Globe Trekker
Presenter(s): Ian Wright, Megan McCormick, Justine Shapiro,
Alex Riley, Jonathan Atherton, Zay Harding
JUMP TO SERIES 11
Episode 1: Sweden & Denmark
Megan McCormick travels to the lands of Abba, Vikings and Smorgasbords as she uncovers what Sweden and Denmark has to offer the global traveller. Starting in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, Megan takes herself on a city tour to learn more about the famous mermaid and Hans Christian Anderson, all with the aid of a free city bike!
In Aarhus on the Danish mainland, one of the biggest Viking festivals in the world brings together 300 warriors for one almighty battle, and a weekend of living and drinking like the Vikings! Then it’s onto one of Denmark’s most famous attractions, the free state of Christiania. Megan is welcomed by the locals and spends time learning about their lives, taking a tour of the collective and sussing out a few passing policemen!
Sweden is the next stop, via the magnificent Oresund Bridge, and the holiday hotspot of the Kullen Peninsula. Here Megan meets an artist calls Lars who takes her to see a gigantic sculpture he’s made on the seashore. Made from wood and in a continual state of change and growth, you can climb 15m to the highest point of the sculpture and look out over Lars’s self-proclaimed kingdom of Ladonia!
Heading across the country in her Swedish automobile, Megan finds an ex-prison to call her home while she explores the capital city Stockholm. With a very Swedish picnic in mind, Megan heads to a very enticing food market, where she takes some advice on the uniquely Swedish produce on offer, before settling down to a picnic of moose sausage and reindeer pate. Feeling revived, Megan heads for the shops and manages to meet one of her sporting heroes, the legendary Bjorn Borg! Then it’s on to the Nobel Museum to learn about the prestigious prizes and their most famous recipients, and to have dinner and dancing in the grand City Hall.
Feeling the need for some authentic Swedish countryside, Megan treks along the Baltic coast on an Icelandic horse and tests out the relaxing effects of a Swedish sauna and a dip in the ocean!
Stockholm is now getting ready for one of the biggest Gay Prides in Europe, and Megan befriends an extremely glamorous participant who takes her around the event. Then it’s a night out on the town, first stop being the legendary Ice Bar, where everything is made of ice and there’s enough Vodka for everyone!
Megan’s trip around Sweden would not be complete without an appearance by the world famous pop group ABBA, and Megan is lucky enough to catch one of the world’s top tribute acts, Waterloo. Aboard a boat trip around the Stockholm Archipelago, she hits the dancefloor like a Dancing Queen, and is just in time to see the Swedish sun setting in the distance.
Episode 3: Great Journeys – Road Warriors
In this Globe Trekker Special, we uncover the most incredible journeys in the world. Some will take your breath away with their beauty; others are unbelievable due to their pure daring. The off road section brings you the greatest travel by four wheel drive vehicle, from the Sahara desert to outback Australia and on to notably the worst roads in the world in Zaire. We also see Ian Wright navigate 4500 square miles of salt plains in Bolivia, being careful not to plunge into the salty lake beneath.
Taxis are different around the world, from the rooftop rides in Cambodia, to the wildly colourful vehicles in Haiti and the ox and cart on La Digue in the Seychelles. But wherever you go, the art of negotiation is still the same!
Buses can provide an opportunity for the traveller to meet others, see beautiful landscapes and can often provide the most entertaining travellers’ stories. Here we see our teams squashed in to a five-seater vehicle with 10 others, travelling across Papua New Guinea sitting next to a mudman, and Justine Shapiro finds buses with reclining beds in China. Ian may have found the cheapest bus ride in the world in Mongolia, with 300km costing him just $3.
Hitch hiking is a traditional way of getting around the world, and with a bit of know-how, it can still be relatively safe in some parts. From travelling with the truckers in Australia to the colourful Bedford trucks in Pakistan. Motorcycles have also been one of Globe Trekker’s favourite ways of getting around. Harley Davidson motors have taken the teams to New Mexico, on a tour of the Rockies and through Costa Rica’s rainforest. Riding an Enfield in India, taking a 1960’s bike and sidecar in Vietnam and speeding through the Kasbahs of Morocco have been some of the highlights.
