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Globe Trekker (sometimes called Pilot Guides in Australia, Spain and Thailand, and originally broadcast as Lonely Planet) is a British adventure tourism television series produced by Pilot Productions. The British series was inspired by the Lonely Planet travelbooks and began airing in 1994. Globe Trekker is broadcast in over 40 countries across six continents. The programme won over 20 international awards, including six American Cable Ace awards.
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| Globe Trekker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Pilot Guides |
| Genre | Adventure travel |
| Starring | Various hosts (known as Travellers) |
| Country of origin | England |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 17 |
| No. of episodes | 218+ |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 PBS OLN Canada Travel Channel Travel Channel (international) Discovery Travel & Living (Aus) NYC Media Arutz HaTiyulim (yes (Israel), HOT (Israel)) Yle TV2 DR2 NRK2 |
| Release | 1994 – 2016 [1] |
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Each episode features a host, called a traveller, who travels with a camera crew to a country/major city and experiences the sights, sounds, and culture that the location has to offer. Special episodes feature in-depth looks at beaches, apes, nature, road trips, Chinatown, trekking, sacred places, slave trade, piracy, volcanos, war, journeys, history, festivals, endangered place and food guides. DVDs of special interest also feature culture, nature and around the world collections.
The show often goes far beyond popular tourist destinations in order to give viewers a more authentic look at local culture. Presenters usually participate in different aspects of regional life, such as attending a traditional wedding or visiting a mining community. They address the viewer directly, acting as tourists-turned-tour guides, but are also filmed interacting with locals and discovering interesting locations in (mostly) unrehearsed sequences. Globe Trekker also sometimes includes brief interviews with backpackers who share tips on independent travel in that particular country or city.
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It usually takes 12 to 15 weeks to complete an episode of the show from start to finish, including at least four weeks of research, three weeks of planning and preparation (speaking to tourist boards, making travel arrangements), two to three weeks of actual filming, and three weeks of editing and post-production.
The traveller is often accompanied by five or six members of camera and production crew, who almost never appear on camera. Specifically, the crew consists of a camera operator and a sound technician, plus a producer and a director, who scout locations two weeks before filming. A driver, pilot, or other type of facilitator is often hired locally. A traveller and crew almost never spend more than three nights in one particular area.[citation needed]
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The series is known for its distinctive theme and background music, which consists largely of instrumental downtempo electronic dance compositions containing global folk music elements. Most of the music is written for the show by Ian Ritchie, Michael Conn, Colin Winston-Fletcher, with additional music from Makoto Sakamoto, Nainita Desai & Malcolm Laws, Nomad, Jesper Mattsson, The Insects, The West India Company, Stephen Luscombe, and Pandit Dinesh. Several collection of tracks from the show have been released as albums, including Globe Trekker: Ambient Journeys, Globe Trekker: Earth Journeys (volumes 1 and 2), Globe Trekker: Music From The TV Series (volumes 1 and 2), Globe Trekker: Asian Journeys, Globe Trekker: Latin American Journeys, and Globe Trekker: World Jam.
