It’s Columbus Day and according to Who Knew? only 1 in 10 of you got the day off of work this year. 
That’s kind of OK, considering the importance of this national holiday is a matter of public debate. In fairness, it wasn’t even declared a holiday until 1937. Christopher Columbus landed on the Bahamas in 1492. That’s hardly American soil. So why do we celebrate this guy?
I think Hawaii’s got the right idea: the state refers to the holiday as “Discoverer’s Day.” I’m not against 10% of my friends taking a day off of work, but I am in favor of celebrating the one element of the Columbus saga that really matters; exploration and discovery.
In celebration of Discoverer’s Day, I’ve chosen six travel shows that have helped expand my global horizons:
Three Sheets: 
What better way to expand global horizons than through the exploration of drinking customs? In this highly-rated Web series host Zane Lamprey tours the globe to get a feel for the cultural differences that arise within the one global constant that brings us all together; boozing. The show also delves into historical facts behind world-famous liquors and beers, which gives it an historical edge that most drinking shows just don’t offer. The show sounds like a cop-out travel series, but it’s just-as if not more fascinating than most travel shows on air these days, and now you’ll know where to spend your after-hours next time you go globetrotting.
Vice Guide To Travel: 
Not always safe for work due to strong language and subject matter, Vice Guide to Travel is a Web series that seeks out the strangest and most dangerous parts of the world in an effort to understand and explore them… and to report back on them so that you don’t have to go there, yourself. One of the most interesting expeditions Vice Magazine took was to North Korea. The series covers the trip over the course of three twenty-minute episodes and it’s absolutely fascinating to follow journalist and co-Founder of Vice Magazine, Shane Smith, as he essentially sneaks into the country to see what most of the world is forbidden to visit.
City By City: 
Simple, straight-forward, and beautifully shot, City By City is a Web series that focuses on each featured city’s hot spots and high-quality tourist spots. Perfect for the traveler trying to discover “what all the fuss is about,” City By City offers a wide range of metropolitan cities to explore, highlighting each city’s design style and offering up the classiest spots to sample the local food. After a few of these episodes you’ll feel like you’ve been around the world and back on somebody else’s very heavy dime.
The Frugal Traveler: 
In these hard economic times, there’s nothing I love to learn about more than where I can travel on a budget. Brought to you by The New York Times, The Frugal Traveler explains how to do exactly that in some of the most seemingly expensive cities in the world, including Tokyo, Rome, Edinburgh, New York City and then some. Not only do you get a feel for every city on screen, but you become inspired by the possibility that you might actually be able to afford a visit, yourself.
Maestro Knows: 
This series offers up a very specific view of the globe, through the eyes of Levi Maestro, a creative 20-something from Los Angeles who visits and chills with his friends from all over the United States and the world. I have a lot of friends who love this Web series, and very few who are able to pin-point exactly why. It’s not so much a travel show as it is a series that follows a really cool dude who happens to be traveling the world, but I think it’s still worth a mention. Though it lacks historical or factual analysis of any kind, it’s a way to see the world the way you might if you were traveling not as a tourist but as a friend visiting friends, and there’s something to be said for that.
Monumental Adventure: 
If you’re looking for a really in-depth look into either London, Beijing, or New York, the Monumental Adventure series is for you. Each series breaks down its featured city by historical landmark or traveling point of mention. There’s no shortage of information here: by the time you get through each series you’ll feel like you’ve already been.
