What old TV show sparked your travel interest when you were a kid?

It wasn't a kids show per say, but as a kid I used to love watching the original BBC series of Great Railway Journeys of the World on channel 13 (PBS) here in NY. I couldn't get enough of it. Later on there was another series on PBS called Travels with John Heminway which also captivated me. Not a TV show, but the National Geographic (remember the free maps)gift subscriptions my late grandma gave me, helped nurture my travel bug as well.

A fun question! For me it was the TV show/computer game Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? Not just to see Europe, but to travel the world. Played it endlessly at the baby sitters, if I could get away with it!

Remember the series Time Tunnel? If not that, it was definitely Sea Hunt (Lloyd Bridges es mas macho). Seriously though, I'm not sure what got me started. I didn't have money to travel when I was a kid but we did cross the border into Mexico regularly - and many of my friends in San Diego were from different parts of the world. I knew I wanted to travel before I graduated from college so I joined the Air Force. I was flabbergasted at the number of Lts who asked for the base closest to home - I wanted to see as much as I could (I asked for a fighter to Europe and received a bomber to Guam - not exactly what I had in mind).

It wasn't when I was a kid but when I was 19 I saw the film "Summer Lovers" with Darryl Hannah and just knew I Had to see Greece. I went 6 months later with my best friend and thats when I caught the Travel Bug!!

It was the Sherlock Holmes stories that first introduced me to London and started what latter became a huge fascination with all things England. It was, and still is, history that motivated me to see the rest of Europe and the rest of the world. But in the 6th grade, I had to read a novel called "The Rain Forest." Although I remember nothing about the story itself, it did put in my head a desire to see Papua New Guinea, and that goal still remains on my "bucket list" for no other reason than that.

Oh, those spy shows. Mine would have to be Alias, the Jennifer Garner series from the last decade. Watching it, I realized I kind of always wanted to be a spy. While I can't be recruited by Langley, I could always visit the former hot spots spies used to hit!

Summer Lovers w/ Darryl Hannah. I forgot all about that. I'm gonna have to rent that one again. :-)

Not a TV show, but I remember pouring over an Ideals magazine that I had and there was a Holiday Section about Christmas Traditions around the world, and it was so romantic to think about those wonderful European traditions...I don't tend to keep a lot of 'stuff', but recently when I thought about the impact it had on my love of travel I went on ebay and within about 10 minutes found a copy. It's so fun because some of the countries don't exist anymore as they did then. (Yugoslavia)

Ah Thomas, just the name Alexander Mundy brings back memories. I too loved "To Catch a Thief" with Robert Wagner - wonderful locations and a cute guy, what's not to like. I also own the Alfred Hitchcock movie on which it was based and watch it about once a year. Two of my favorite "chick flicks" from my early years were "Summertime" (Venice) and "Three Coins in the Fountain" (Rome). All of these made me want to see Europe but when cable TV came along and the Travel Channel, oh that did it!

As a kid, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang made me want to go see that castle (Neuschwanstein). Even though it was filmed on a lot in Hollywood, Hogan Hereos made me want to learn German and go to Germany. And of course.....the Sound of Music!!! As an adult though, Roman Holiday captured my heart.

When I was 13, I discovered the Beatles. Had dreams of moving to England from then on! But alas, was stuck in New Jersey until a young adult. Never moved to England, but visited a few times and loved it.

National Geographic

We didn't have television when I was a kid. I did read the Farm Journal though.

National Geographic got me started too - specifically the issue about Pompeii in the early/mid 60's. Later that decade, I was crazy about the Beatles and became obsessed with London. Also, French class in high school made me yearn for Paris. My first trip to Europe was to London about 30 years ago. I made it to Paris four years ago. Still haven't been to Pompeii, but it's on the list.

Just remembered one more inspiration - the Olympics. Especially the Winter Olympics because the scenery is always so pretty. The first one I remember well is 1968 in Grenoble, France. I'm still an Olympics junkie.

Love of travel runs in my family, but only my sister and I developed the desire to explore Europe. It started mainly with the UK from watching and reading All Creatures Great and Small set in the Yorkshire Dales. Shows such as Dr. Who, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Fawlty Towers, though pretty much filmed entirely in studios, thrilled us with the British imagination and sense of humor.

