The Reluctant Traveler

[shantown]

Quote

Eugene Levy visits some of the world's most remarkable hotels, and explores the people, places and cultures that surround them. Not what he thinks of when he thinks of a globe-trotter, Levy will be packing his suitcase with some trepidation, but hopes his experiences might lead to a whole new chapter in his life – as long as he doesn't have to battle his motion sickness, and still gets dinner at 7. 

Coming soon to Apple TV+

[BetterButter]

 

[Barbarblacksheep]

It sounds very much like Richard Ayoade's "Travel Man" and I wonder if it was inspired by such.

Either way, I am very much looking forward to this! Eugene Levy is a perfect pick as host. I did read an article that his daughter Sarah would pop up in a few episodes...wouldn't it be a hoot if Dan Levy made an occasional appearance as well!

 

[aghst]

All 8 episodes are available to stream now.

I've watched 3 of them.  The photography is great, lot of drone shots, some macro shots of insects and so forth.  It's in 4K with Dolby Vision if you have the streaming device and TV which will support them.

 

The first two eps almost seem to have been chosen so they can play up Eugene Levy's reluctance to be an adventurous traveler.  He talks a lot about being uncomfortable or not liking when it's too cold or hot or just doing things out of his comfort zone.

So in Finland, he goes ice fishing and is invited to jump into a frozen lake for instance.  Or in Costa Rica, he goes on a night safari where they come across snakes and insects.  He talks about all the dangerous creatures in the jungle.  Says he did not like the night safari and probably wouldn't do it again.

The show isn't food-centric but Eugene says he isn't an adventurous eater.  He does try things like reindeer.  But even though he's in the Finland wilderness (Lapland) or the Costa Rica jungle, he's staying at these very expensive resorts, which in some cases cost well over $1000 a night, so he does get some gourmet meals and they show the food but nothing like in Searching for Italy or some other shows.

In the Venice episode, he stays at the Gritti Palace, with a room on the Grand Canal.  But he does go to a bacaro to try cichetti, says he likes it.  Of course he has dinner in the hotel's expensive restaurant.

There are a couple of articles about the show, as he does a press tour.  Levy says Apple kept pitching travel shows and he was resistant but then they came up with this Reluctant Traveler theme, where he'd do things he normally wouldn't.  Says he mostly stays in the hotel, around the pool, so even walking around in Venice to these small neighborhood bars is also outside his comfort zone.

Read in Variety: https://apple.news/AKnShOIg_Rb60fvvvlM3dvQ

[aghst]

Hotels visited during the season.

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/g42748281/the-reluctant-traveler-eugene-levy-luxury-hotels/

Some of them are just incredibly expensive.  The Utah resort is $3,000 a night they said.  Eugene tried to get the chef to confirm if George Clooney or Brad Pitt had the same pancake the chef was making for him, in a comic way.

These places seem to be for "A-listers" or billionaires, that is the price guarantees certain guests privacy almost, or keeps certain types of people away from them.

Maybe that was one of the ways they got Levy to do the show, promise him fancy stays.  But then again, for cinematography, these expensive hotels are the ones which are going to have prime or unique views.

 

 

[aghst]

The Maldives and South Africa episodes seem to be of places with customized tours, not stuff open to the general public.

Other shows had those kinds of scenes too but Searching for Italy did feature real restaurants open to all, though sometimes they seem to prepare dishes which weren't regular menu items.

These customized experiences for Eugene certainly look impressive visually though.

[aghst]

The Lisbon and Tokyo episodes, to finish the season, felt much different than the Maldives and South Africa episodes preceding it.

Not as much about his discomfort and the most challenging thing he did was probably cross Shibuya.

 

I enjoyed the series but it would be surprising if they do another season.  Doesn't seem to be many people watching and his style can only go so far.  If he was really uncomfortable, why does he keep traveling?

Hope Apple does more though the scenery porn was great, with great picture quality.  I haven't seen Somebody Feed Feel in Netflix 4K.

