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A travel documentary is a
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
,
television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
, or online series that describes travel in general or tourist attractions without recommending particular package deals or tour operators. A travelogue film is an early type of travel documentary, serving as an exploratory ethnographic film. Ethnographic films have been made for the spectators to see the other half to relate with the world in relative relations. These films are a spectacle to see beyond the cultural differences as explained by the Allison Griffith in her journal. Before 1930s, it was difficult to see the importance of documentary films in Hollywood cinema but 1930s brought about a change in the history of these films with the popularity of independent filmmakers. The
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...
has been represented by television shows such as ''Across the Seven Seas'', which showcased travelogues produced by third parties, and by occasional itinerant presentations of travelogues in theaters and other venues. The British comedian and actor Michael Palin has made several series in this genre beginning with '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (1989). PBS has several travel shows including those hosted by
Rick Steves Richard John Steves Jr. (born May 10, 1955), known professionally as Rick Steves, is an American travel writer, author, activist, and television personality. His travel philosophy encourages people to explore less-touristy areas of destination ...
and Burt Wolf.


History


Travelogues

Travelogues were used to provide the general public with a means of observing different countries and cultures since the late 19th century. Travelogues are considered to be a form of virtual
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
or travel documentary and were often presented as lectures narrating accompanying films and photos. A travelogue is based on the personal experience of someone travelling through a new landscape and in contexts of ethnographic films where it exists a protagonist which took the whole story along. Travelogues are defined as nonfiction films that use a place as their primary subject. They often display the cinematic apparatus and have an open narration. The ideal travel film carries the appealing landscapes that brought the audience toward an emotional attachment with the help of storytelling and characters. Travelogues were usually about eighty minutes in length, consisting of two 1000-foot reels of 16mm film, with an intermission in-between to change reels. The travelogue film speaker, often but not always the filmmaker, would usually introduce each reel, ask for the lights to be dimmed, and then narrate the film live from an onstage lectern. Travelogue series were usually offered during the winter months and were often sold on subscription basis in small and medium-sized towns. Patrons could then meet the speaker in-person after the show. As cinema progress, the standard film program provided by the most theaters consisted of a feature-length film accompanied by a newsreel and at least one additional short subject, which might take the form of a travelogue, a comedy, a cartoon, or a film about a topical novelty subject matter. Travelogues further developed to incorporate movie rides which were coordinated sounds, motion pictures and mechanical movement to simulate virtual travel. Cinéorama, which simulates a ride in a hot air balloon and Mareorama, which simulates voyages of the sea, became major attractions at world fairs and expositions. Today's travelogues may be shown with either live or recorded voice-over narration, often with an in-sync audio soundtrack featuring music and location sound. The shows are often performed in school gymnasiums, civic auditoriums, senior center multi-purpose rooms, private clubs, and theatrical venues. Travelogues have been a popular source of fundraising for local, non-profit community-service organizations, such as
Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizat ...
,
Lions Clubs The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquarter ...
, and Rotary Clubs, among others, with many such clubs hosting travelogue series for decades. Travelogues stem from the work of American writer and lecturer, John Lawson Stoddard who began traveling around the world in 1874. He went on to publish books about his adventures and gave lectures across North America. The original lectures were accompanied by black and white lantern slides printed from his photographs. In 1892, John Lawson Stoddard recruited Burton Holmes as his junior associate. When Stoddard was ready to retire in 1897, he arranged for Holmes to take over the rest of his speaking arrangements. Holmes went on to become the premier travel lecturer of his day and coined the term, "travelogues," in 1904 when he introduced film clips to lecture series making them wildly popular. After World War II, Lowell Thomas created popular Movietone News Reel travelogues shown in movie theaters across the U.S. During the 1950s and 1960s, more independent film producers created travelogues, which were shown in towns and schools across the U.S. and Canada. In the 1970s and 1980s, the popularity of traditional travelogues declined but the advent of cable television channels and the availability of small, high quality, digital video equipment has renewed the popularity of travel films. Though travelogues have enjoyed much popularity historically, these films have been criticized for culturally insensitive representations since the films were not made by anthropologists. A famous example is the film about a family in the Canadian Arctic, '' Nanook of the North'', where much of the scenes were staged.