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Pilot Productions employs several presenters for its variety of programs which include Planet Food, Bazaar, World Cafe, and Treks in a Wild World. This list of presenters is limited to those appearing in Globe Trekker.[2]
- Jonathan Atherton
- Danielle Baker
- Brianna Barnes
- Estelle Bingham
- Christina Chang
- Bobby Chinn[3]
- KT Comer
- Bradley Cooper, who hosted a number of episodes in the early 2000s before achieving success as a Hollywood actor[4]
- Mark Crowdy
- Zoe D’Amato
- Andrew Daddo
- Tyler Florence
- Neil Gibson
- Nikki Grosse
- Zay Harding
- Katy Haswell
- Judith Jones[5]
- Padma Lakshmi, who would go on to host major productions such as Top Chef
- Megan McCormick
- Shilpa Mehta
- Holly Morris
- Eils Nevitt
- Zoe Palmer
- Merrilees Parker
- Alex Riley
- Sami Sabiti
- Justine Shapiro[6]
- Lavinia Tan
- Adela Úcar
- Lucille Whitney
- Ian Wright
- Matt Young
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In 2020 The Washington Post listed the show, as hosted on the Vudu video streaming service, as one of the best adventure travel television shows.[7]
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During the course of the series, 248 episodes were produced. [8]
Season 1 (1994)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Indonesia: The Eastern Islands" | Mark Crowdy |
| 2 | "Pacific Islands: Fiji, Vanuatu & The Solomon Islands" | Ian Wright |
| 3 | "Africa: Zimbabwe, Botswana & Namibia" | Andrew Daddo |
| 4 | "Morocco" | Ian Wright |
| 5 | "South East Australia" | Ian Wright |
| 6 | "Ecuador & The Galapagos Islands" | Justine Shapiro |
| 7 | "Vietnam" | Justine Shapiro |
| 8 | "Japan: Tokyo to Taiwan" | Ian Wright |
| 9 | "La Ruta Maya" | Justine Shapiro |
| 10 | "Alaska" | Ian Wright |
| 11 | "North East Brazil" | Ian Wright |
| 12 | "North India: Varanasi to the Himalayas" | Andrew Daddo |
| 13 | "Jamaica" | Ian Wright |
Season 2 (1995)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Israel & The Sinai Desert" | Justine Shapiro |
| 2 | "East Africa: Tanzania & Zanzibar" | Ian Wright |
| 3 | "Central Asia" | Ian Wright |
| 4 | "The American Rockies" | Ian Wright |
| 5 | "South West China" | Justine Shapiro |
| 6 | "Chile & Easter Island" | Ian Wright |
| 7 | "South India" | Justine Shapiro |
| 8 | "Baja California" | Ian Wright |
| 9 | "West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso & Mali" | Justine Shapiro |
| 10 | "Trekking in Uganda and Zaire" | Nikki Grosse |
| 11 | "Turkey" | Justine Shapiro |
| 12 | "Corsica, Sardinia & Sicily" | Ian Wright |
| 13 | "Iceland & Greenland" | Ian Wright |
Season 3 (1996)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "New York City Guide" | Ian Wright |
| 2 | "Syria, Jordan & Lebanon" | Ian Wright |
| 3 | "Argentina" | Justine Shapiro |
| 4 | "Ethiopia" | Ian Wright |
| 5 | "South Africa & Lesotho" | Justine Shapiro |
| 6 | "Cuba & Haiti" | Ian Wright |
| 7 | "Philippines" | Shilpa Mehta |
| 8 | "Outback Australia" | Ian Wright |
| 9 | "Pakistan" | Neil Gibson |
| 10 | "Peru" | Neil Gibson |
| 11 | "Northern Spain" | Shilpa Mehta |
| 12 | "South West USA" | Justine Shapiro |
| 13 | "Hungary & Romania" | Ian Wright |
Season 4 (1997)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "North Thailand & Laos" | Ian Wright |
| 2 | "Central America: Costa Rica & Nicaragua" | Neil Gibson |
