Travel TV Shows

Television allows viewers to live vicariously through the lives of its dramatic characters, but it can also let viewers travel vicariously by bringing exotic and far-flung locales and cultures into their living rooms. Travel - related programming does whatever it can to help viewers experience what it's like to be in - or even live in - places that they may never actually visit.

The most basic and oldest kind of travel series is the unadorned travelogue. In these series, the program travels to different destinations, seeing the sights in much the same way that a tourist would. The leader of the travelogue might be an on-screen host or an unseen narrator, but the goal of the travelogue is primarily to provide information.

Themed travelogues don't just wander aimlessly. They visit one or more locales with a specific purpose - sampling the local cuisine, for example, or hunting down the local paranormal activity.

Even the reality genre has reached into the travel genre. Competition shows like "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor" go out of their way to set their unscripted stories in exotic places.