Modern

Travelogues are credited with helping cultivating the interest in the travel industry at the same time transportation infrastructure was being developed to make it possible. As railways and
steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamship ...
s became more accessible, more people became willing and eager to travel to distant places because of what was displayed in the popular travelogues of the day. Today, travelogues are most often seen in IMAX Theaters and play a role in fiction film cinematography. IMAX was invented more than 40 years ago by Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroiter, and Robert Kerr who pioneered the technology and debuted it at the EXPO 67 in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
, Canada and later again at EXPO 70 in
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
, Japan. Since then, IMAX and travelogues have latched onto each other. In the 1970s and 1980s, the popularity of traditional travelogues declined. But the advent of cable television channels, such as the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel and the availability of small, high quality, digital video equipment has renewed the popularity of travel films. Amateur films of an individual's travels can be considered travelogues as well. ''The Flavor of Kolkata'' (2015), a short travel documentary shot in the Indian city
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
, was India's first 3D short travel documentary.


Content

Travel documentary is a kind of documentary. Travel documentaries generally tell stories about travel or introduce travel destinations. In general, there will be a leading figure in the documentary. This figure will introduce the audience to local landmarks, the cultural landscape, food and customs. From these documentaries, viewers can better understand the region, history, and places worth a visit. Therefore, travel documentaries can also be described as human geography documentaries. They can lead the audience to better understand a place.


Key figures

* Burton Holmes was an American traveler, photographer and filmmaker, who coined the term "travelogue". Each summer for over fifty years Holmes would travel the world and then tour American auditoriums in the winter; during the 1945-46 season alone he gave 157 two-hour lectures. By the end of his life, Holmes's had given over 8000 travelogue lectures which were known to draw large audiences in cities like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. (Travel Film Archive). * André de la Varre bought a motion picture camera and went to Europe at the age of 17. In 1924, he became Burton Holmes' cameraman. Starting in the 1930s, De La Varre became an independent film maker making shorts for major Hollywood Studios. He traveled and filmed constantly for the next 40 years. (Travel Film Archive). * James A. Fitzpatrick has made 225 travelogues and traveled around the world 25 times in the process. In 1923, he formed Fitzpatrick Pictures and provided a stock set of images about the world at a time when hardly any international films were available to American audiences. *
Carl Dudley Carl Ward Dudley (1910–1973) was an American film director and producer. He was best known for directing and producing short travelogues. Biography Early life Carl Ward Dudley was born on December 31, 1910, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Career H ...
made 300 travel adventure films. It all started in 1935 when he traveled to Tahiti, Australia, and India working on film crews. In 1944, he started Dubley Pictures Corp. He is best known for Cinerama's ''South Seas Adventure''. (Travel Film Archive). * Robert Flaherty was an American film maker who directed and produced the first commercial successful feature documentary, '' Nanook of the North'', in 1922. * Eugene Castle was not a travel filmmaker but his company Castle Films was the largest distributor of films for the home and a contributing factor to the raise of popularity of travelogues. Castle went on to sell his company to Universal for $3 million in 1947. (Travel Film Archive). * Bill Burrud produced the 1958 ''Treasure'' TV series and ''The Open Road''. He coined the phrase "traventure." * Edward M. Newman produced many travelogues for Warner Brothers studio in the 1930s. * Sky Gaven is an American entrepreneur who in 2015 created and produced one of the most prolific digital travel series, "Shaycation" starring actress Shay Mitchell. The series changed the way YouTube formats were crafted and cemented itself as a pioneer in the travel genre.