I did see Our Man in Italy on Amazon Prime and that looked good in 4K but not as good as The Reluctant Traveler.

Feels like if Stanley Tucci wanted to do more of his show or a travel show -- maybe CNN won't let him use the same show name on another outlet -- Apple TV + would be terrific for the photography.  But he may be holding out for too much money or he may prefer to book other jobs instead.

[aghst]

NY Times article on what's wrong with travel shows hosted by celebrities.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/magazine/travel-show-celebrities.html

 

He uses this show and Eugene as examples of why it doesn't work.

[Barbarblacksheep]

I had posted earlier that I was really looking forward to the series. But I've watched 2 episodes and will probably eventually watch the remainder, but sadly I was less than enchanted. I think I was spoiled by Travel Man (Richard Ayoade's) show...he also did things and tried foods that were out of his comfort zone, but he had a "guest traveler" (usually another comedian) with him for all his trips, and they bounced things off of each other (with less of the "celebrity quipping" that the NY Times mentions) and didn't seen quite so ill-at-ease. He didn't have special meals made for him at his hotel but instead went to local restaurants and ate from the regular menu. Anyway, I've realized that he & Eugene are more different in their personalities than I previously thought. I'll watch the remainder of the shows, at least for the scenery,  but won't be sad if it's not renewed.

 

[aghst]

Renewed for season 2.

https://deadline.com/2023/04/eugene-levy-the-reluctant-traveler-renewed-season-2-apple-tv-1235334659/

 

 

[BetterButter]

 

[chitowngirl]

Season 2.Episode 1: Sweden: Midsummer.  Eugene kicks off his epic adventure with a festive celebration, practices moose calling, and kayaks down one of the country’s longest rivers.

Episode 2: Scotland: My Mother’s Country. Past meets present as Eugene explores his emotional family history in Glasgow and lives like a royal at the stunning Candacraig castle.

Airs beginning March 8

 

Episode 3: France: Eugene gets a taste of glamour with Joan Collins, broadens his palate with oysters, and attempts the art of beekeeping in Provence.

Airs beginning March 15

Edited March 9 by chitowngirl

[aghst]

Watched the first two episodes of season 2.

He's doing Europe, from top to bottom as he says.

No longer talks about being "out of my comfort zone" as much as he did in the first season.  They're not abandoning that he hasn't traveled much.

The photography is great, especially in north Sweden near the Arctic Circle.

Interesting choice, to go there rather than Stockholm, but it lets them film these gorgeous outdoor scenes.  So much brilliant color for people who enjoy scenery porn.

He's game for pretty much everything, with few complaints.  They paddle up a creek and he says "I've been up a creek before but at least I have a paddle this time."

They go try to spot a moose in a forest, doesn't work.  But he seemed to really enjoy paddling on a serene lake.

Scotland is where his mother was born and raised until she eventually moved to Canada with her family.  But he notes that at 76, he's finally visiting the birthplace of his mother.

He starts off at a $12,000 a night castle in the Highlands, which has hosted Hollywood celebrities and the Royal Family.  Yeah the place in Sweden was expensive too, about $1000 night to be in the middle of nowhere.  So the show continues to choose these unique places out of the reach of most of its viewers but which photograph well, including the surroundings, especially from the air.

His mother's family emigrated from Poland, lived in some crowded tenements for about 30 years, eventually moved to Canada.   They show what these places look like, a dozen people crammed into one room with beds in the same room as the kitchen and the tub underneath the beds which they'd bathe in maybe once a week.

They could have done more with the interesting contrast between the lifestyles of Polish immigrants in the early 20th century with the fancy castle attracting the international rich and famous clientele.  But they mostly had Eugene sipping fancy scotch and getting a custom kilt made for them.  I learned that the plaid patterns used for almost everything in Scotland is called tartan.

Eugene seems much more relaxed, convivial with the folks he meets, though I would suspect most of them are associated with these fancy places and their job is to entertain clients who pay a lot of money for these bespoke experiences.

