There is something about a well-made travel documentary that hits differently than just scrolling through Instagram photos of far-off places. When you sit down and watch someone journey through the streets of Marrakech, hike along a remote trail in Patagonia, or eat their way through Tokyo at midnight, you feel it. Not just the wanderlust, but the realness of it. The people, the noise, the flavors — all of it comes through the screen in a way that a photo cannot do.
Travel documentaries have grown into a genre of their own over the years, and the variety is remarkable. Whether you are someone who loves slow, cinematic storytelling or someone who prefers something with a bit more energy and humor, there is something out there for you. This piece walks you through some of the best travel shows and films that are worth your time, whether you are actively planning a trip or just dreaming from your couch.
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Why Travel Documentaries Actually Matter
Before jumping into the travel documentaries list, it is worth talking about why these films and shows carry so much weight. At their core, good travel documentaries are not just entertainment. They are educated. They introduce you to cultures you may never encounter in person, they challenge assumptions you did not even know you had, and they often shine a light on places the mainstream tourism industry tends to overlook.
For many people, a documentary is the reason they booked a trip. Someone watched a film about a tiny coastal village in Portugal and decided they needed to see it for themselves. That kind of influence is real. Travel films and recommendations like these shape how people think about the world, and the best ones do it without being preachy or overly staged.
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
If you have not watched Parts Unknown yet, this is where you start. The show ran on CNN from 2013 to 2018 and took viewers to places like the Congo, Libya, Myanmar, and lesser-known corners of New York and Los Angeles. What set it apart from most travel shows on television was Bourdain’s refusal to sugarcoat things. He sat with locals, ate what they ate, and had honest conversations about politics, grief, history, and food — all at the same table.
It sits high on almost every wanderlust documentary’s list for a reason. The storytelling is cinematic, the narration is sharp, and the show has genuine emotional depth. Even episodes filmed in places you thought you knew will leave you feeling like you have been somewhere new. Parts Unknown is available across multiple streaming platforms and remains one of the most influential travel shows ever made.
The Long Way Round and The Long Way Down
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman are riding motorcycles from London to New York — going east, through Europe, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia, then across to Alaska, down through Canada, and into New York. That is the premise of The Long Way Round, filmed in 2004, and it is still one of the most genuinely gripping road trip documentaries you will find anywhere.
The follow-up, The Long Way Down, takes the same duo from John o’ Groats in Scotland all the way down through Africa to Cape Town. Both series made it onto best travel shows lists the moment they aired and have stayed there. What makes them work is the honest friendship between the two, the breakdowns (literal and mechanical), and the way they connect with communities along the way. It never feels like a polished travel ad. It feels like a real journey with real problems.
Wild China
Wild China is a BBC series that aired in 2008 and has aged beautifully. It covers China’s natural environments — from the frozen north to the tropical south, from the deserts of the northwest to the subtropical forests of Yunnan. The cinematography is stunning, and the series does something important: it presents China not as a monolithic entity but as a country of extraordinary regional diversity.
For anyone interested in tourism documentaries that go beyond the typical highlights, Wild China is an essential watch. It spends time with ethnic minorities, remote communities, and ecosystems that most international visitors never see. It is a slow, patient series that rewards attention.
Down to Earth with Zac Efron
Released by Netflix in 2020, Down to Earth with Zac Efron is not a deeply intellectual travel series, but it earns its place on any best travel shows Netflix list because of how genuinely curious it is. Efron and wellness expert Darin Olien travel to countries like Iceland, France, Puerto Rico, and Peru to look at sustainable practices — how communities generate clean energy, manage water, and approach food differently from the mainstream.
What keeps it from feeling like a lecture is Efron’s clear enthusiasm. He is not an expert, and he does not pretend to be. He asks basic questions, gets excited about things like geothermal pools in Iceland, and makes the content accessible without dumbing it down. It sits in an interesting space between a wellness documentary and a travel show, and it works better than you might expect.
Baraka and Samsara
These two films by Ron Fricke are in a category of their own. Baraka (1992) and Samsara (2011) are non-narrative films — meaning there is no host, no voiceover, no interviews. They are pure visual experiences, shot on 70mm film across dozens of countries and edited to draw connections between human beings, nature, ritual, industry, and time.
Baraka takes you to sacred sites, cities, and natural wonders across 24 countries. Samsara expands on that, going even further into the contrast between beauty and destruction in the modern world. Both films consistently appear in wanderlust documentaries‘ recommendations because they do something rare: they make you feel the scale of the planet. They are best watched on the largest screen you can find, in a dark room, with no distractions.
Street Food (Asia, Latin America, USA)
David Gelb — the same director behind Jiro Dreams of Sushi — produced the Street Food series for Netflix, and it is one of the most human travel-and-food documentary series available right now. Each episode focuses on a single street food vendor in a city across Asia, Latin America, or the United States, and tells their personal story alongside the story of the food they make.
The Asia season alone takes you through Bangkok, Osaka, Delhi, Singapore, Chiang Mai, and more. Every episode is only about 30 minutes long, but the storytelling is so dense and warm that each one feels complete. For a travel documentaries list focused on food and human stories, Street Food is among the most emotionally satisfying things currently streaming.
FAQs
What is the best travel documentary for someone who has never watched one before?
Parts Unknown is probably the safest starting point. It is accessible, emotionally engaging, and covers a wide range of places and themes—most people who watch one episode end up watching several more.
Are there good documentaries about wanderlust, solo travel, or adventure travel?
Yes — The Long Way Round and The Long Way Down are ideal for adventure travel, and both deal with the realities of being on the road for extended periods. They capture both the highs and the very unglamorous lows of long-distance travel.
Which travel films on Netflix are worth watching right now?
From the best travel shows Netflix currently offers, Chef’s Table, Dark Tourist, Down to Earth with Zac Efron, and the Street Food series are all solid picks, depending on what kind of content you prefer.
Do travel documentaries influence where people actually go?
Yes, quite significantly. Tourism boards and local governments have both noted spikes in visitor interest after a destination appears in a popular travel documentary. The phenomenon even has a name — the “Bourdain effect” — referring to how certain episodes of Parts Unknown drew international attention to places that had previously been overlooked.
Are there any good tourism documentaries about places in Asia?
Wild China covers China in remarkable depth. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is an essential film for anyone interested in Japan. The Street Food: Asia series covers several Southeast and East Asian cities in an intimate, personal way. All three are worth watching.