| 3 | "Indonesia: Bali & Sulawesi" | Shilpa Mehta |
| 4 | "Iran" | Ian Wright |
| 5 | "Norway" | Ian Wright |
| 6 | "London City Guide" | Jonathan Atherton |
| 7 | "Mongolia" | Ian Wright |
| 8 | "Czech Republic & Southern Poland" | Justine Shapiro |
| 9 | "Papua New Guinea" | Jonathan Atherton |
| 10 | "Paris City Guide" | Justine Shapiro |
| 11 | "Nepal" | Ian Wright |
| 12 | "Southern Italy" | Justine Shapiro |
| 13 | "Amsterdam City Guide" | Jonathan Atherton |
Season 5 (1998)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hawaii" | Megan McCormick |
| 2 | "Finland & The Baltic States" | Neil Gibson |
| 3 | "West India" | Megan McCormick |
| 4 | "San Francisco City Guide" | Justine Shapiro |
| 5 | "New Zealand" | Ian Wright |
| 6 | "Mexico City Guide" | Justine Shapiro |
| 7 | "Malaysia & Southern Thailand" | Justine Shapiro |
| 8 | "Rio de Janeiro City Guide" | Ian Wright |
| 9 | "Sydney City Guide" | Justine Shapiro |
| 10 | "Egypt" | Megan McCormick |
| 11 | "West Africa: Ghana & The Ivory Coast" | Megan McCormick |
| 12 | "Arctic Canada" | Ian Wright |
| 13 | "New Orleans City Guide" | Justine Shapiro |
Season 6 (1999)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mainland Greece" | Christina Chang |
| 2 | "Ireland" | Ian Wright |
| 3 | "Deep South USA" | Ian Wright |
| 4 | "Sri Lanka & Maldive Islands" | Megan McCormick |
| 5 | "Bolivia" | Ian Wright |
| 6 | "Madagascar" | Ian Wright |
| 7 | "World Food: Vietnam" | Justine Shapiro |
| 8 | "Micronesia" | Megan McCormick |
| 9 | "Cambodia" | Ian Wright |
| 10 | "Eastern Caribbean" | Justine Shapiro |
| 11 | "Moscow, St Petersburg and Murmansk" | Ian Wright |
| 12 | "World History: England" | Justine Shapiro |
| 13 | "Southern Spain" | Christina Chang |
Season 7 (2000)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Queensland and The Great Barrier Reef" | Megan McCormick |
| 2 | "Georgia & Armenia" | Ian Wright |
| 3 | "Greek Islands" | Megan McCormick |
| 4 | "California" | Justine Shapiro |
| 5 | "Scotland" | Megan McCormick |
| 6 | "Germany" | Justine Shapiro |
| 7 | "Central China" | Megan McCormick |
| 8 | "Venezuela" | Ian Wright |
| 9 | "Northern Italy" | Megan McCormick |
| 10 | "Tunisia & Libya" | Ian Wright |
| 11 | "Tahiti & Samoa" | Ian Wright |
| 12 | "South West Australia" | Estelle Bingham |
| 13 | "Portugal and the Azores" | Megan McCormick |
Season 8 (2001)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Istanbul City Guide" | Estelle Bingham |
| 2 | "Beijing City Guide" | Megan McCormick |
| 3 | "South of France" | Christina Chang |
| 4 | "Java and Sumatra" | Megan McCormick |
| 5 | "Kenya" | Estelle Bingham |
| 6 | "Vienna City Guide" | Ian Wright |
| 7 | "New England, USA" | Megan McCormick |
| 8 | "Ultimate Indo China" | Multiple Travelers |
| 9 | "Rome City Guide" | Estelle Bingham |
| 10 | "South Korea" | Ian Wright |
| 11 | "Ultimate Australia" | Multiple Travelers |
| 12 | "Asian Cities: Calcutta, Shanghai & Bangkok" | Multiple Travelers |
| 13 | "Southern Mexico" | Ian Wright |
Season 9 (2002)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Arab Gulf States" | Megan McCormick |
| 2 | "Northern France" | Justine Shapiro |
| 3 | "Tuscany" | Ian Wright |
| 4 | "London 2" | Jonathan Atherton, Megan McCormick |
| 5 | "Morocco 2" | Ian Wright, Megan McCormick |
| 6 | "Washington DC City Guide" | Justine Shapiro |
| 7 | "Great Festivals 2" | Multiple Travelers |
