Customer Reviews

1,000 Places To See Before You Die: Collection 1

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Hi Folks,

The book is well worth the read and the series would have been worth your time as well... but... the problem is that they chose the worst possible people to view these places through the eyes of and it ruins the experience. These are perhaps the worst hosts ever for a travel series. They aren't appreciative of the journey and don't ask interesting questions or add anything of value to the show on any level. In fact, I'd buy this if they had a version that simply eliminated their words and ever showing their face and just included the raw footage of the places. It's really that bad. With a world of enthusiastic (and educated) tourists or guides to choose from who would have viewed this as the opportunity of a life time and demonstrated some respect for the places they were going by perhaps learning anything about them in advance to prepare themselves to show the world, why they chose these two mopes is beyond me. I found myself (and my wife as well) getting angry at the show each time we watched because these people were ruining it all. Save yourself the annoyance and buy other travel DVD's from the same places and you'll be much happier. Rick Steves has a wonderful box set of Europe where he educates and moves you over each place he sees. He has respect for both the places and the viewer. Samantha Brown, who is very different, also has some nice episodes. Rudy Maxa, who does his show on PBS is another wonderful option. Frankly, ANYTHING is better than this. (Heck, stare at some postcards and you'll get more out of it without the frustration). I also suggest going to Google Earth and looking at all the amazing photos that users have posted all around the world. There's so many better ways to experience the world, even if you can't travel there yourself. Don't waste the excitement of these fantastic's places on these unappreciative, misinformed and ignorant self absorbed people. Yuck.

Brian

I think this DVD could have been done in a more mature manner. The couple kept saying, "wow" instead of describing what they saw or did...

This is a great DVD. It shows in depth the many interesting things to do in each country. The videography is outstanding and places that are visited are just beautiful. The only downside is the two hosts that go on this journey. They lack any real excitement and are a bore to watch. Luckily they don't distract from the scenery that surrounds them.

I would have to agree with a previous poster that the hosts ruin this collection for me. However, I cannot give it one star because the concept is great and seeing the book brought to life is wonderful. That being said, Melanie and her husband come across as being criminally stupid and, more often than not, my wife and I felt embarrassed that the editor allowed their inane remarks and questions to remain in the final product.
I found it best to listen to the indigenous peoples when interviewed and to mute when the esteemed "hosts" start to speak.

I watched this show when it was on TV and am probably going to buy it for Christmas for my parents. I loved it! It was a great introduction to some beautiful sites around the world and I can't wait to share it with my family. It will be a great way to expand the world of my younger siblings who have not traveled more than a couple states away from their home.

The others who posted about the hosts being boring or ill informed must be hard core international travelers or possibly even just hard core Travel Channel watchers to have been so horribly disappointed. I felt another opinion had to be added here to balance them out.

There is a narrator and there is the couple who won this opportunity. THEY ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL HOSTS and nothing was scripted for them. I thought the narrator did a great job with the more technical travel information and I thought the couple reacted to the experiences similar to how I would have in their situation. They seemed to make an effort to be respectful of everyone involved in their tours and often seemed like they endeared themselves to their guides with their enthusiasm (although this could have been fostered by the camera crews and influx of money and publicity the show would bring).

Their actions probably fit the uncultured American stereotype but I can't see how they could have had enough preparation time for every location with the whirlwind tour to satisfy the critical reviewers out here. If I ever scraped up the money to visit even one of these locations I would plan for 6 mo to a year and certainly would not be able to travel in the extravagance they had. But that is what makes it more fun to watch! Even with all the planning and research I am sure I would have plenty of American tourist stereotype moments like asking "who is their most dangerous predator" about a pack of elephants. Of course its humans, but you try to think of something witty to talk about at location after location.

The Discovery Channel could have planned in some preparation time for each location and even provided some study materials to the couple, and I guess based on the negative responses I would suggest they do that if they have another season of this.

This had potential to be quite a great series, but they REALLY screwed it up by putting in those hosts! Where did they get these people that "put their lives on hold for 14 weeks". Who wouldn't put their lives on hold?? And it's not putting your life on hold, it's expanding your life!

