Sir David Attenborough thought to be one of the most well-travelled people on the planet. The 91-year-old broadcaster who has been making programmes for 75 years, is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural history documentary series that form the Life collection. This collection of programmes collectively form a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth.
Now, in order to follow in the steps of Attenborough and the production teams of his various shows, a travel and tourism company called eShores has created a trip of a lifetime by rounding up the locations mentioned in some of Attenborough’s most memorable TV shows including Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, Planet Earth 2, and Blue Planet II.
On a route that would take in every location across the six series, you’d have to embark on 175 plane journeys (there are trains and car hires along the way too). The most of which comes from the locations for Blue Planet II, where you’d need to board 37 planes to emulate Attenborough’s feat in that series alone.
Best take a good book or two with you too. You’ll clock up a mammoth 373,744 miles on your Attenborough-mimicking journey, including 103,976 just to visit the locations of Blue Planet I. Think of the air miles.
As you might have guessed, this trip of a lifetime can’t be done on the cheap. Taking in flights, travel and hotel stays, we estimate the cost at £402,220 ($570,000)!
That price also includes a selection of Attenborough-inspired excursions, just to make sure you’re actually seeing these incredible locations along the way. Included in the final costings is a 9-day safari in South Africa, a 3-day scuba diving trip of the Great Barrier Reef, and even an 18-day trek to Mount Everest base camp (along with many others).