By Mark W, February 29, 2008 at 08:43 PM

Unfortunately, I can't afford to travel all the time. It would certainly be nice to be able to take off for several months, lazily making my way through the French countryside or sitting at a beer garden in Munich, enjoying conversation with some of the locals. But while we're wasting away at our day jobs, there's always television to take us on a journey.

Everyone is aware that travel is big business. In the US there is even an entire channel dedicated to travel (although I'm not sure what World Poker Tour has to do with travel and not just broadcasting the latest fads). And nobody would be surprised that there are a wide variety of travel shows to account for anyone's tastes. I'll talk about five shows that I enjoy the most.

Rick Steves' Europe

Rick Steves has been in the travel business for over twenty years. He has authored many books and runs a tour company. In a bit of "if you've got it, promote it" you'll hear many references to both of those on his show, especially hotels and tour guides he uses on his tours. Given that, he does encourage travelers to delve deeper into European society to truly experience the cultures away from the typical tourist locations. I've never been on one of his tours, so I can't comment about how much of that belief is translated into the tours.

The show was produced for the Oregon Public Broadcasting station and you can still catch some of the 70 episodes on your local PBS station. I've seen most of them (but didn't keep count) with the help of my DVR. Rick's show persona reflects his travel belief as easy going, laid back. He relays the excitement of travel as being more then seeing the major sites. Given that, the show does tend to focus on what I'll refer to as second tier tourist sites. Rick will briefly visit the Eiffel Tower (and who doesn't on a trip to Paris) but will spend more time visiting museums and churches. With what I suspect is part of producing for a PBS affiliate, the show does have a noticeable educational edge to it. It is most noticeable when he delves into the meaning of paintings.

At least some of the episodes of Rick Steves' Europe (and Smart Travels, next) were filmed in High Definition. In the US you can see both of these shows on HDNet and trust me, they look fantastic in HD.

On The Web

Smart Travels: Europe with Rudy Maxa

As I mentioned, this show was completely filmed in HD (I'm not sure how many of Rick Steves' episodes were originally filmed in HD). Rudy Maxa is a consumer travel expert, per Wikipedia. He has contributed to travel magazines and formally hosted The Savvy Traveler on NPR. As far as I can tell, the only thing Rudy Maxa pitches are DVDs of the show, and not during the actual show (Funny that I'm educated in marketing and still don't like subtle pitches). He does however, tend to mention hotels and restaurants on the show, which gives a feeling of paid promotion (or at least comp stay/meals). And it's not that mentioning where you stay is a bad thing, but just the way it's mentioned, described and filmed that gives that feeling.

If I were to compare Rudy Maxa to Rick Steves, Rudy would be more "upscale" then Rick Steves. Rick shows you where and how to enjoy Europe spending as little as possible. Rudy is about enjoying Europe, especially if you have a Public Broadcasting station paying your way. Rick wears modest clothes, Rudy is more pressed. Rick stays at more family run places, Rudy at more upscale/modern hotels. Rick sometimes has either his producer or his family (mostly earlier episodes) on the show, Rudy often travels with his "friend." (I think everyone assumes they're dating, I wonder if they're still dating, but I'll leave that to tabloids to talk about.) Rudy has had his daughter and son on the show a couple of times as well.

Rudy as well mostly focuses on second-tier tourist spots. When the shows overlap in locations, it's a great way to contrast them. As I discussed, Steve is about traveling Europe "through the back door." But his shows don't seem to have the feel of what I would do if I went to Europe independently (as compared to being part of a tour group). Rudy Maxa, in contrast, shows what it would be like traveling to Europe as an individual. I can see myself and a "friend" doing exactly what Rudy does in the show. And damn, renting a boat and casually cruising along a French river for a week looks very cool.

On The Web

Passport to Europe, Great Hotels, etc.

Samantha Brown hosts Passport to Europe which aired on The Travel Channel. I'm a bias towards this program because a) she's damn cute (+), b) she's my age (+), but c) she's married (-) and d) I had a near encounter with her (-) which I'll talk about in a paragraph or two. Passport to Europe was not Samantha's first television show. That was Great Hotels in which she travelled mostly across the US showcasing places to stay and visit. BTW, more often then not, "Great" in the title equals cha-ching.

In Passport to Europe (to keep the comparison with the above three), the show weaved in a little more humor then Rick and Rudy. Samantha tended to have the wide-eyed excitement new travelers have when visiting a country for the first time. It is a refreshing difference from either of the other two shows that are well versed in the areas they've visiting. Whereas Rick talks about crossing roads in Naples by tagging along right behind a local, Samantha dares to cross on her own narrowly getting missed by cars (I've done this in Rome, its fun!) and celebrates on the opposite curve.

Samantha is more likely to show first tier sites as well as some second tier ones. In a node to her previous show, she also talks about the hotels she stays in, which gives me a feeling of paid promotion (well, TV production is expensive these days, I guess). She also talks with locals in a more natural feeling, where both Rick and Rudy have a more scripted feel to them.

