The Formats of Travel Variety Shows

Sorting by format

On the surface every travel show is about going somewhere, but they split into a few types depending on what drives the laughs and the story. The outdoor format in which games decide where the cast sleeps and eats became widely known through KBS2's 2 Days & 1 Night, which began in 2007, while tvN's Grandpas Over Flowers (2013), which sent veteran actors backpacking, showed a format where the cast combination itself becomes the story. Knowing what kind of fun you want makes choosing easier.

• Mission and luck-of-the-draw: games and penalties steer the trip
• Companion: the mix of cast members of different relationships or generations is the focus
• Stay-in-place: the cast settles in one spot, running a shop or living there
• Information and exploration: the weight is on introducing food and sights

Rules turn a trip into entertainment

Scenes of simply visiting nice places and eating good food are hard to watch for long. Travel shows usually impose a constraint: solve everything within a fixed budget, sleep outside if you lose the game, or decide everything on the spot with no plan. Because of these constraints, the cast gets into trouble, puts their heads together and meets people they never expected. When you watch, working out the rules of this particular trip first makes each scene's meaning much clearer.

Who goes along

The same place makes for a completely different trip depending on who you go with. Old friends create stories through easy jokes and squabbles, families through things they never normally say, and people of different generations through clashing ways of travelling. In formats where strangers travel together, watching an unfamiliar relationship gradually grow closer is the draw. When choosing a travel show, looking at the cast combination before the destination is a good approach. How relationships have changed by the end of the trip is the real ending of many of these shows.

The preparation off camera

Even when a trip looks spontaneous on screen, a lot of preparation sits behind it. Production teams usually scout locations to check routes, ask permission from places and shops they will film, and travel abroad with people who know local conditions. Staff to handle safety may come along too. So even a scene of the cast getting lost is often not a completely unprotected situation. This does not make the show fake, but remember that if you take the same trip, you will have to do that preparation yourself.

What to consider about places on screen

A place shown on air can feel different when you actually go. Before using it in your travel plans, think about the following.

• When it was filmed: there is a gap between filming and broadcast
• Which season it was: scenery and weather vary greatly by season
• How crowded it was: cooperation with filming may have made it look quiet
• Prices and menus: these may have changed since the broadcast

Cautions when using it as travel information

Shops and places featured on air often see a sudden rush of customers right after broadcast. Some change their opening hours or close in the meantime, so always check the place's official information or recent details before you go. Filming happens with permission, so even somewhere the cast entered may be private property closed to the public. In villages where people live, it is polite to mind noise and photography. And do not forget that risky-looking activities on screen were done with professionals on hand.

Familiar places through new eyes

Formats in which foreigners travel around Korea, or Korean cast members visit lesser-known parts of the country, keep being made. Their appeal is that they let you see familiar scenery again through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time. For viewers living in Korea, food and streets they always pass by look fresh, and for people planning a trip to Korea, it is a chance to get an early feel for local life. Keep in mind, though, that one person's travel experience does not represent a whole country or region.

Choosing a travel show that suits you

When choosing a travel show, it helps to think first about why you are watching. If you want to switch off at the end of the day, companion or stay-in-place formats where scenery and conversation flow at a relaxed pace work well. If you want a good laugh, mission formats with games and penalties fit, and if you are choosing your next destination, information formats help. Even then, the show is only a starting point; it is safer to base final plans on the latest official information. Comparing shows of different formats that cover the same region is another enjoyable way to watch.