| 8 | "Ultimate France" | Multiple Travelers |
| 9 | "Ultimate Italy" | Multiple Travelers |
| 10 | "Marrakech and Dubai City Guides" | Megan McCormick |
| 11 | "Hong Kong & Taiwan" | Megan McCormick |
| 12 | "World History Middle East" | Multiple Travelers |
| 13 | "New York 2" | Ian Wright, Megan McCormick |
Season 10 (2003)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Tokyo City Guide" | Ian Wright |
| 2 | "Mozambique" | Ian Wright |
| 3 | "Cameroon" | Zay Harding |
| 4 | "South East China" | Zay Harding |
| 5 | "Ultimate Caribbean" | Multiple Travelers |
| 6 | "South Africa 2" | Justine Shapiro, Sami Sabiti |
| 7 | "Belgium and Luxembourg" | Katy Haswell |
| 8 | "Ultimate Mexico" | Multiple Travelers |
| 9 | "Pacific North West USA" | Sami Sabiti |
| 10 | "Florida and the Bahamas" | Lavinia Tan |
| 11 | "Ultimate China" | Multiple Travelers |
| 12 | "Ultimate India" | Multiple Travelers |
| 13 | "Western Canada" | Zay Harding |
Season 11 (2004)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "England and Wales" | Ian Wright |
| 2 | "Midwest USA" | Justine Shapiro |
| 3 | "Venice City Guide" | Justine Shapiro |
| 4 | "South East USA" | Megan McCormick |
| 5 | "Civil War Special" | Megan McCormick, Justine Shapiro |
| 6 | "Malaysia: Penang, Malacca & Borneo" | Ian Wright |
| 7 | "Indian Ocean Islands" | Ian Wright |
| 8 | "New Zealand 2" | Ian Wright, Zay Harding |
| 9 | "Chinatown Special" | Multiple Travelers |
| 10 | "Beirut City Guide" | Multiple Travelers |
| 11 | "Ultimate UK" | Multiple Travelers |
| 12 | "Great Festivals 3" | Multiple Travelers |
| 13 | "The Good and Bad Food Guide 2" | Multiple Travelers |
Season 12 (2005)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sweden and Denmark" | Megan McCormick |
| 2 | "Spanish Islands" | Alex Riley |
| 3 | "Las Vegas City Guide" | Ian Wright |
| 4 | "Galleons, Pirates and Treasure Special" | Megan McCormick |
| 5 | "Colombia and Panama" | Megan McCormick |
| 6 | "Trekking the Turks and Caicos Islands and Walking the Milford Track" | Ian Wright, Zay Harding |
| 7 | "Ice Trekking the Alps" | Zay Harding |
| 8 | "Paris City Guide 2" | Adela Ucar, Justine Shapiro |
| 9 | "Cyprus and Crete" | KT Comer, Adela Ucar |
| 10 | "Great Journeys: Road Warriors" | Multiple Travelers |
| 11 | "Globe Shopper 2" | Multiple Travelers |
| 12 | "Great Journeys 2: Planes, Trains and Automobiles" | Multiple Travelers |
| 13 | "Eco Trekker Special: Great Natural Wonders" | Multiple Travelers |
Season 13 (2006)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Los Angeles" | Megan McCormick |
| 2 | "Zambia & Malawi" | Holly Morris |
| 3 | "Honduras & El Salvador" | Brianna Barnes |
| 4 | "Senegal & Cape Verde" | Zoe Palmer |
| 5 | "Utah & Colorado" | Holly Morris |
| 6 | "The Caribbean Islands" | Zoe Palmer |
| 7 | "World War II in Europe" | Multiple Travelers |
| 8 | "Germany 2" | Megan McCormick, Justine Shapiro |
| 9 | "Slovenia & Croatia" | Bradley Cooper |
| 10 | "Volcanoes: Rings of Fire" | Multiple Travelers |
| 11 | "Transatlantic Slave Trade" | Multiple Travelers |
| 12 | "Planet of the Apes Special" | Multiple Travelers |
| 13 | "Trekking the Pacific: The Cook Islands & Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea" | Zoe Palmer, Matt Young |
Season 14 (2007)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Holy Lands: Jerusalem & The West Bank" | Zay Harding |
