It is crazy what’s happening around the world, and we have no alternative but to look at our past travel pictures, stare at them, and question when we will be able to set foot in these locations. But if that’s not possible, shows on Netflix inspire us to dream a little while more and be knee-deep in stories to remind us that a world is waiting to be traversed.
For those who long for learning via documentaries series or prefer a travel show, Netflix has some of the best content to keep us going.
Dark Tourist
There is a subset of tourism. However, that involves visiting places that are historically associated with death and tragedy. Journalist David Farrier focuses on that area of travel, known as dark tourism, in this docuseries. In each episode, Farrier travels to a different locale to visit destinations and have experiences that wouldn’t be on most vacationers’ bucket lists.
He sets himself in a death-worshipping cult in Mexico, sees tourists soaking up radiation left behind in Fukushima, meets vampires in New Orleans, and travels to the most-nuked place on Earth for atomic swimming and fishing.
With this documentary’s growth and the number of museums that highlight the length and breadth of human suffering in different ways, Dark Tourism has become a popular term and a tourist attraction. For that reason, it is worth a watch.
Street Food
From the creators of Chef’s Table comes a new mouth-watering documentary series that honors street food’s local heroes in Thailand, India, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam.
It will make you hungry for more as you imagine yourself travelling through all these countries savouring the best Asian delights.
Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father
The show follows the Brit comedian as he finishes the gap year he began in 2009 and cut short. Only this time, his travel companion is his unadventurous father, Michael. They travel to odd locations and events in an attempt to strengthen their bond.
The two set off on a journey across South East Asia to partake in a series of adventures, mishaps, and escapades with two very different perspectives. This calls for a fun, non-serious take on travels with a parent, especially one who is flexible but moody at times. We probably can relate to every bit that Jack goes through as he crisscrosses traffic in some of the world’s most populated countries.
Tales By Light
Behind every powerful image is a powerful story. Uniting exploration, photography, and the natural world, Tales By Light follows photographers from Australia and around the world as they push their craft limits.
Tales by Light is an insight into what it takes to capture images that tell powerful stories. Pictures and stories have always moved me, and if anything, this documentary inspires me to find that power to use my camera in a way to capture disappearing words.
The Kindness Diaries
In The Kindness Diaries, Leon Logothetis hits the road again in search of more compassion from strangers. This is an uplifting social experiment that examines the nature of generosity and gives glimpses into the hearts of some genuinely selfless people. It gives one real hope in a world where greed is often revered as a virtue and caring as a liability.
This also demonstrates why traveling puts you in a situation where you’re more likely to receive care and kindness than violence as you travel to the deep ends of the world.