From exploring the world’s macabre tourist attractions to learning more about the state of our oceans, eating with our eyes at different street food hotspots to laughing about what it’s like to travel with your parents, these eight shows, all streaming on Netflix, are keeping our wanderlust alive even when we have to stay home.
Dark Tourist
Instead of beautiful beaches and city landmarks, this docuseries takes a look at the more unusual and macabre sites that aren’t on your typical tourist agenda. In each episode, journalist David Farrier explores dark tourism, travelling to experience different phenomena, such as a death-worshipping cult in Mexico, soaking up radiation in Fukushima and meeting vampires in New Orleans.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Korean-American chef David Chang is joined by celebrity friends in this 4-part series to discover the cuisine and culture of different cities around the world – Vancouver, Marrakech, Los Angeles and Phnom Penh – through breakfast, lunch, dinner and a lot of snacking along the way. (If you like this, also check out Chang’s other food series, “Ugly Delicious.”
Our Planet
Taking four years to complete and more than 600 crew members filming in 50 countries, this eight-part series showcases the world’s incredible diversity of natural habitats, flora and fauna. Produced in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, “Our Planet” uses a combination of stunning photography and technology to share the planet with viewers narrated by the esteemed Sir David Attenborough.
Street Food
“Street Food” takes viewers to some of the world’s most vibrant cities, where the rich culture of street food is explored in 30 minutes. Each episode shares stories where perseverance, culture and cuisine collide in countries such as Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam.
A Plastic Ocean
Journalist Craig Leeson teams up with free diver Tanya Streeter and an international team of scientists and researchers to travel to 20 locations around the world exploring the fragile state of our oceans, uncovering alarming truths about plastic pollution and revealing possible solutions.
Travels with My Father
British comedian Jack Whitehall travels with his father, Michael Whitehall, in an unlikely duo in this comedic travel docuseries. Series 1 sees them embark on a classic “gap year” route through Southeast Asia, stopping in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, while later series cover destinations in Eastern Europe and the United States.
Carmen Sandiego
This animated action-adventure series for kids is the latest reboot of North American educational character, Carmen Sandiego – a modern-day Robin Hood who dashes around the world stealing from other thieves.
Restaurants on the Edge
What could go wrong with owning a restaurant in some of the world’s most stunning natural settings? A lot, apparently, as this programme shows with a team of restaurant experts travelling the globe to mentor struggling restaurateurs.