
Touching the Void is a documentary about two young men from North England. They challenged themselves to climb a 21,000-foot mountain called Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes.
Joe Simpson and Simon Yates did not receive any help from helicopters or proper equipment and were able to reach the top in 3 days.
However, on the way down, to Simpson Falls they experienced blizzard weather. He shuttered his leg. They finally made it down and experienced the most challenging moment of their life. It is an inspirational story for you to look at and enjoy.
Food Travel Documentaries:
6- Street Food: Experiencing Street Food Culture (2019)
It is commonly known that to experience the food of a certain culture, street food is a better option than eating in a restaurant. This documentary shows what it is like to eat street food rather than eating in a restaurant.
You may ask why street food is a better option.
Well, the reason why is because street food is more like homemade food.
Note: you can find this video on Netflix.
7- Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (Food):
Jiro’s dreams of Sochi are at a tiny Sushi bar in Tokyo. Jiro is known to be the world’s greatest sushi master chef. To this day, he is thriving to be the best as if he is not.
The full documentary with an English subtitle: Jiro Dreams Of Sushi
8- Chef’s Table (2017):
Chef’s Table is a live series inside of six different international kitchens. Where owned by the greatest chiefs known to mankind. Chef’s Table episodes focus on one chief at a time. Some of them might be familiar to you that may include:
- Featuring Ben Shewry (Attica Restaurant in Melbourne, Australia).
- Magnus Nilsson (F-Viken in J_pen Sweden, Francis).
- El Restaurante Patagonia Sur in Buenos Aires, Argentina).
- Niki Nakayama (N/Naka Restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, USA).
- Dan Barber (Blue Hill Restaurant at Stone Barns and in New York City, USA).
- Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy).
9- Ugly Delicious:
Ugly Delicious by David Cheng is a fusion of food cultures that are made into one. In every series, he shows a new dish from a different culture.
Unlike the name, the food shown is delicious and appealing. It is a mixture of traveling and cooking.
In every episode, he shows one dish and how it is prepared in many different regions. It also reveals its origin and how it evolved over the years.
10- Cooked (Netflix):
In Cooked (Netflix), Michael Pollan focuses on the evolution of food and how the four elements, fire, air, earth, and water involve making our food better in terms of taste, look, and aroma.
Not only that, but it also illustrates how science, culture, and flavors determine the food we serve today.
Culture And Traditions Travel Documentaries:
11- Village At The End Of The World (2012):
From the name, a village at the end of the world, you can tell that this village is separated from civilization. The village does not have internet, restaurant, and motels. It beholds only 59 residents and 100 slay dogs.
It is located in Niaqornat in northwest Greenland. Lars explains how lonely it is to be the only teenager in the city. No more spoilers, it is a fascinating story for you to check out.
12- Goshen: Places Of Refuges For The Running People:
In Goshen, the running never stops. People run all day every day and eat very healthily. It is a place for Refugees who eat plant-based diets and active runners, and thus they have a healthy lifestyle.
They do not have cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and many other commonly known diseases.
This documentary aims to encourage the lifestyle of Goshen and hope other people adopt and take an example of the running people.
Goshen Trailer: Documentary featuring the Tarahumara
13- Last Train Home:
Last Train Home is a documentary about an immigrant Chinese couple who are going home for the New Year holidays.
It speaks to the behavior of other 130 million Chinese immigrant workers who do the same every year to unite with their families.
This documentary aims to show the hardworking Chinese society and the importance of the New Year’s celebration to them.
14- God Grew Tired Of Us:
God Grew Tired of Us is a true story of African boys who left their country seeking a better life. They left their country because of war, and they survived the impossible.
They survived lion attacks, booms, and hangers. Once they finally made it to the USA, they found themselves in a new culture and different life.
They have never experienced electricity and modern life. God Grew Tired of the US is an inspiring story for every world Traveler out there.
From it, we can learn that it is true being on a journey of self-discovery can be filled with traveling to new places.
15- Nanook Of The North:
Nanook of the North is a documentary by Peter Urpeth and Mark Hewins. It is a story about the life of the indigenous Inuit people in Canada’s Northern Quebec region.
It illustrates how they survive the cold, harsh environment from building homes and hunting. Nanook of the North Documentary also shows the beautiful side of the North’s frozen landscape.
Nature And Beauty Travel Documentaries:
16- Dream Philippines – A Travel Documentary By Tabeer Tourism:
The Philippines is a perfect getaway for you to be surrounded by nature and enjoy a unique ecosystem. It has a great biodiversity of animals and plants.
The Philippines can be the place of your dreams because there are so many lush beaches, mountains, rainforests, islands, and diving spots.
Tabeer Tourism prepared for you a video that shows you the beauty of the Philippines. If nature is your cup of tea, then the Philippines can be the dream you are looking for, so watch the video. I promise you will be preparing for your next trip after.
17- The Beauty Of Sierra Leone Tourist Board Documentary:
If you want the taste of paradise, then Sierra Leone is the perfect place, to begin with. Its beauty and nature are breathtaking. It has amazing beaches, rainforests, and
Mountains. You can just lie down and enjoy listening to the calming sea. You will need time to venture across Sierra Leone and see its beauty.
The Tourist Board documentary helps you plan your trip and show you why Sierra Leone should be your next destination.
18- Virunga National Park (2014):
This documentary shows the life and biodiversity of Virunga National Park. It covers the story of brave people who risk their lives for a better feature of Virunga National Park and the eastern side of Congo.
It is famous for the existence of mountain gorillas and other unique animals. It is another paradise to explore and enjoy the love and presence of the gorilla and other animals.
19- Andes: The Kingdom Of The Sky (2019):
You should check out the Kingdom of the Sky in this TV series. Andes and its extraordinary wildlife: endless opportunities to discover, and the fun never ends.
The Andes has the highest mountain tips for those who thrill claiming the mountains. Behind the mountain lays the world’s driest desert.
Travelers all over the world are impressed to see the kingdom of the sky and enjoy swimming in the salt lakes.
20- The Trader (Sovdagari):
The trader, Sovdagari, is an interesting story of a town that uses Potatoes as money. For instance, the T-shirt cost about 5 kilograms of potatoes. The story is unusual and makes you thankful for what you have.
It clearly illustrates that there are people who had it worse than us. The trader, Sovdagari, is highly inspirational and I recommend you to the time and watch it.
Conclusion:
I hope you enjoyed watching those travel documentaries. If you have not yet, I do not know what you are waiting for. Those travel documentary series can ignite your wanderlust spirit, so make sure to watch them.
I would love to hear your thoughts about what you already watched or would like to watch. Tell us about other documentaries that you have watched and not mentioned in the list.
You can also watch our list of the best travel movies of all time.
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