Julia
  • (Member) (Topic Starter)
(Member) (Topic Starter)
Good afternoon all,

I'm sure you'll agree, that the media along with our friends and family, books & magazines and social media, plays it's part in inspiring us to travel.

India is very much growing in popularity thanks to shows like the Real Marigold Hotel and films such as Lion and Viceroy's House (it’s certainly moved up my wish list). With this in mind, we'd like to know.... Has there been a TV show or film that has inspired you to travel, perhaps it was Around the World in 80 days with Michael Palin or Rick Stein’s weekend breaks. 

I look forward to hearing what you recommend.

Kindest regards,

Julia

turnke
(Member)
Hi Julia

Although I have been on several JustYou tours, I went on Route 66 in 2012, after seeing Billy Connolly's series on Route 66. I saw some of the places Billy mentioned and found his book,based on the series,on sale at a couple of places,like the Sears Tower in Chicago.

I went to Hawaii with JustYou, when the US government shutdown took place,and some of the excursions had to be changed as a result.I had seen a programme by Samantha Brown,on the US Travel Channel,about The Road to Hana,on Maui,which I was able to go on.It was very scenic,with the narrow roads,turns,and bridges,various stops at surfing,and other, spectacular beaches.

Keith

IanWight
(Member)
By way of reverse psychology I am booked for Burma later this year. There is a photo essay in the current issue of National Geographic Magazine featuring the Mandalay Express between Yangon & Mandalay. Although we are scheduled to fly this leg of the trip the article nevertheless gives a nice insight to the country & the people. The article was, partly, inspired by the Paul Theroux book "The great railway Bazaar" which I co-incidently picked up in my local bookshop earlier today.

However, I am of an age where I recall the nightly news bulletins in the late 1960's & early 1970's of events then going on in Vietnam and it was this that instilled a curiosity to see the country for myself as it opened up for tourism.

On the other hand anything Cuba related urges me to go back there!

nixon
  • (Member)
(Member)
No film etc for me ......

I grew up (am now 57) with my Mother working for airlines at LHR, first BKS and then Air Newzealand so I have travelled abroad from a very young age, when most children where going to Butlins, don't worry I did get taken there, so I was a very Lucky young girl to be travelling first class on many occasions, to places like Kenya, New York, Thailand, Hawaii to see the world at a young age gave me the thirst to carry on. Mum and I were always jetting off for a days shopping in Luxembourg, Barcelona, etc to get duty free and a few hours of retail therapy

I spent most of my working life at LHR not in airlines but working for airfreight companies, you don't get the same cheap flight deals working for them unfortunately.

Cindy

Dina
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi Julia

Any of the Michael Palin travel programmes have been an inspiration. I bought the DVD "Pole to Pole" after my first Kenyan safari in 2007 when John Coleman our TS Tour Manager said that he had been Michael Palin's hot air balloon pilot, when Michael was in Kenya  filming  "Pole to Pole". John was a fantastic TM.

Simon Reeve is very engaging, his travel programmes are always inspiring. Jonathan Scott's"Big Cat Diaries" comes to mind, too.

Wildlife documentaries, any with David Attenborough very closely followed by Gordon Buchanan documentaries.

I could say plenty more ...

Best wishes

Di

lesley07
(Member)
Hi Julia

Many films and tv programmes have influenced my wish list but my recent trip to South Africa was inspired by real life events. I well remember the apartheid days and the struggle for freedom and it was great to visit and see the progress which has been achieved in this beautiful country. I look forward to visiting Burma in the future to see what has been achieved here.

Lesley

BGray
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi Julia,

I watch as many travel and wildlife programmes as I can!  David Attenborough and the great documentaries on National Geographic Wild are inspirational.  In earlier years I enjoyed all Michael Palin's travelogues and have them on dvd.  In more recent years I've loved Levison Wood's walking expeditions and always watch Simon Reeve's programmes although I feel he focuses too much on the politics and problems in the countries he visits, which can be quite depressing and off putting.  I find that a lot of these programmes focus a bit too much on the politics and people's lifestyles whereas I'd love to see more scenery and the historical sights featured in these programmes.  I miss old fashioned travel programmes such as Holiday and Wish you were here!!

All the best,

Bob

BGray
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi Rose,

What a great story!  Maybe we should start an online campaign for the return of WYWH and Holiday!

Best wishes,

Bob

Kezzer46
(Member)
Watching all the old Cowboy films growing up as child with my father made me long to visit parts of the US - the National Parks holiday took me to all the parts I really wanted to see and more....

