Wanderlust Is Something That Is Inborn Within Most Of Us

By Author: Ramesh Vittal
Total Articles: 26
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Humans have been known to be bitten by the travel bug from time immemorial. Those were the days when transportation was at its infancy and travelling was a tedious affair and it took years for a person to complete a sojourn. Right from the mythical Gulliver who went to strange lands inhabited by stranger people on his fantasy travels, to the Vespuccis and the Columbuses, humans have shown the tendency to be restless and the yearning for travelling to strange destinations has always been with us.

Thanks to these pioneers and trailblazers, the whole world got occupied and the human population got evenly distributed. The primary modes of transport used to be on horseback and horse drawn carriages on land and by Schooners and Ships across the Seas. People faced all odds to satisfy their curiosities and spread and exchange different cultures that had developed in different nooks and corners of the world. Many died enroute and never returned to tell their tales. They usually were part of an entourage that was headed by a veteran. Today, there are hardly any areas on Earth that may not be inhabited save those that have extremely ...
... hostile terrain.
With speedier modes of transport at our disposal (thanks to man's ingenious and inventive mind) today's traveler can crisscross the world over in a matter of hours if not days. There is no doubt that more people have taken to traveling after the advent of travelogues on popular TV shows like 4Real,The Roving Kind, Bob's Big adventures and Earth Trek to name a few.

The first such travel series was Geographically Speaking that was aired on NBC in 1946 and was hosted by Carveth Zetta Wells who narrated the trips to the world's most exotic locations she made with her husband. Her graphic accounts of the diversity of the people and the cultures she came across drew a lot of viewers who used to eagerly wait for the next episode. The show was aired Sunday's at 8:15 pm in the prime time slot. The series lasted for a year and was later discontinued. The Roving Kind that came a good two decades later was a travel documentary focusing on the United States, Hawaii and Mexico, and it covered national monuments, state parks and other tourist attractions besides state historical sites. It was meant primarily for the people who could not or would not budge out of their homes to even explore their own backyards.

4Real was one program that you could sit at home and watch and get transported to the remotest locations like the Amazon Rainforest where one could get first hand insight into the culture and strange habits of Tawanawas, an indigenous tribe that has of late been increasing in numbers and saving themselves from possible extinction. From there to the deepest jungles of Kenya where one could get a close-up view of the wild life that are not confined to pens or parks and are filmed in their natural habitat. Then finally, on to Rio's city of God. 4Real was presented by Sol Guy who is a Canadian Music producer and social activist.

Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations was a welcome change, especially for food buffs who were keen to know the food habits and cultures of nations across the world. One particular episode Anthony Bourdain in Beirut was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Informational Programming and another Emmy for "Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming". All these shows have been brought into our living rooms by FiOS TVone of the several such providers. With the shows jostling for prime time slots, the viewership is steadily increasing.