Consider the couch a plane journey to somewhere abroad.
It seems the lounge room has become the ultimate destination for an escape during a time when life seems at a standstill. Despite being urged to stay at home and your itchy travel feet getting itchier, your mind can still wander elsewhere across the globe.
Here is a list of shows currently screening on SBS On Demand to satisfy your wanderlust from the first-class comforts of your couch.
Travel and culture
Beerland
Golden Road Brewing founder, Meg Gill, sets out on a cross-country journey across the United States to meet with home-brewers and find the best brews in each city she travels to.
Watch three seasons of Beerland: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/beerland
Abandoned
Legendary skateboarder and TV host Rick McCrank journeys through abandoned places with the people who love them long after the lights are out. Follow his adventures as he explores abandoned shopping malls, race car tracks, schools and fishing communities.
Watch Abandoned: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/abandoned
Planet Expedition
Join adventurer and naturalist Steve Backshall as he undertakes a series of expeditions through challenging and unexplored regions, from Artic Ice Mountains and Mexican Flooded Caves, and Suriname’s Ghost River.
Watch Planet Expedition here: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/planet-expedition
Mission Galapagos
Liz Bonnin joins a scientific team on a mission across the Galapagos Archipelago. The journey begins on the Galapagos’ west side at the youngest and most volcanically active islands in the archipelago.
Watch Mission Galapagos: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/mission-galapagos
Travel Man
Hilarious British documentary series Travel Man follows Richard Ayoade as he travels the globe to show audiences how to have the most efficient holiday possible. In each episode, Richard is joined by a different celebrity to explore a new city in a 48-hour mini-break. Celebrities include Dawn French (Athens), Chris O’Dowd (Vienna) and Alice Levine (Tallinn). The Guardian praises Travel Man as “infectious and fun.”
Watch Travel Man: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/travel-man
Going Places with Ernie Dingo
Australian icon Ernie Dingo explores Australia’s most iconic destinations, introducing us to the traditional owners and other people who live, breathe and work amongst these incredible places. Locations include Charlotte Pass, North Stradbroke Island and Ceduna.
Watch three seasons of Going Places with Ernie Dingo: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/going-places-with-ernie-dingo
Related reads: Eurovision To Shine A Light All Week On SBS
Travel and Food
Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen
TV chef Ainsley Harriott takes a trip across the Caribbean visiting the islands that have inspired his cooking from an early age. Stopping at Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia, Dominica and Antigua, Ainsley will take viewers on a journey through the tropical climates, exotic food and charming characters that make each island in the Caribbean unique.
Watch Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/ainsleys-caribbean-kitchen
Destination Flavour Japan
Celebrated cook and Masterchef Australia winner Adam Liaw takes food lovers on a journey of culinary discovery throughout Japan. In the debut episode, Adam heads to Hokkaido, a gourmet paradise known for extraordinary cold-water seafood and dairy farming. Adam meets a dairy farmer who, with only 35 cows and his wife’s cheesecake recipe, turned their tiny farm into a multi-million-dollar business.
Watch Destination Flavour Japan: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/destination-flavour-japan
Luke Nguyen’s Railway Vietnam
Celebrated chef Luke Nguyen takes us on a culinary journey in Vietnam, travelling by train from Ho Chi Minh in the south to Sa Pa in the north. The series combines his love of food, travel, trains and the Vietnamese people. “Nguyen’s insatiable curiosity and easy charm makes him a pleasure to watch travel, eat and cook.” Fairfax
Watch Luke Nguyen’s Railway Vietnam: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/luke-nguyens-railway-vietnam
Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul
Rick Stein embarks on a gastronomic road trip from Venice to Istanbul. His journey begins in the magnificent city of Venice, and on the idyllic Greek island of Symi he cooks Seafood Risotto, Tiramisu and Gnocchi with Spider Crab.
Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul airs on SBS FOOD on Friday evenings. Catch up here: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/rick-stein-from-venice-to-istanbul
Gino’s Italian Escape
TV chef Gino D’acampo returns to his home country of Italy and embarks on a culinary odyssey, from major cities like Rome and Naples to coastal villages, to discover the secrets of its cuisine in this cooking travelogue adventure.
Gino’s Italian Escape airs on SBS FOOD on Monday evenings. Catch up on season three here: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/ginos-italian-escape
On Country Kitchen
Celebrated Indigenous chef Mark Olive and comedian Derek Nannup fuse native bush ingredients with contemporary cooking, to create mouth-watering dishes and simple cooking tips from our own backyard.
Watch On Country Kitchen: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/on-country-kitchen
Feature image: SBS On Demand
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