I really enjoyed Chris Tarrant's Extreme Railways and have absolutely loved the World's Most Dangerous Roads with celebrities traveling on some of the most infamous roads across the globes.. their trips through Bolivar, Madagascar and Ethiopia were amazing..

mikew
  • (Member)
(Member)
David Attenborough's natural history programmes were a huge incentive in wanting to travel the world, as were Michael Palin's wonderful journeys to exotic and unusual places. More recently, Chris Tarrant's and Michael Portillo's railway journeys have shown travel from a different perspective. It always makes me smile when I think of all the gubbins we carry on holiday (rucksacks, camera kit, cases etc) and then to see Mr Portillo walking along a station platform somewhere in Europe or the USA, elegantly dressed with just his Bradshaw guide in hand - he must have an army of people off-camera carrying all his gear!

The new 'Amazing Hotels: Life Behind The Lobby' programme on BBC2 I find to be fascinating as well. The first episode about the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore reminded me of when I was there last year with JY.

Keizer, you are so right about the old cowboy films made in places like Monument Valley. They made me want to visit the USA's National Parks, and I when I visited in 2013 I was thrilled to see that Monument Valley was just how I imagined it to be - practically unchanged since John Wayne rode the plains!

And what a great idea to bring back programmes like 'Wish You Where Here'...I always looked forward to watching it with John Carter and Judith Chalmers.

Cheers

Mike

AELB
  • (Member)
(Member)
Having been a big fan of the 1990s TV show 'Northern Exposure' I wanted to see Alaska for myself. Ironically, when I got there, on JY's fabulous 'Ultimate Alaska' tour in May/June 2016, I discovered that the show wasn't actually filmed in the 49th state at all but in Washington, a little further south!

On the plus side, the JY tour did take us to Talkeetna which, legend has it, is the place where Northern Exposure and "Cicely, Alaska" were born. Apparently, two of the producers found themselves stopping over in Talkeetna and spending a leisurely afternoon in a bar people watching, they came to the conclusion that they had found a suitably eccentric selection of characters and places on which to base their show. For example, Ruth Anne's store in NE, in which you could buy anything and everything, was based on Nagleys General Store in Talkeetna. I can also confirm that the residents of the town, just like in "Cicely", really do largely resemble delegates at a ZZ Top convention! 

Mandy

BGray
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi Kezzer,

I'd forgotten about the World's Most Dangerous Roads, I loved that series and wish they'd made more.  I've watched them all several times at this stage but the good thing about them is that you saw so much of the countryside of whatever country they were in.  I loved Dara O'Briain and Ed Byrne's trip through Central America as well - and am currently enjoying the Hotel programme too.  The one featured last night in Ecuador is amazing!

Cheers,

Bob

janib
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hello Everyone,

1 Highlander 1986 got me to Eilean Donan in 2013 with the Jacobite Steam Trains.

2 Working Girl 1988 Staten Island Ferry- family trip in 2006

3 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 Treasury at Petra and a great overhead shot of the Siq- finally made it with the Jordan, Sinai and Cairo trip in 2010.

Now I have Shimla at the top of my television lists to do. Ever since I have seen the Indian Hills Railway, this is the next trip. Unfortunately JY do not have this in their Indian tours yet :rolleyes:

Jan

SarahS
(Member)
My wish list goes back to long ago schooldays when we learnt of far off places. I never dreamt that I would ever visit the pyramids, cruise the Nile, see the Taj Mahal walk on the Great Wall of China watch tea pickers in Sri Lanka or have so many more wonderful travel experiences. I'm one very lucky traveller.
Faithful
(Member)
Wish you were here gave me a thirst for travel (however, some friends said it`s a "waste of money" when you can see so many different places on tv)

For me, I want to visit as many places as possible before "my time is up"

The only thing stopping me is lack of funds to travel the world so it maybe time to start thinking of a criminal career to fund this thirst ha ha

Faithful

SylviaJ
(Member)
Hi

Like others, I watch most holiday and nature TV programmes and get my inspiration and interest from those. Simon Reeve's recent visit to Colombia has whet my appetite for South America even further. I visited Cuba after watching a TV programme by someone.

Regards

Sylvia

Dyuti
  • (Member)
(Member)
'janib' wrote:

Hello Everyone,

1 Highlander 1986 got me to Eilean Donan in 2013 with the Jacobite Steam Trains.

2 Working Girl 1988 Staten Island Ferry- family trip in 2006

3 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 Treasury at Petra and a great overhead shot of the Siq- finally made it with the Jordan, Sinai and Cairo trip in 2010.

Now I have Shimla at the top of my television lists to do. Ever since I have seen the Indian Hills Railway, this is the next trip. Unfortunately JY do not have this in their Indian tours yet :rolleyes:

Jan

Jan, 

I agree, I would like to go to Shimla too, after watching the same programme. I hope JY takes note! 

Dyuti

Angela Bingham
(Member)
I agree, Shimla would be wonderful.

Angela