Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. – Mark Twain
With the advent of sophisticated action cameras that fit in the palm of one’s hand, any social-media influencer can put together a slick travelogue with just some basic equipment and post-production.
I wrote about Itchy Boots, my current favourite YouTube travel channel, in December last year. It features a solo female biker’s travels around the world. There are, of course, hundreds, if not thousands, of others all competing for an audience and likes.
While YouTube is the modern go-to destination for such content, there are still many big-budget travel shows on legacy broadcast television networks, such as Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (which has apparently been cancelled after two seasons). There are too many to mention, and most have a special angle, such as food, cooking, or everyday tourism. Several of these shows are now also available on streaming platforms like Netflix.
The precursors to these television shows were often low-budget documentaries, though industry professionals were involved in their production. I am reminded of the 90s and early 2000s, when a few travel shows kept me regularly glued to the screen. There were two in particular whose theme songs I have saved for posterity in my music library. Globe Trekker, formerly called Lonely Planet, and Don’t Forget Your Passport both have unforgettable opening theme songs that many will instantly recognise, no matter which era they are played in.
The first is Japipay from the TV series Don’t Forget Your Passport, which aired around 1999-2003, and features a bamboo pan flute of South American Native origin. This series featured Canadian director and cinematographer Gordon Sivell, known for Animal Planet.
The second is by composer Ian Ritchie from the earlier TV series Globe Trekker, which started airing in 1994. It features a Philippine bamboo jaw harp that sounds uncannily like an Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo.
The idea for this piece came from watching the pilot episode of the YouTube podcast Our Looney Planet with Ian and Justine. Hosts Ian Wright and Justine Shapiro were joined by guest Megan McCormick, all former presenters of the TV series Globe Trekker, for the pilot. They met after 20 years to talk about the TV series and their current situations. Ian, although noticeably older, is still as funny as I remember him from the series all those years ago, while Justine and Megan are still vivacious and charming as ever.
I would dearly love to rewatch the entirety of these travel series, even though much has surely changed in the countries featured. Considering how much the world has changed, and regrettably not for the better, it might well be very instructive.
lenny unencumbered 