Gilligan's Island---just kidding. There wasn't TV when I was a kid. I read HEIDI and thought Switzerland sounded beautiful.

Someone just reminded me that reading Heidi and seeing the movie made me want to go to Switzerland - I fulfilled that dream on my second trip to Europe about 15 years ago. Another one I just thought of is "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara - that one instilled in me a deep need (not just a want) to go to Ireland, even though I have no Irish in me. Have been twice now, it's one of my favorite places and it's better in person than watching a movie. Thomas, thanks for this thread.

3 things. My mom gave me a set of books that she had read when she was a kid and each book was about kids from different countries all over the world. I loved playing "Masterpiece", a board game, and wanted to see all the famous paintings on the game pieces in real life. Saw "A Little Romance" with a 13 year old Diane Lane and wanted to go to Venice and I finally got there when I was 12 and would get up at dawn each morning to wander off from the hotel on my own and walk alongside the canals and back streets, stopping at the gondolas docked in the water and looking at the Bridge of Sighs just to see it without any crowds snapping photos. Love Pink Floyd's "The Wall", too - the album and the movie (especially when Bob Geldof shaves off his eyebrows - but that's an American hotel room he trashes before he floats in the swimming pool while he flashes back to his childhood in England). But "The Wall" just makes me want to take a couple bong hits and cook Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

More of a reader than a TV watcher when I was a kid. National Geographic for sure, as well as Life. I remember reading about the building of the Aswan Dam and wanting so badly to go to Egypt. There was this whole hippie lifestyle thing going on, where the thing to do was go to Europe on Iceland Air, round trip for $100 I think, get a Eurail Pass for 3 months, and do Europe on $5 a day. That sounded so wonderful, but never did it. I read encyclopedias when I was younger too as a hobby. Loved World Book. Lots of history books about the Greeks and the Romans and the Middle Ages. Now, here I am, living in the middle of all of it and enjoying being in the center of so much history. Lots of fun, and I like doing research on the different eras, the kings and queens, the architecture, the wars, and the people. The only silly show I can think of that made me want to travel would be, "Johnny Quest" and "Clarence, the Cross-eyed Lion."

The Third Man...always longed to visit those old streets in Vienna. Realized that dream having been there many times now. I always hear Anton Karas playing in the background when walking those streets at night.

I loved All Creatures Great And Small and now we have Downton Abbey. I've never been to England but now, I must!

Great thread, Thomas! Didn't have TV until we moved to the States. Saw movies though once in a while. Irma la Duece for sure, with Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon. I just couldn't get over Paris, the buildings and small apartments with all the windows. Michael Caine in The Ipcress File was good and cheesy. Once in America I loved The Saint and The Avengers also. And Bond, James Bond of course. Endless Summer? I think I remember it ;-) Didn't they jump off of a cliff into the sea?

I seem to recall that someone asked this exact same question a few years ago... so I'll repeat my answer. Monty Python's Flying Circus. Why? I simply had to experience a culture first-hand that could produce such sublimely briliant (and silly) humour. And from there, you might say Britain was my gateway drug into the rest of Europe.

Mine was the UK mini-series 'The Third Eye' on Nickelodeon. It was like a Dr. Who for kids. I spent months scouring Ebay for bootleg DVDs of the episodes you can't buy anymore (or ever). My copies even have the creepy intro they did for the US. Great scenery of England. After that, it was definitely the Indiana Jones movies.

This is a great thread Thomas!! Let's see... I think mine would be "The Adventures of TinTin", NOT the recent movie, but the cartoon TV show that used to come on the Family Channel in the early 90s. Same character, although few remember the animated series. If we want to take it back even further, Fraggle Rock (I wanted to be Red when I grew up... I still do!! - but don't judge haha!). Anyway, fans of the show remember Uncle Traveling Matt who would send postcards from some "exotic place", like, oh, say, the mall, but to him it was outer space. I don't think he ever went to Europe but the whole concept of traveling and trying new things stuck with me ever since. And more recent, the whole Bourne series (the first 3 with Matt Damon). It's my fav trilogy outside of Star Wars, and to this day I watch for the plot AND the scenery. Can I please visit Tangier?? And as an old movie fanatic, I credit (or blame) my fascination with Paris on "Charade" with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Saw it when I was around 12 and have been obsessed ever since.

