Apple TV+'s 'Reluctant Traveler' Eugene Levy gets a second season

Comments

• Reply 1 of 10

  sflagel Posts: 805member

  April 25, 2023 11:55AM

  Between the movie Ghosted, and this *oh, another travel show", Apple TV+ is looking more like Netflix and less like HBO. Pity.
• Reply 2 of 10

  mrstep Posts: 514member

  April 25, 2023 12:13PM

  Did it get better after the Finland episode?
• Reply 3 of 10

  ITGUYINSD Posts: 515member

  April 25, 2023 1:54PM

  Each episode is basically the same.  Some opulent resort that no one can afford and most of the show talks about how Eugene Levy has some sort of phobia about something or another and how he normally never leaves the resort.  More of a "Watch Eugene Levy do things he's never done before" show than a travel show.
  
  Mildly entertaining if you want to watch something that doesn't require a lot of thought.

  edited April 2023
• Reply 4 of 10

  williamh Posts: 1,033member

  April 25, 2023 2:58PM

  ITGUYINSD said:

  Each episode is basically the same.  Some opulent resort that no one can afford and most of the show talks about how Eugene Levy has some sort of phobia about something or another and how he normally never leaves the resort.  More of a "Watch Eugene Levy do things he's never done before" show than a travel show.
  
  Mildly entertaining if you want to watch something that doesn't require a lot of thought.

  He does do some interesting things in Japan.  I like him and I like the destinations..  But you are basically right and the "I don't normally do this.  This is out of comfort zone" schtick gets old pretty quickly.

  
• Reply 5 of 10

  zimmie Posts: 651member

  April 25, 2023 5:36PM

  ITGUYINSD said:

  Each episode is basically the same.  Some opulent resort that no one can afford and most of the show talks about how Eugene Levy has some sort of phobia about something or another and how he normally never leaves the resort.  More of a "Watch Eugene Levy do things he's never done before" show than a travel show.
  
  Mildly entertaining if you want to watch something that doesn't require a lot of thought.

  1. Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Finland - $300-$650 per night
  2. Nayara Tented Camp in Costa Rica - $800-$1200 per night
     
  3. Gritti Palace in Venice - $800-$1200 per night
     
  4. Amangiri in Utah - $3k-$4k per night
     
  5. Kudadoo in the Maldives - $5k-$7k per night
  6. Kruger Shalati Train Lodge in South Africa - $600-$900 per night
     
  7. Verride Palácio Santa Catarina in Lisbon - $500-$5k per night (they have a weird variety of rooms)
     
  8. HOSHINOYA in Tokyo - $500-$1k per night
     

  Kudadoo and Amangiri were the only wildly expensive ones. Several of the others are actually pretty reasonable for a vacation involving an international flight. During the winter (when the aurora is visible), Arctic TreeHouse in Finland is around $650 per night, but during the summer it's $300 or so. More than a Motel 6, but I've had to pay more than that for worse hotels in much less interesting parts of the US.
  

  
• Reply 6 of 10

  entropys Posts: 4,166member

  April 25, 2023 9:37PM

  I guess it all depends on one’s lifestyle and income, and thus consequent definition of expensive I suspect, Zimmie.

  edited April 2023
• Reply 7 of 10

  auxio Posts: 2,727member

  April 25, 2023 10:39PM

  entropys said:

  I guess it all depends on one’s lifestyle and income, and thus consequent definition of expensive I suspect, Zimmie.

  Indeed. I'm travelling around Europe for a few weeks this summer (mostly major cities), and the most expensive hotel I booked is around $250 per night, which has an infinity pool with a great view. Wouldn't even consider anything in those price ranges.
• Reply 8 of 10

  zimmie Posts: 651member

  April 26, 2023 1:43AM

  entropys said:

  I guess it all depends on one’s lifestyle and income, and thus consequent definition of expensive I suspect, Zimmie.

  Sure, but again, these are hotels which most people will take international flights to get to. International flights are super expensive.
  
  Just for example's sake, I priced flights from DFW (major international airport in Texas) to RVN (Rovaniemi, Finland, where Arctic TreeHouse is). Leaving July 7th, returning July 15th. There are round-trip flights for $1800 US with two 24-hour layovers per leg. The cheapest flight with a total duration under 48 hours per leg is $2300 US round trip per person. A double suite at the hotel checking in July 8th leaving July 15th is 1764€ ($1936 US) for the stay. So the hotel for the whole week is less expensive than either person's flight individually.
  
  For the same dates, flights to Tokyo are $2400 US round trip per person, and the stay at Hoshinoya is $2850 US.
  
  Yes, there are absolutely cheaper places to stay, but those two hotels are roughly as expensive as a single flight to get to them and back. I focused on them specifically because I'm actually considering visiting the areas some time in the future.
  
  In contrast, I've had to travel within the US for business and wound up one time at a Marriott with a mediocre breakfast and a "scenic view" of some warehouses for $380 per night. I distinctly remember this because I had to pay it and expense my employer at the time.
• Reply 9 of 10

  williamh Posts: 1,033member

  April 26, 2023 12:09PM

  entropys said:

  I guess it all depends on one’s lifestyle and income, and thus consequent definition of expensive I suspect, Zimmie.

  Personally, I am not counting on practical info on lodging from the show and I like seeing some of the best of the best.  When we travel, we typically look for an AirBnB or a "serviced apartment" that comes in about the same price as a basic hotel but we get a kitchen and laundry. While Levy's shtick gets old (but hey, he's nice), he DOES show some great things at the destinations and many are the sort of things any tourist can do. (Tip to producers: just ask Levy to say "I wouldn't have done this kind of thing in the past but this is fun!  and move on.)
  
  
  You can get pastries and coffee in Venice.  In Tokyo, you can get egg salad sandwiches (7-11 egg salad is famous, really! I recommend the yuzu lemonade with it), cross the Shibuya crossing, visit the temples, go to an izakaya without spending much at all. Hotels in Japan can cost the same or less than an average hotel in the US or Europe, easily less than $100 for something very clean, very quiet, and very nice. 
  
  
  

  edited April 2023
• Reply 10 of 10

  mrstep Posts: 514member

  April 26, 2023 3:47PM

  williamh said:

  ITGUYINSD said:

  Each episode is basically the same.  Some opulent resort that no one can afford and most of the show talks about how Eugene Levy has some sort of phobia about something or another and how he normally never leaves the resort.  More of a "Watch Eugene Levy do things he's never done before" show than a travel show.
  
  Mildly entertaining if you want to watch something that doesn't require a lot of thought.

  He does do some interesting things in Japan.  I like him and I like the destinations..  But you are basically right and the "I don't normally do this.  This is out of comfort zone" schtick gets old pretty quickly.

  Sadly I was tired of it about 20 minutes into Finland, and it just kept going - very forced jokes and non-stop comfort zone comments. Sleds! Ice fishing! OMG, I don't do things like this!  I haven't tried any more episodes after needing 2 evenings to force myself to finish the first.  I like travel & food shows in general, this just felt over-produced and over-scripted.