The hosts are unappreciative bubble boy, American flag tshirt wearing, F150 truck driving, Walmart shopping, suburb couple that are extremely uneducated and I can't emphasize MORE how UNAPPRECIATIVE they are. Profoundly can not stand that couple!

They anger me.

Horrible, DO NOT buy this DVD!!

This series is a little bit awkward in its attempt to show you new places through the eyes of two new travellers. The hosts are what they are, inexperienced tourists who don't offer great insight but rather two average characters to follow on their travels and to see a little bit of how travelling might affect the inexperienced. As an enxperienced traveller I didn't find their insights interesting. It is really a very basic traveller's series targetting those with little or no previous knowledge. In this respect it's enjoyable and offers some ideas about where to go, what to eat, where to stay and what to do. For a serious traveller it unfortunately falls short. The only other draw back is the focus on expensive life styles and places to stay. At times it can be a little boring as these high class places do not appear to be as interesting as the real tourist attractions or real life on the streets that are also presented. I prefered episodes that were not set in wealthy countries as they seemed to delve more into things that as a traveller I might be more likely to do. The episode on France was particularly boring, which is unfortunate, as it's the number one tourist destination in the world. The episode on Brazil on the other had was actually enjoyable, presenting me with some good ideas for a holiday in the Amazon or Rio. Visually this program is lovely. It isn't the greatest thing I've ever seen, but it offers some nice images and scenes.

Overall, this is a good program for those with little or no experience, for those interested in not getting off the beaten track too much (or even staying in high end places) and for those who don't really watch travel programs too much and might enjoy watching some new travellers discover the world. For anyone who has been around a bit I would give this one a miss.

In this 2 disc DVD, you follow one couple as they travel to these 6 destinations:

AUSTRALIA

Here they see kangaroos, visit pubs, go on a crocodile adventure, go bungee swinging (that's swinging, not jumping), ride a helicopter over the barrier reef, and go scuba diving

HAWAII

Here they learn to surf (and wipe out many times), take a helicopter ride over a live volcano, go canoe surfing, hike up a mountain, go ATV riding on a ranch, go cliff diving, and drive scuba scooters.

ITALY

Here they ride a sea plane, a sea boat, go on a gondola ride, and see as well as participate in glass blowing.

BRAZIL

Here they visit the Amazon rain forest, swim with pink dolphins, eat fire ants, learn survival skills (like making fire from steel wool and 2 batteries), pet an aligator, visit the copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, go tandem hang gliding, see the statue Christ the Redeemer, and visit carnival.

FRANCE

Here they ride a Ferrari, go caving, paint, go on a segue scenic tour as well as a boat tour, get their portrait drawn, go gambling, and play bocce ball.

ALASKA

Here they take a helicopter ride over glaciers, feed a baby moose, go to a wildlife conservatory, go dog sledding, whale watching, rowing, and kayaking.

Although this couple went to many places and had many adventures along the way, I didn't have any "must see" cravings watching this. The only place that sparked my interest was Alaska. The scenery there was gorgeous.

Perhaps my lack of enthusiasm had to do with the couple they chose. Although the couple was attractive and adventurous, they weren't very articulate in describing their experiences. They gave very generic responses like "wow" and "this is awesome" without going into detail. I would've preferred a host more like the articulate and thoughtful Rick Steves.

I did empathize with the wife, though, when she went hang gliding in Brazil. The woman who jumped off the ledge before her messed up and dove downwards instead of upwards, causing her to scream. Not exactly something you want to see when you're next to jump off a ledge and I wasn't surprised when the wife almost didn't go.

I would've also liked to have known the cost of these different adventures to see if it's actually doable for someone who isn't rich. Overall, though, I'm glad I was introduced to these different adventures.

If you are getting to a point in your life where you're thinking of your "bucket list" or lack thereof, this is for you! If you can't find a place in this list of 1,000, then you're ready to give up and die! Otherwise, use this as a guide to keep you engaged, informed and ready to go! Worth the Amazon buy!

this DVD was delivered as promised, and in good shape, excactly what I ordered. shows some interesting places. I like this kind of DVD. a good travel DVD. you do need to like travel log videos, as this is what it is. travel and adventure.