I think it would be interesting if they have him stay at nice hotels but which would have a greater mix of clients.  No travel show really has the host interacting with random people.  Even if they tried, they might not get interesting footage worth airing.

So usually they meet up with people in the hospitality business, like concierges, tour guides, restaurant owners, museum docents, etc.

I don't know if Eugene is always affable or gets on with common folks but compared to other travel show hosts, it seems like he'd most likely be able to pull it off.

In any event, the scenery is great on this show and the host seems to be settling into a groove.  Probably they shot this over a 3 or 4 week period and he hit all the countries at once so maybe towards the end or the last-shot episodes of the season, he won't quite have the same energy.

 

 

[aghst]

Eugene Levy interview on NPR.

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/13/1238274312/eugene-levy-gets-out-of-his-comfort-zone-in-the-reluctant-traveler

Talks more about his whole career than the show.

[chitowngirl]

I like that they show the ultra expensive lodgings and such. I’m never going to be able to travel that way, so I might as well live vicariously! And I’m with Eugene on the oysters…🤢

Edited March 17 by chitowngirl

[aghst]

It's not good for practical information but I guess you can get that anywhere.

If nothing else the places where he stays are very photogenic.

Like that place where he stayed in the St. Tropez episode, $6000 a night and it has great views and probably great cuisine, a suite with a dedicated pool.

There are no backstreets in St. Tropez, prices are high everywhere.

The little alleyways are immaculate though, so the village probably gets so much money that they can keep it clean.

[chitowngirl]

Episode 4: Germany-The Health Resort. Off the beaten path in Sylt, Eugene explores a world of wellness, complete with hay baths and fasting at the Lanserhof holistic retreat. Episode drops March 22.

[chitowngirl]

Episode 5: Italy-La Dolce Vida. Eugene dives deeper into his favorite European country to visit. On the agenda: truffle hunting, wine harvesting, and jousting. Episode drops March 29.

Edited March 30 by chitowngirl

[aghst]

6 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

Episode 4: Italy-La Dolce Vida. Eugene dives deeper into his favorite European country to visit. On the agenda: truffle hunting, wine harvesting, and jousting. Episode drops March 29.

Loved it, you can’t get enough of Italy and Tuscany, though the $800 a night hotel in Monteverdi is close to the border with Umbria.

They didn’t drive him from Florence to Monteverdi in that little tuk tuk thing and all the way up that hill.

How much do you pay truffle hunters to go hunting?  BTW, it’s a serious business with some dogs being poisoned.

Bending down to pick grapes would be serious work, especially for an older person, as fit and healthy as Eugene is.

The jousting must also be costly, to feed and house those horses.

So bespoke.  But you can enjoy the beauty of the Val’Orcia without these customized activities that they arranged for TV.

 

[chitowngirl]

Episode 6 - Greece: Island hopping in the Aegean. On the tiny island of Milos, Eugene reflects on the value of family when he befriends a father-son duo living their dream. Episode drops April 5th.

Edited April 5 by chitowngirl

[aghst]

Milos is nice but it's not even the most popular Greek island.

I guess they wanted to feature him with a tight group of people showing him around.

He refused to eat the octopus.  I thought it was a principled thing but it was more of a squeamishness thing, which he got over in the end.

Maybe if they do more seasons, he'll go back to some of these countries but do other destinations.

He's really improved since season 1 at getting into the experiences, seems more relaxed and natural at it but maybe had to fight some jet lag and fatigue.

[chitowngirl]

Episode 7 - Spain-Adventures in Andalusia. Eugene's trip ends in Spain, where he meets soccer icon Héctor Bellerín and enjoys the epic showdown of Real Betis vs. Sevilla FC. Episode drops April 12. Season 2 Finale.

Edited April 11 by chitowngirl

[chitowngirl]

I thoroughly enjoyed Eugene’s travels through Europe. I like that he didn’t go to the traditional “touristy” places and that he traveled in a style I will never get to do! I feel we would be ideal travel companions, as I would react to trying octopus as he did. 😆

[aghst]

Beautifully filmed and he seemed to enjoy many of his experiences.  Certainly seemed more game to try more things.