There was a Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs and Yosemite Sam were in a competition to climb atop the "Shmatterhorn" and win 50 thousand "kronkites". That sparked my interest in traveling to Switzerland as a wee lad. But I still don't know where the "Shmatterhorn" is.

Fun responses here! Terry Kathryn, I'm with you. I believe it was Ideals magazine that made the series of books about Christmas in each European country. I remember looking at the Santa Lucia celebrations in the Sweden one (much as an annual ritual now is to watch Rick's European Christmas!!). Now I enjoy looking at the books with my nieces, to share with them about Christmas where I live and where their uncle is from (Italy). Hopefully someday they'll come experience Christmas here with us (as their parents and our parents did before they were born).

@Kim... what a coincidence... I also remember the Swedish one, vividly...as I am Swedish (have not made it there yet) but the drawing of St. Lucia had some sort of crown on her head with pine boughs and candles. The one from Poland had the mother wearing some sort of head ornament with stars on it and as a child I spent hours try to make one for myself out of cardboard...it never quite fit! Good thing I didn't try the lit candle one. I have since gone to the Christmas markets a few times and am sure this was the inspiration for those trips.

Well, this is travelling in the other direction, but after watching 'The Lone Ranger' and 'Wagon Train' as a kid, I always wanted to go to the US. I wasn't disappointed, either!

@Terry Kathryn me neither, still haven't made it to Sweden. I just love that the Rick Christmas show shows the Santa Lucia celebration. The closest I've made it is to the Christmas bazaar that the Swedish church in the 17th holds annually. But soon!! I too enjoy the Christmas markets, but have never been to any of the German ones. After reading everyone's reports from this year, I'm re-inspired to make the effort this year! @Maggie love that. Of course I suppose everything was filmed in Southern California, but I can take some comfort in knowing my home state of Oklahoma being romanticized in that way. My husband loves visiting the cowboy shops and Western museums when we go home. It's funny to think of it as exotic, but it is to him!! (He grew up on all those western films.)

These aren't old TV shows, but they've really put the bug in me to keep returning to Scandinavia- The Killing, Beck and Wallander (both the Swedish and British versions). Although these shows are about as flattering to Sweden and Denmark as The Wire is to the US... they just make Scandinavia look so intruiging. And Sarah Lund has to be the one of the best female characters on any TV show in any country!

@Tom... I couldn't remember who it was that I heard about The Killing from...(but, now I think it was you) I watched US version on Netflix (Season 1) then, could not rest till I downloaded all of season 2 and watched in 1 day... thankfully it was cold outside so it justified me doing absolutely nothing all day till I found out who did it! Also, good movie for moody look at Copenhagen is Smila's Sense of Snow.

@ Maggie - I saw the travel series, Billy Connolly's Route 66, a few months ago. He was apparently inspired by those old westerns as well. It was fun to see the U.S. through his eyes. @ Kim - I used to work at The Gilcrease Museum here in Tulsa, and I was always pleasantly surprised by the number of visitors from other countries. Many were in Tulsa for business and were just killing time, but many others made a point of visiting. Tulsa and the Gilcrease may not have been their main destination, but they made sure to include it in their itinerary. Also, many pieces from their collection are quite well traveled. Last year I saw that they were sending some paintings and artifacts for a special exhibit at The Pitti Palace in Florence. I've been to the Pitti Palace, and I knew the pieces that were being sent; it was fun to think of these two worlds coming together. :)

It was books. One was 'Europe on $5 a Day.' Shows my age I suppose. And, like Christi, spy books--I really wanted to visit 'A Small Town in Germany.'
Great question, Thomas.

