The Best Travel Documentaries

"Alex Honnold" in Free Solo

Here we are over a year into the Coronavirus pandemic and travel is still as complicated as it was before. While we may able to do it more than we could last year, we’re still highly limited, meaning that many of us are still sitting around at home wishing we could see the world but not being able to. So what’s a travel lover to do other than put on a travel documentary? Here are the ones we’d recommend.

My Octopus Teacher

This is a Netflix original documentary, which is great news, because its accessibility makes it more likely that you’ll be able to watch it. Telling the story of the unexpected friendship between a filmmaker diving in South Africa and a wild octopus, it’s a beautiful film that can make you feel connected to nature.

Free Solo

This film documents an act so extreme and brave you can barely imagine it: world-class rock climber Alex Honnold tackling the 3,200 foot El Capitan mountain in Yosemite National Park with no ropes of any kind. Once you’re done feeling terrified, it makes you feel capable of doing anything.

Kedi

If you like cats, you’ll be happy to hear about this documentary, which tells the story of seven stray cats in Istanbul, allowing you to see the city through their eyes and their interactions with humans and other animals.

Image from “Kedi” via IMDb