Travel inspiration from TV

I often find myself staring at Travel Channel programming, even when the show isn’t very compelling to me. Sure, I’ll tune in for Tony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” any time, but sometimes I’ll hang in for the clip shows of best beaches, just to get a look at turquoise water.

It doesn’t have to be the Travel Channel for me to get a glimpse of a place I’d like to visit. I used to watch “The Amazing Race” not for the competition, but for the views of cities around the world. A guilty pleasure show for me is “House Hunters International,” so I can dream about where I could live if I pack up and leave the United States. In Granada, Nicaragua, I ran into a woman that I instantly recognized because she had been on an episode looking for a home in that town.

One show I just can’t get into, even for the travel aspect, is “Survivor.” After the first season, I burned out on all the obnoxious people. Even after spending some time recently on the Nicaraguan beach used for the recent “Survivor” season, I don’t need to see how they used it for temporary housing. It looks far better without contestants and TV crews.

Do you get travel inspiration from TV shows? Which ones?