From India’s high peaks to Bolivia’s salt flats and Australia’s deserts, our travellers show you the best ways to travel around the world, finishing off our run down with our Top 5 road trips in the world.
Episode 6: Spanish Islands
A new face to the Globe Trekker team, traveller Alex Riley enjoys his first Globe Trekker experience in the glorious Spanish Islands, taking in the Balearics off the coast of Spain and the Canary Islands near Africa. Better known for their partying resorts and overwhelming influx of British tourists every summer, Alex sets out to uncover the less visited aspects of the islands. Starting in the millionaire’s playground of Mallorca, Alex discovers that there have been famous residents of Mallorca for decades. The composer Chopin lived here in the monastery of Valledemosa, and the war poet Robert Graves made his home in the nearby village of Deia. Alex visits their homes and learns why the charms of Mallorca inspired them. Now, it wouldn’t be right to visit the next island of Ibiza and not delve into the hedonistic world of the super-clubs. So with the help of Ibiza DJ Pete Tong, Alex takes over the dance floor in the world famous Pacha, before slowly crawling to bed at 6am.
With his body and mind in need of some rejuvenation, Alex heads to a yoga retreat in the north of Ibiza, where he can sleep under the stars in his very own tepee and take an invigorating yoga class overlooking the hippie beach of Benirras. That night, Alex is invited to one of the famous Benirras drumming parties, which have been taking place since the 70s, and meets some of the old hippies who have made Ibiza their second home for over 30 years.
A short ferry ride takes Alex to the nearby island of Formentera, a sparsely populated island famous for mud baths and massive boats. Alex meets some of the travellers here, and discovers the hippie side of the island on a nudist beach.
Next, Alex travels from the Balearic Islands to the Canary Islands, just off the coast of West Africa. First stop is Gran Canaria and the capital Las Palmas. At the traditional festival of the Virgen del Rosario, Alex learns the ancient game of stick fighting and dances into the night. The following day, a local archaeologist takes Alex to meet the cave dwellers of the island. The ancient Canarians lived in these caves, and some locals carry on this traditional, basic way of life.
On the island of Tenerife, Alex finds the Teide volcano, the highest peak in Spain, and decides to trek to the top to see the spectacular view. On the east coast, Alex goes swimming with whales and is fortunate enough to see a mother and her two calves, who allow Alex to swim alongside them.
The island of Fuerteventura is a famous destination for kite surfers, so Alex decides to give it a go, and finds it’s a lot trickier than it looks! Then he’s invited to a goat rodeo by the local shepherds, but has to work for his dinner by trekking the hills in search of the goats. On the final island of the trip, La Palma, Alex hangs out with some more shepherds, who use huge sticks to leap and vault their way over the hills and valleys of the island in search of their flock.
These islands have so much more to offer than their first impressions allow you to believe. In this Globe Trekker, Alex discovers friendly locals, beautiful landscapes, wonderful wildlife and a fascinating culture in these two groups of Spanish Islands.
Episode 7: Las Vegas
Ian Wright travels to the non-stop party city of Las Vegas. He begins his adventures exploring the fantastic hotels and casinos of ‘The Strip’. He gains a bird’s eye view of the city from atop the world’s highest thrill ride before undertaking ‘alternative sightseeing’ at Vegas’ wedding chapels. He comes up close and personal with a performing Bengali tiger, enjoys the kitsch of Liberace, attends a beauty pageant with a difference, takes part in a hair raising tribute to Elvis the King, and learns about Vegas’ shadier past in the times of the Rat Pack. Taking a break from the whirlwind excesses of the city, Ian travels to the Nevada Test site, where atomic bombs were tested, and hikes into the Grand Canyon for stunning views of this natural wonder.
