14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers
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Just because we want to travel doesn’t mean we always can. Sometimes life – in the form of an empty bank account, work and family obligations, or even a global pandemic – gets in the way. When that happens, we look to the next best thing: exploring vicariously through the experiences of others. From epic feats of mountaineering, to Indian rickshaw rallies and inspirational couchsurfing chronicles, these travel documentaries will take you on a journey around the world – no plane ticket necessary.

By Jessica Keller

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Baraka (1992) – Roger Ebert once said: “If man sends another Voyager to the distant stars and it can carry only one film on board, that film might be Baraka.” Even today, nearly 30 years after its release, this non-narrative documentary from time-lapse master Ron Fricke is still as moving and relevant as ever. The film was shot in 24 countries over 14 months, and spans themes as diverse as nature, technology, culture and religion. From sacred rituals to factory farming, from snow monkeys soaking in hot springs to rush hour at Grand Central Terminal, Baraka wordlessly explores the forces of human nature and Mother Earth, as well as their capacity to be fascinating and mundane, life-affirming and destructive.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Maidentrip (2014) – At an age when most kids are navigating the stormy waters of adolescence, Laura Dekker was ready to embark on a more literal voyage. The Dutch teen, having been born on a boat and sailed extensively alone and with her parents, dreamed of becoming the youngest person ever to circumnavigate the globe – but would first have to fight a legal battle against the Dutch government and win the right to do so. When she finally set sail in August 2010 at the age of 14, Dekker took her camera along, filming her two-year record-breaking adventure and turning it into a film to share with the world.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Life in a Day (2011) – What was it like to be alive, anywhere in the world, on 24 July 2010? This ultra-collaborative documentary from director Kevin Macdonald (One Day in September) is a patchwork of clips filmed by videographers – both amateur and professional – on that single day, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of ordinary people across the globe. With no narrative to follow, this is pure uplifting art – and it’s free to watch on YouTube, made available under a Creative Commons licence.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Mile… Mile & a Half (2013) – In July of 2011, five friends set out to hike the John Muir Trail through California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. At 344 kilometres in length and with an elevation change of 14,000 metres, this trail is no walk in the park, but the group managed to complete their journey in 25 days – capturing the stunning vistas they beheld, the challenges they overcame and the friends they made along the way. On their return, the group set about turning their footage into a feature-length film, financing the project through a combination of Kickstarter campaigning and their own personal funds. The result is this adventure documentary that’s equal parts entertaining, gratifying and inspiring.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Riding Solo to the Top of the World (2006) – One man and his motorcycle journey from Mumbai to India’s Changthang Plateau, one of the most isolated places in the world. What starts out as a story of sheer determination and endurance – with one-man camera crew and adventurer Guarav Jani lugging 300 kilos of supplies and equipment across remote, unforgiving landscapes, battling altitude sickness, extreme cold and mechanical breakdowns with no one to rely on but himself – eventually transforms into a tale of self-discovery and enlightenment, as he encounters the semi-nomadic Changpa people, learning about their culture and way of life.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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The Endless Summer (1966) – Travel not only around the world, but back in time: This gnarly documentary from director Bruce Brown follows Californian surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they go in search of the perfect wave. Hopping from Australia to Tahiti, Hawaii to Senegal, Ghana to South Africa, the duo chase an endless summer across the globe – and inspire generations of future backpacking surfers to do the same.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Far: The Story of a Journey Around the World (2017) – What if you just hit the road one day, travelling so far east that you eventually return home from the west? That’s what two young Germans decided to do, covering 50,000 kilometres in three and a half years without ever setting foot on a plane. Accompany them on their epic journey as they backpack and hitchhike across mountains and oceans, cities and deserts, even welcoming a tiny new member of the family along the way.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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A Map for Saturday (2007) – Solo travel is rife with contradictions: it’s isolating yet social, it’s exhausting yet exhilarating, it’s uncomfortable yet enjoyable, and above all, it’s discovering that life everywhere is different, yet also the same. Emmy-winning producer Brook Silva-Braga leaves his cushy job at HBO to find what out long-term travel is all about, crossing paths with trekkers young and old from diverse countries around the globe, who share one thing in common – they’re all travelling the world alone.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Hit the Road: India (2013) – 12 days. 2,000 kilometres. Two tenacious friends. Directed by brothers Gor and Mushegh Baghdasaryan, Hit the Road: India chronicles the trials and tribulations faced by daring travellers Richard Gazarian and Keith King as they compete in the Mumbai Xpress – an annual autorickshaw rally that traverses the Indian subcontinent from Mumbai to Chennai. There are run-ins with the police, impossible weather conditions and the world’s most unreliable rickshaw, but there are also heartwarming locals, triumphs over challenges and, of course, an eyeful of phenomenal scenery.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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National Parks Adventure (2016) – Released in 2016 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the US National Park Service, this gorgeous documentary pays tribute to America’s most celebrated national parks, from Yellowstone to Yosemite, Arches to Glacier. Follow legendary mountaineer Conrad Anker, adventure photographer Max Low and artist Rachel Pohl across the country as they explore red rock canyons, virgin forests and enchanting ice caves, all narrated by Academy Award-winner Robert Redford. If you can’t make a trip to the States to experience these natural treasures yourself, then watching this immersive film is the next best thing.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Mountain (2017) – Can’t get enough unspoilt wilderness? A collaboration between director Jennifer Peedom and photographer-mountaineer Renan Ozturk, narrated by Willem Defoe and having premiered to live music at the Sydney Opera House, Mountain is more of an experience than a movie; in fact, one IMDB user describes it as a “big long screen saver”. Nonetheless, if you love adrenaline-pumping adventure, spectacular symphonic music and money shots of breathtaking mountains, this documentary will not disappoint.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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180° South: Conquerors of the Useless (2010) – What happens when you try to emulate your idols? Jeff Johnson is about to find out, as he embarks from Ventura, California to Chilean Patagonia, with the dream of climbing the Corcovado Volcano. Johnson is tracing the 1968 footsteps of renowned adventurers Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins – but rather than making the trek by land, he takes to the sea, sailing along the western coast of Chile. He surfs and hikes, gets stuck on Easter Island, gains a new travel partner and eventually meets his heroes… and attempts the momentous climb that brought him here.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Unbranded (2015) – If you want to make a point about the sad and unnecessary fate of the wild horses that are captured and condemned to captivity each year by the US Bureau of Land Management, this is one way to do it. Four recent college grads resolve to tame, train and ride 16 wild mustangs from Mexico to Canada, traversing 4,800 kilometres of rugged terrain and raising awareness for the cause along the way. The jury is still out on whether the documentary truly achieves its goal, but there’s no denying that it’s a visually stunning film about an impressive feat – certainly a worthy watch for lovers of nature, adventure and horses.

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers.
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Couch Connections (2020) – A documentary about a guy couchsurfing his way across Asia and North America for nine months may sound like a privileged millennial vanity project, but not through the lens of young Austrian filmmaker Christoph Pehofer. By focusing on the stories of the couchsurfing hosts he encounters and temporarily moves in with – from a nudist Manhattanite to a transgender woman in Bangkok – Pehofer has created a touching and uplifting piece about the power of opening your heart and mind to the people you meet, whoever and wherever they are.

#staysafe #stayathome #selfisolation #selfisolationactivities

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14 Incredible Travel Documentaries For Armchair Explorers

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