Notable examples

*''
The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in fore ...
'' *''
An Idiot Abroad ''An Idiot Abroad'' is a British travel documentary comedy television series broadcast on Sky One, as well as a series of companion books published by Canongate Books, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and starring Karl Pilkington. ...
'' - presented by Karl Pilkington *'' Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations'' - travel and food documentary *''
Around the World in 80 Treasures Around may refer to: * "Around" (song), by Julia van Bergen * ''Around'', 2006 album by Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New ...
'' - with Dan Cruickshank. First broadcast by the BBC in 2005. *'' Big Crazy Family Adventure'' *'' Brazil with Michael Palin'' *'' Bump!'' *'' By Any Means'' *''The Coolest Places on Earth'' *'' Departures'' *''Developing Destinations'' *''
Don't Tell My Mother ''Don't Tell My Mother'' is a television programme hosted by Diego Buñuel and shown on the subscription television channel Nat Geo Adventure. Development For the past ten years, Diego Buñuel has been a foreign correspondent for French tel ...
'' - presented by Diego Buñuel. *''Extreme Treks'' *''Extreme Vacations'' *''
Full Circle with Michael Palin ''Full Circle with Michael Palin'' is a 10-part 1997 documentary television series, first broadcast on BBC One in 1997. Presented by Michael Palin, ''Full Circle'' was the third of a series of programmes in which Palin made and documented lengt ...
'' *'' Getaway'' *''Getaway to Paradise'' *''Get Outta Town'' *''
Globe Trekker ''Globe Trekker'' (sometimes called ''Pilot Guides'' in Australia and Thailand, and originally broadcast as ''Lonely Planet'') was a British adventure tourism television series produced by Pilot Productions. The British series was inspired ...
'' *''Glutton for Punishment'' *'' The Great Outdoors'' *'' Holiday'' *'' Himalaya with Michael Palin'' *''
Intrepid Journeys ''Intrepid Journeys'' is a New Zealand television series, which screens on TV ONE in New Zealand and on Vibrant TV Network in the United States. Making its debut in 2003, the show focuses on New Zealand celebrities who travel to exotic countries ...
'' *'' Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled'' *''
Lonely Planet Six Degrees Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarke ...
'' *'' Long Way Down'' *'' Long Way Round'' *'' Madventures'' *''
Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin Around may refer to: * "Around" (song), by Julia van Bergen * ''Around'', 2006 album by Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New ...
'' *'' Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure'' *''
Michael Palin's New Europe ''Michael Palin's New Europe'' is a travel documentary presented by Michael Palin and first aired in the UK on the BBC on 16 September 2007 and in the US on the Travel Channel on 28 January 2008. Palin visits 20 countries in Central and Eastern ...
'' *''MyDestination.TV'' *'' The Moaning of Life'' - also presented by Karl Pilkington *'' On Hannibal's Trail'' first broadcast by BBC in 2010 *''
Passport to Europe ''Passport to Europe'' was an American television show on the Travel Channel from 2004 to 2006. The show follows the bubbly and upbeat television host Samantha Brown around Europe visiting various popular European cities, including prime travel ...
'' *'' Pole to Pole'' *'' Rick Steves' Europe'' *''
Sahara with Michael Palin ''Sahara with Michael Palin'' is a four-part BBC television series presented by British comedian and travel presenter Michael Palin, and first broadcast in 2002. In it, Palin travelled around the Sahara in Northern and Western Africa, meeting ...
'' *'' Sancharam (Santosh George Kulangara)'' *''
Scam City ''Scam City'' is a television show which started airing on Travel + Escape in June 2012, and has subsequently aired on the National Geographic Channel, and in Australia on the subscription channel Nat Geo People. Host Conor Woodman travels to ...
'' *''Shaycation'' *'' The Story of God with Morgan Freeman'' *'' Stranded With Cash Peters'' *'' Traceroute'' *''Up Up and Away'' *''
Whicker's World ''Whicker's World'' was a British television documentary series that ran from 1958 to 1994, presented by journalist and broadcaster Alan Whicker. Originally a segment on the BBC's ''Tonight'' programme in 1958, ''Whicker's World'' became a fu ...
'' *''World on Wheels'' *'' World's Most Dangerous Roads'' - BBC series in which two celebrities journey by 4x4 on roads considered among the world's most dangerous. *''
Word Travels ''Word Travels'' (tagline ''The Truth Behind the Byline'') is an adventure travel television documentary series. An original Canadian production, the show debuted on OLN on January 30, 2008 and aires in Canada on OLN and CityTV, and worldwide o ...
'' - presented by
Robin Esrock Robin Esrock ( ; born 1974 in Johannesburg, South Africa)OLN in 2008. *''Xtreme Tourist'' *''Xtreme Travel'' *''Vague Direction''Vague Direction – A Bicycle Powered Project about People ,
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Broadcast stations