SERIES 11
Episode 1: England and Wales
More exciting round-the-world adventures with Ian Wright and his team of intrepid travellers. In this episode Ian takes us on a journey across England to neighbouring Wales. He learns much about the rich cultural heritage of this part of Great Britain, visits some of the countries' most beautiful spots and gets a good taste of British eccentricity along the way.
Episode 2: Mid West USA
Here Justine Shapiro takes an exhilarating journey around the heartland of the United States, experiencing everything from skyscrapers, hip hop and gangsters in the city to breathtaking scenery, old traditions and adventure in the countryside.
Episode 3: Ultimate UK and Ireland
In this episode Ian is joined by Megan McCormick, Jonathan Atherton and Justine Shapiro for a trip across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to experience the best of the countries' heritage, history, nature, festivals, food and drink and eccentric traditions.
Episode 4: : Venice City Guide
More exciting round-the-world adventures with Ian Wright and his team of intrepid travellers. In this episode Justine Shapiro explores what is arguably the world's most stunning city, Venice. She takes a vaporetto ride along the Grand Canal, visits St Mark's Square, rides in a gondola and hobnobs with the stars at the Venice Film Festival.
Episode 5: South East USA
Megan McCormick travels to the sultry southern US states of the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia, ripe with antebellum history, black American culture and varied natural environments.
Ian discovers the beauty, luxury and adventure of the Indian Ocean Islands. From horse racing to hedgehog hunting, 6* luxury hotels to swimming with whale sharks, Ian samples slow paced island life with a touch of adventure.
Episode 7:: The American Civil War
Megan McCormick takes a trip to the Southeast USA, where, amongst other things, she visits a tobacco farm and a cotton plantation, hikes the Appalachian Trail and attends a Civil War battle enactment..
Episode 8: Good/ Bad Food Guide
More exciting round-the-world adventures with Ian Wright and his team of intrepid travellers. In this episode we take a culinary trip around the globe with seven of your favourite Globe Trekker hosts. Ian and the crew travel from the sake bars of Tokyo to the rainforests of Cameroon and the colourful conch catching Isles of the Caribbean.
Episode 9: Chinatown
The Chinese migration of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has had a massive cultural impact around the world. In this special edition the Globe Trekker team trace the steps of this diaspora from the motherland to its great population centres of Penang in Malaysia, San Francisco, London, New York and Mauritius.
Episode 10: Great Festivals 3
In our third edition of Great Festivals, we encounter all manner of festivities from the Up Helly Aa Viking festival in the Shetland Isles to bronco bashing at Canada's biggest Rodeo, the Calgary Stampede.!
Episode 11: New Zealand 2
Ian Wright and Zay Harding visit New Zealand, a land of unspoilt landscapes and immense natural beauty, with its beautiful extremes of rainforests and reefs, glaciers and volcanoes.
Episode 12: Western Malaysia and Borneo
More exciting round-the-world adventures with Ian Wright and his team of intrepid travellers. Here Ian ventures to Malaysia, where he checks out the historical city of Malacca, the country's arm wrestling capital, and travels to the island of Penang, home to the largest Chinese population outside China. Then it's off to Borneo, where Ian explores the rainforest and climbs mighty Mount Kinnabalu..
Episode 13: Globe Shopper 2
Our intrepid band of shop-happy presenters is once again travelling the world to find some top retail therapy. We follow their adventures as they bargain in bazaars, hunt down classic furniture and carpets, and squeeze into bottom-boasting bikinis ready to strut their stuff on the beaches of Rio. It's a feast for the senses, a scourge to the wallet and a crying temptation to the untravelled.
Episode 14: Beirut City Guide
Filmed in June 2006, two weeks before the latest outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, this episode sees Megan McCormick venture to Beirut in Lebanon, a city that has a long history of political and social unrest, but whose inhabitants somehow manage to maintain hope for a brighter future.