Liked how he recalled enjoying a train ride at 8 years old to New York and how he hadn’t ridden trains much as an adult.

Apple TV + likes to showcase the picture quality so it puts in golden sun-drenched scenes as much as it can, even on shows like Trying or Bad Sisters, which take place in England and Ireland, which are not known for a lot of sun.

But no problems finding sunny scenes in St. Tropez, Andalusia or Greece.

So no shortage of scenery porn and this season they related a lot of Eugene’s personal life like visiting Scotland where his mother grew up.

His narration talked about doing another trip as he looked at those whales close to his boat so he seems willing to do more episodes.

[Shermie]

On 3/29/2024 at 11:51 PM, aghst said:

So bespoke.  But you can enjoy the beauty of the Val’Orcia without these customized activities that they arranged for TV.

You’ve said “bespoke” about this show several times, as if that’s a drawback but I see it as the point.

We loved this show and binged through season 2 as soon as it dropped. We loved that he went to less traveled parts of popular places and that he tried local or historical activities. We loved that he curmudgeoned his way through his travelling, and marveled that someone of his means* hadn’t traveled much. We wondered if his wife got to go along and just wasn’t shown, since she probably didn’t travel much either if her husband doesn’t like it.

*To be fair, Levy didn’t really hit it big financially until well into middle age. His early career was on lower paying Canadian tv.

We also loved that we’ve been to a number of these places, although not in the high end digs he stayed at. We’ve tried octopus; it’s okay.

Europe is a pretty easy take for a reluctant traveller since it’s familiar while still being foreign. I’d like to see each season have travel through a continent. Africa, Asia and South America have so much diversity.

[aghst]

I'm just saying it's harder for most viewers to identify with, the experiences depicted.

The places he stayed in are spectacular.  They photograph well, the big rooms and suites, some with dedicated pools.  Quite a contrast from the small hotel rooms most tourists deal with.

Plus a lot of the things he does are arranged by show's producers or concierges at these high-end places.  He's not riding crowded subways or buses, he's always being chauffeured.

So the experiences he has are customized or tailored for him and the show.

That's true of most tourist shows, like Bourdain doesn't go to some restaurant but instead has a backyard barbecue with the owner or chef at that restaurant.  That is what happens on The Reluctant Traveler too.

Rick Steves on the other hand, is promoting affordable or bargain or value places on his shows, just like he does with the books.  It's not just for show, because the Washington Post recently did a profile of him and he says he flies coach all the time, even though his business generates millions and he and his staff fly back and forth a lot.

He doesn't fly business or first class, doesn't think there should be such things.  And he doesn't bother to try to get miles or redeem miles.

I'm not saying TRT should be like Rick Steves shows.  Just that it went to the opposite extreme, showing travel experiences that most of the viewers will never have.

That's okay too, I enjoy seeing places which are too expensive for me to stay at.

Just need to call out what it is, a beautifully filmed and well-written show depicting travel in a way which is very atypical.

[Shermie]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

I'm just saying it's harder for most viewers to identify with, the experiences depicted.

Except that’s not what the show is selling. It’s depicting one man’s experience with travel, reluctantly.

Just like if I watch a baking competition show, I don’’t expect to be able to replicate what the professional bakers are doing. Or if I watch a reno show on HGTV, I’m not expecting to be able to have a 4000 sq ft house that has all the fancy upgrades. And so on.

If it’s just interesting to viewers to see somewhere different, that’s fine. Or maybe it inspires them to visit that country, even if they can’t afford to stay where Levy stayed.

[giovannif7]

According to The Futon Critic, Apple TV+ has renewed The Reluctant Traveler for a third eight-episode season.

[aghst]

9 minutes ago, giovannif7 said:

According to The Futon Critic, Apple TV+ has renewed The Reluctant Traveler for a third eight-episode season.

The press release says it's won awards and critical praise.

Didn't realize that.

Oh well, Eugene is suppose to appear on this season of Only Murders in the Building.  Don't know if he's already shot that or is still going to.