The following are TV stations that air primarily travel based content: *
Discover Barbados TV Discover Barbados Television also known as The Visitor Channel, is available in a number of hotels around the island. The Discover Barbados Channel caters to tourists coming to Barbados and brings programming to some of the most notable places of ...
* Évasion *
Russian Travel Guide Russian Travel Guide is an international documentary and travel television channel that airs programs covering nature, science, culture, and history of the Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinen ...
* Travel Channel *
Travel Channel (International) Travel Channel International (stylized as Trvl Channel in Asia and Australia since 2021) is a commercial television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and broadcasting travel-themed programmes in the EMEA regions and Asia Pacific, spanning ...
*
Travel + Escape T+E is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel owned by Blue Ant Media. The channel primarily broadcasts entertainment programming, including docu-series and dramas related to the supernatural and paranormal. History On ...
* Travelxp * Voyages Television


See also

*
Digital storytelling Digital storytelling is a short form of digital media production that allows everyday people to create and share their stories online. The method is frequently used in schools, museums, libraries, social work and health settings, and communities. ...
* Docudrama * Ethnofiction * Ethnographic film * IMAX * Mondo film * Nature documentary * Newsreel *
Reality film Reality film or reality movie describes a genre of films that have resulted from reality television, such as ''The Real Cancun'', MTV's film version of '' The Real World'', which was originally titled ''Spring Break: The Reality Movie''. In an art ...
* Realism (arts) * Semidocumentary * Travel Channel * Travel literature *
Visual sociology Visual sociology is an area of sociology concerned with the visual dimensions of social life. Theory and method Visual sociology can be theoretically framed around three themes. Luc Pauwels suggests that the framework is based on the origin ...
*
Visual anthropology Visual anthropology is a subfield of social anthropology that is concerned, in part, with the study and production of ethnographic photography, film and, since the mid-1990s, new media. More recently it has been used by historians of science ...


References


Bibliography

* * Dana Benelli (2002) Hollywood and the Travelogue, Visual Anthropology, 15:1, 3 16, DOI: 10.1080/08949460210640 * Allison Griffith “'To the World the World We Show': Early Travelogues as Filmed Ethnography”, Indiana University Press, 293. * “what is a travelogue,” Travel Writing World, last accessed 29, December, 2019, https://www.travelwritingworld.com/what-is-a-travelogue/ * Merritt Mecham, "The Documentarian as Tourist: Travel and Representation in Documentary" http://film.byu.edu/aperture/?p=185


Further reading

* Caldwell, Genoa, Editor. (1980). ''The Man Who Photographed the World: Burton Holmes : Travelogues, 1886-1938''. Harry N Abrams. * Caldwell, Genoa, Editor. (2006). ''Burton Holmes Travelogues: The Greatest Traveler of His Time, 1892-1952''. Tacshen. * Soule, Thayer. (2003). ''On the Road With Travelogues: 1935 - 1995 A Sixty-Year Romp''. Authorhouse.


External links


The Travel Film Archive

GeoCinema Travel Filmmaker Federation

Travel Adventure Cinema Society

Wild Film History

The Industry Film Archive

The Newsreel Archive

The Burton Holmes Archive

Burton Holmes website



The Explorers Club

Windoes Travelogues
website * {{Film genres Documentary film genres Film genres