Oh, The Big Blue Marble! I wrote in so many times for pen pals and was always disappointed that I wasn't given someone from Europe. My interest in travel was definitely stoked by Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Dave Allen Show because the humor was so different to everything else on TV. But I suppose it was books and movies that really fueled my interest: My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (I was just a little kid, but I somehow knew that Charlie didn't live in the US), a very old version of Hansel & Gretel; the Madeline books, The Little Prince, fairy tales, Ballet Shoes and The Little Princess, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, and the Tintin comics that were serialized in Children's Digest ... And when I was maybe 7 years old, a neighbor girl went to Switzerland (her mom was Swiss) and brought me back a box of chocolates that had pictures of Swiss scenes on each wrapper, and a music box that looked like a chalet. Those two things made me determined to one day get to the Alps!

@Terry kathryn: If you can find it (I'm not sure if it's available in the US), definately watch the original Danish version of The Killing. I only saw a few parts of the US adaptation, and although I thought is was a good enough show, it pales in comparison to the slow-burning cold intensity of the original. And from what I understand, the plots of the two versions deviate significantly, so knowing who killed Rosie Larsen won't help you figure out who killed Nanna Birk Larsen. I also recently finished watching the second season of the Danish version (unlike the US counterpart, Nanna's case was concluded in one season). Although it didn't hook me quite as strongly as season 1 did initially, I found the overall story arc even more satisfying. And by coincidence... they started showing season 3 on German TV last night.

I was hooked when I started reading spy novels - Ludlum, LeCarre, etc. I loved reading the beautiful descriptive passages of the settings in the book and REALLY wanted to visit them. Still have to make it to Russia - I will. Also loved "To Catch a Thief"!

There was a children's show called "It's A Big Blue Marble" that ran in the 70's. That was my first exposure to other countries on television. It followed children from all over the world and chronicled a day in their life. I watched it on Sunday mornings while my parents were still in bed. George Pierrot World Adventure Series was a locally produced show about travel. It aired in the Detroit area in the 70's. Some of the footage was shot on 8 or 16 mm cameras without audio. It was one step above watching a slide show of someone's vacation photos at times but the man was very knowledgeable. Benny Hill, The Young Ones (MTV Early 80's) and Coronation Street spurred my interest in visiting the British Isles although I haven't made it there. My grandmother was from Scotland and Coro Street was on the telly almost everyday when I got home from school. I never followed the storyline but I liked the town setting and the architecture. Nowadays if Coro happens to be on CBC I'll watch for a few moments just to take me back to my youth. LOL.

Well, there wasn't any proper TV until I was in 4th grade and it went off a 10pm! There was a show called Armchair Adventures and it was old even then.. It had to be part of the "short subject" shown at movie theatres in those days. My dad took us to Travelogues on Friday nights at the old Spokane Colesium. It was mostly peoples vacation movies or slides. A little corny but a lot of fun. Plus on TV we got lots of old black & white movies..many of them English and that's what started my love affair with England.

There were two- One was Big Blue Marble-a weekly chidldrens show in the 1970-1980s that featured a story about a kid from a foreign land and his daily activities. You could also write in and get a pen pal. My pen pal was from Austraila and we wrote for 6 years until she went off to college. She also sent me a book about Australia-which I still have-and is on my bucket list to visit. Remington Steele- I was a tween when the show aired in the 1980s but remember that due to the LA Olympics they filmed one season mostly in Europe in Ireland, Malta and the French Rivera as well as London. Seeing their adventures and the beautiful locales as well as them jetting off on Pan Am made me long to get on a Pan Am jet and travel to London.

Now that I've had more time to think over this question, I realized another unlikely inspiration from my childhood... Disney's Duck Tales. Seriously. Before Duck Tales, except for perhaps the Smurfs, syndicated afternoon cartoons of that era were little more than cynical vehicles to market toys to kids. The animation was poor, plots were formulaic, and characters were largely interchangeable. Then out of nowhere comes Duck Tales. Suddenly, instead of robots shooting lasers at each other for no apparent reason, I'm watching intelligently written stories that often incorporate elements of literature, world history, and mythology. But best of all, the duck protagonsists often travel all over the world on some kind of treasure hunt or other adventure. Not every episode involved Europe (or a facsimile thereof, such as the Scandinavian country of"No-way"), but it was a frequent destination. In my impressionable young mind, the show presented Europe (and more generally, the entire world) as a place of wonder and excitement that needed to be explored.