So where would he go, Asia or Africa?  Or maybe Oceania.

Or he could visit North or South America too I suppose.

[Harvey]

I am thinking about shows like this, and how this and Tucci's Italy series were quite successful, and were renewed for multiple seasons. At the same time, Eva Longoria did a very similar series about mexico: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16428770/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_eva%20longoria

which did not see a tenth of the popularity these 2 shows are receiving. And I wonder why, since it's the same format and same style. I watched all episodes and the cinematography is just breathtaking, the stories are charming and interesting, and it also teaches you about things. Yet, barely anyone watched it.

What could be the reason?

• Are people just not interested in Mexico compared to Italy / Europe?
• Was there a distribution problem, is it not easily available?
• Is it marketing, was it not promoted enough?
• Or is it star power, Tucci and Eugene are bigger draws while Eva isn't?

What do you guys think? I find the situation so fascinating.

[aghst]

Hard to say about Searching for Mexico.  It seems a fairly popular destination, though some parts of it, you're advised to avoid because of cartel activity.

I thought the show was well done, if copying the formula of Searching for Mexico.

But the show is kind of being marketed to more affluent consumers who may be more interested in other destinations like Europe.

In any event they covered a lot of regions so was there more episodes they could have done or if even Eva was interested in doing more?  She's done other projects which have come out since then.

 

[aghst]

OK, so in the second season, Eugene went to Sylt, and idyllic island on the north coast of Germany.  You could tell it had resorts set up to attract a very rich clientele.

Well the fact that the place drew elite travelers, many of them arriving by private jets and that some of them were far right, chanting Nazi slogans at clubs in Sylt, has drawn protests from punks throughout Germany.

For 3 years running, they've traveled to Sylt to hold protests on the island.  It started a couple of summers ago when the German government set a low price on train travel in country, like maximum of $9 for the summer so these protesters, described as punks, traveled to the relatively remote island to hold protests there.

Now it's a very organized affair with the protesters agreeing to limit their number and to stay within encampments.

Quote

Marvin Bederke of Aktion Sylt said he expected up to 300 participants – the agreed limit – at the improvised campsite near the local airport, where private planes bring the rich and famous of the EU’s top economy to enjoy the island’s windswept charms.

The protesters have agreed to move to another field just to the south after a week.

The protests began in 2022, when Germany introduced a €9 (£7.60) monthly ticket for unlimited public transport across the country in an effort to curb soaring inflation while cutting carbon emissions.

The punks seized the opportunity for a summer “invasion” of Sylt, to the horror of its well-heeled seasonal residents, which was gleefully documented in the tabloids.

The remote island became easily accessible by car to city dwellers a century ago with the construction of the Hindenburg causeway connecting it to the mainland. Its reputation as a playground for the upper classes grew rapidly, driving up prices for housing and pushing out many longtime residents over the decades.

Activists criticise the “gentrification” in the community’s small villages, meaning that most people who work at Sylt’s designer shops, restaurants, bars and private clubs often can no longer afford to live on the island and have to commute.

Then in May, some partygoers were caught chanting a Nazi slogan at an upmarket Sylt club, in a video that went viral.

The clip showed the group drinking and dancing together to the 2001 song L’amour Toujours by the Italian musician Gigi D’Agostino, with some singing the ultranationalist slogan “Germany for the Germans – foreigners out” in place of the song’s apolitical lyrics.

The images struck many commentators as a chilling revelation of how far-right ideology had penetrated bourgeois circles of German society.

A small group of punks gathered on Sylt soon after with a banner reading “loud against the far right” and promised a strong mobilisation for this year’s protest camp.

Aktion Sylt plans rallies and cultural events over the summer. The leftwing author and trade union official Marco Höne will travel from Stuttgart in the south-west for a gathering on 7 August titled Your Wealth Makes Me Throw Up, where he will read from his book Rich and Ugly.

Read in The Guardian: https://apple.news/AXSJZ9O1rT9WqZpBhpcTOhw