Top 10 Travel TV Show Hosts

I have watched a lot of travel shows on TV. Here is my take on the good, the better, and the best.

10 (Tied). Rudy Maxa, Burt Wolf, Samantha Brown. I really don't "get" these three hosts. Obviously, many people like them. They all have semi-successful shows which cover interesting locations. But none of them are anything to write home about.

9. Rick Steves. This guy gives me the creeps but his programs are chockful of useful, easily digestable, travel information.

8. Ewan MacGregor/Charley Boorman. Technically, these two are not travel show hosts. However, they have to get the nod for their epic motorcycle journeys Long Way Round and Long Way Down.

7. Michael Wood. His In the Footsteps of Alexander series was the first travel show I ever got into and started my interest in Central Asia. He is passionate but tends to ramble on and on and on.

6. Andrew Zimmern. He certainly gets credit for the unique locales and the open-mindedness to try new and weird things. But the writing on the show is just terrible. He is probably a smart and insightful guy, but you can't really tell by watching his show.

5. Grub Smith. This Englishman's short-lived series Travel Sick was the predecessor to Bizzare Foods and had the frivolity and locker room humor of Insomniac. He is truly an underrated talent.

4 (Tied). Ian Wright and Simon Reeve. Ian is the best of the Globe Trekker hosts. He never takes himself too seriously but his shows are serious. Reeve is a relative newcomer and has the potential to be the next Michael Palin.

3. Dave Attell. Attell became my favorite comic after I watched his Insomniac series. The show's premise-- anonymous comic stays up all night-- was ruined by the very success of the show. Everyone recognized Attell from his show and the magic was gone. But when he was a relative unknown, he explored the dark, the depressing, and the mundane with wit and a bit of compassion.

2. Tony Bourdain. He's about as good as it gets. His complex, neurotic, anti-establishment turned semi-sellout persona is clearly exhibited in every episode. His ability to verbally and poetically share his ideas and experiences with the viewer is uncanny.

1. Michael Palin. The king of travel shows. I've never been a fan of Monty Python, but Palin truly shines in his second career as a travel presenter. The way he interacts with the locals is charming. His ability to share his experience through the camera lens with just body language and facial expressions is unequaled. And the sheer insanity and length of his journeys are the envy of any serious traveler. His earlier works (Full Circle, Pole to Pole, Around the World in 80 Days) are admittedly better than his more recent works (Sahara, Himalayas, New Europe).

CKY