| 2 | "Holy Lands 2: Israel" | Zay Harding |
| 3 | "Barcelona City Guide" | Megan McCormick |
| 4 | "Madrid City Guide" | Adela Úcar |
| 5 | "Turkey 2" | Adela Úcar |
| 6 | "Syria" | Holly Morris |
| 7 | "Antarctica" | Zay Harding |
| 8 | "The South Atlantic" | Zay Harding |
| 9 | "Nigeria" | Adela Úcar |
| 10 | "Ukraine" | Holly Morris |
| 11 | "The Netherlands" | Brianna Barnes |
| 12 | "Amsterdam 2" | Brianna Barnes |
| 13 | "Endangered Places" | Multiple Travelers |
Season 15 (2008)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Puerto Rico" | Zay Harding |
| 2 | "Papua New Guinea Islands" | Zay Harding |
| 3 | "Bangladesh" | Holly Morris |
| 4 | "Great Historic Sites: The Age of Empire" | Multiple Travelers |
| 5 | "Great Historic Sites: The Modern World" | Multiple Travelers |
| 6 | "World War II: The Pacific" | Multiple Travelers |
| 7 | "East Texas" | Zay Harding |
| 8 | "West Texas" | Zay Harding |
| 9 | "Mid-Atlantic States, USA" | Brianna Barnes |
| 10 | "Eastern Canada" | Zoe D’Amato |
| 11 | "Isolated Islands: Marshall Islands & Dutch Antilles" | Zay Harding |
| 12 | "London 3" | Brianna Barnes |
| 13 | "Uruguay & Paraguay" | Holly Morris |
Season 16 (2009)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Buenos Aires City Guide" | Judith Jones |
| 2 | "Colonial Australia" | Zay Harding |
| 3 | "Art Trails of the French Riviera" | Kate Comer |
| 4 | "Great Australian Hikes" | Zay Harding |
| 5 | "Myanmar" | Megan McCormick |
| 6 | "World War I: The Western Front" | Zay Harding |
| 7 | "Good and Bad Food (and Drink) Guide 3" | Multiple Travelers |
| 8 | "Northeast England" | Judith Jones |
| 9 | "Switzerland" | Brianna Barnes |
| 10 | "Building England 1:Before there were Architects" | Judith Jones |
| 11 | "Delhi and Rajasthan" | Holly Morris |
| 12 | "Central Japan" | Megan McCormick |
| 13 | "Mumbai City Guide" | Zay Harding |
Round the World
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Across America: Route 66 & Beyond" | Justine Shapiro |
| 2 | "Pan Americana 1: Conquistadors, Aztecs & Revolutions" | Judith Jones |
| 3 | "Pan Americana 2: Conquistadors, Incas & Inquisitions" | Brianna Barnes |
| 4 | "Pacific Journeys 1: Santiago to Pitcairn" | Zay Harding |
| 5 | "Pacific Journeys 2: Tonga to New Caledonia" | Zay Harding |
| 6 | "The Silk Road 1: Xi’an to Kashgar" | Megan McCormick |
| 7 | "The Silk Road 2: Kashgar to Istanbul" | Holly Morris |
| 8 | "East to West: Istanbul to Vienna" | Ian Wright |
Season 17 (2010)
| # | Title | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Building England 2: The Age of Architects" | Judith Jones |
| 2 | "Road Trip Ruta 40: Patagonia" | Zay Harding |
| 3 | "Road Trip Ruta 40: The Andes" | Zay Harding |
| 4 | "Top Ten South American Adventures" | Multiple Travelers |
| 5 | "Isolated Islands: Saint Helena" | Zay Harding |
| 6 | "Poland" | Megan McCormick |
| 7 | "Delhi and Agra" | Ian Wright |
| 8 | "Top Ten African Adventures" | |
| 9 | "Sacred Places Special: Great Mosques" | Multiple Travelers |
| 10 | "The Rise and Fall of The British Raj" | Zay Harding voice-over, involving multiple travellers (Ian Wright mostly, Bobby Chinn & Holly Morris) |
| 11 | "The Wild West, USA" | Multiple Travelers |
| 12 | "Hawaii 2" | Zoe D’Amato |
| 13 | "Rust Belt Highway, USA" | Megan McCormick |
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