Little can replace the excitement of packing your bags, heading to the airport, and flying off to an exotic location. But if that isn’t quite possible for you right now, Netflix has a wealth of travel content to temporarily satisfy your urge for an excursion.
COVERING areas like food, accommodation, nightlife and conservation, these five Netflix shows can transport you from your couch to the Caribbean at a moment’s notice.
The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals
Three budding travellers team up to find some of the coolest vacation rentals in the world, heading to desirable spots like Bali, Finland, Mexico, the Bahamas, Japan and several locations in the US.
The hosts are tasked with finding a rental each for an episode – travel writer Jo Franco covers the most unique rentals she can find, luxury estate agent Luis Ortiz seeks out the most lavish accommodation, and actress and content creator Megan Batoon is tasked with picking reasonably priced budget options. A full list of the show’s rentals can be found here.
Midnight Asia
Released in 2022, Midnight Asia is a twilight journey through some of Asia’s biggest, most idiosyncratic metropolises. Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Mumbai, Taipei and Manila are the sites covered in season one, with the show exploring thriving neighbourhoods, buzzing club scenes, food and drink festivities, and the importance of freedom of expression within nightlife.
Our Planet
This 8-part limited series is one of the most ground-breaking shows on Netflix and documents the planet’s breath-taking biodiversity in all its natural glory. Our Planet features the most cutting-edge cinematography available to date and tells incredible stories about the natural world using vital local conservation knowledge.
Fan-favourite conservationist and presenter Sir David Attenborough is poached from the BBC by Netflix for this fantastic series, providing his quintessentially tender yet pressing message about the significance of the natural world. Brilliant material to inspire your next ethical safari trip.
Street Food
Food will always be an integral part of culture and street food is often a way to really connect with the place you are visiting. Street Food Asia was released by Netflix in 2019 and documents crab meat omelettes in Bangkok, octopus okonomiyaki in Osaka, potato chaat in Delhi, Singapore’s famous chilli crab, knife-cut noodles in Seoul and many more cuisines.
Street Food Latin America followed in 2020 and visits Buenos Aires, Salavador, Oaxaca, Lima, Bogota, and La Paz. The series eloquently tells the stories of local people who have lived their whole lives in these locations, fine-tuning their recipes over decades.
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
How could Tony Bourdain be left off this list? The mercurial chef-turned-documentarian has garnered an almost cult status amongst his fans, made even stronger after his untimely death in 2018. Bourdain was, among other things, an excellent filmmaker who passionately studied other cultures and always embraced the potential to experience new people and new conditions.
Parts Unknown is not his only travel show, but it’s perhaps the best of his collection. Bourdain made 12 seasons of the revered series, travelling all over the world and meeting fascinating characters along the way, breaking bread with them and discussing everything from politics to pastries at the dinner table. A must-watch for food and travel lovers. And everyone else for that matter.