"New" Travel Channel
 

Let's give credit where credit is due - it looks like some of our angry e-mails to the Travel Channel may have paid off. They are actually putting on some truly interesting travel shows instead of all that schlock.

Five Takes Europe may not please the geriatric crowd, but it's great for us budget travelers. Lots of ideas to save bucks and the show is extremely current. The episode of Prague was filmed two weeks ago!

Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" is also great. For a New Yorker, he's pretty likeable. (Just teasing) I loved him on the Food Network and now that he's touring the World tasting food, it's become a can't miss for us.

Add in Samantha Brown's "Passport to Europe" (Yeah, I know she's too perky for some of you, but it's still set in Europe), Travel Spies and Stranded (Haven't seen that one yet) and it sounds like TC is at least trying to appeal to us Fodorites.

I switch the channel as soon as the haunted hotels and mansions junk comes on. And I leave the house when poker is scheduled. But maybe if the ratings go up for the real travel shows, that other garbage will go.

So while you're sitting at your computer reading Fodor Forums, just turn your TV to the Travel Channel. Maybe Neilsen will be tracking the increased interest in bonafide travel programming.

You can also give feedback to the Travel Channel, telling them you like the direction they're going:

http://extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelations

Zeus
I agree about Five Takes Europe and Samantha Brown. Haven't seen the others yet. Since leaving their first city, the show has become pretty good. Tonight they start their week in Venice and their Prague show was very good-they actually liked the city A LOT.
I like Sam Brown just for the reason you stated. I think I can take just about anyone if they are reporting from Europe and her hotel picks are usually interesting if not on the expensive side. Not good for budget travelers but it's interesting to see it all.
Louise

"Geriatric crowd"? Give me a break!

I hate 5 Takes and I am not yet part of the 'geriatric crowd'. In my opinion, 5 Takes is a fantastic show if you wish to see how not to travel well.

I also hate 5 takes Europe. I see it as 5 clueless kids go to places they know nothing about and then either whine about it or frek-out over the situation..and I am not in the geriatric crowd. The guy in Stranded is also an real whiner. I had to turn it off because he was complaining how dirty and dusty he was getting as he was being lowered into a mine in the outback. Once he was lowered to the floor, he demanded that they raise him up a little so his bum wouldn't get dirty. He was beside himself. so, I changed the channel.

Is that stranded guy Cash Peters? Oh, thanks for the review. I was going to watch it but not if he's whining. Good thing the Travel Channel has an email to send comments. Have sent one about 5 Takes.

I thought Cash Peters was pretty entertaining. I didn't get a sense of him whining at all.

I watched Stranded when Cash Peters was in Solvang and got a kick out of it. He has a different personality and he made me laugh with some of his asides.

The couple he spent the night with sure had patience!

I'm going to watch it from now on. I also like the Karma traveler and the Tribal series. I'm not sure if they are on the Travel Channel but they are entertaining.

well, let me out it this way; he was more a complainer than a whiner. I associate a whiner with the pitch and snivelling(?) attitude and you're right, he didn't have that. He just seemed to complain about the situations he got in, even though he was dependent on the kindness of strangers. I just found him ungrateful and annoying.

PUT it this way, not "out" it....