If you want a fun thing to compare between these three shows, watch how the three of them drink on their shows. For example, I get the feeling that Rick Steves is not an alcohol drinker by preference. When he's tasting wine for example, it's the smallest sip and he's agreeing how good it tastes with his guest. I mean, it's an unnaturally small sip. Rudy on the other hand obviously enjoys wine and takes normal drinks from the wine. His meals tend to be more elaborate along with the wine. Samantha while she tends to be seen drinking wine at upscale restaurants, can be seen enjoying a beer like the rest of us (well, the rest of some of us). I'm reminded of the scene from Munich where she got 4 liters of beer to show the different kinds available and jokes about drinking all of them.

And while I'm on the subject, beer in Munich is fantastic.

Beyond Europe, Samantha Brown has done Passport to Latin America and several specials including (per wikipedia) an upcoming three part Passport to China to precede the Olympics.

Okay, my near encounter with her: In my current job, I teach a science program for school kids. A few weeks ago, I was training new facilitators for the program and we were transitioning to a different area. I remember seeing a guy in front of me with a large video camera walking along and thinking, "That's a big camera." I stopped on a bridge to talk about part of the program and point out a couple of things. Behind me, the guy with the camera stopped and talked with several people. I glanced at the people as we walked on to our next stop. There, one of the trainees was like, "Did you see Samantha Brown?" I was, to say the least, heart broken I didn't get to see her in person. Of course, as an employee, I wouldn't have been able to talk to her, but it would have been cool to have seen her.

On The Web

1,000 Places To See Before You Die

In 2006, the Travel Channel had a contest to pick a couple of people for a new TV Show. They ended up picking Albin and Melanie Ulle from Colorado to put their lives on hold for a couple of months and travel around the world. This show was also filmed in HD and can be seen in repeats on the Discovery HD channel.

I'm not sure in what order the series was filmed in as compared to televised order, but early in the series Melanie is clearly not that comfortable with the travel (or the constant camera). She comes off as very closed and uncomfortable. As the series progressed, she becomes more open and seems to be enjoying the time more. Her level of comfortability also changes depending on where she's at, obviously enjoying more western like countries more. The show would have been more enjoyable if she had a more excited personality during all of the season, but this is a good point to be aware of when you're traveling. Most people who have never travelled and make their first trip to India, South America or Pacific Rim countries are going to experience some serious cultural shock.

When I'm working with my school groups and I need them to gather around so I can say things to them, I often joke that they need to get "European close, not American close." Europeans have smaller personal spaces. If you're in India or Egypt, for example, plan on leaving your personal space in the hotel room. Or, as the phrase I learned on my European trips goes: "Just because it's different, doesn't mean it's wrong."

Beyond Melanie's comfort level the show was beautifully shot and visited more diverse locations across the globe then the first three shows have done. There are obvious product placements and the Ulle's have some unique experiences that the average traveller will never have (the Parisian dinner with the restaurant owner comes to mind). The series obviously didn't show 1000 places during it's one year run and I haven't heard if a second series (with either the same couple or a new couple) is planned. It would be nice to see a new series with additional locations.

On The Web

Feasting on Asphalt

First, I love Good Eats. Perhaps it's the little bit of scientist in me, but as a food show goes, I think Good Eats is tops. Which is interesting, because Alton Brown wasn't originally trained as a chef. He originally worked in video production when he and his wife decided that they didn't like the way current food shows were produced. One problem, neither of them was trained in cooking. So Alton went to culinary school. In the process, in order to understand the underlying process of cooking, he also studied sciences and merged both of them into what Good Eats is today.

But this is about travel and a lot of travel involves food and Feasting on Asphalt had two season where Alton Brown and crew ride motorcycles along a route experiencing the unique and varied American food. Season one was from South Carolina to California whereas season two was up the Mississippi River. Both seasons featured Alton and crew stopping in places to find the best regional food sometimes trying several different places based on suggestions from locals. Season one is famous for Alton having an accident on his bike injuring a clavicle which was shown on the final show (he couldn't ride the rest of the show).

What I love about the show is that it's a mix of scripted (telling people some of the history of the region they stop in) and unscripted (talking with locals) action. The show's format was more accessible and enjoyable then fully scripted shows in the way impromptu moments occurred. From the hilarious scene of Alton trying a pickled pigs feet in South Carolina to a street side dinner in New Orleans and quizzing locals about what was wrong with the tea (it wasn't sweet tea as is preferred in the south).

Unfortunately, Food Network appears to not have any plans on re-airing the episodes of either season, but you can get a taste of the show with a little YouTube action and if you look hard enough probably in the usual locations (Yes, by that I mean go by the DVD's from Food Networks store! What were you thinking?).

On The Web

Wrapping It Up

Looking over this list, my taste in travel shows is certainly as diverse as the locations visited by the hosts. Got a favorite show you watch? Share it with us in the comments below. I'd love to hear what you think of these shows and others.