5 adventure-filled shows to get you in the summer mood

The weather is gorgeous, the beaches are exciting, and the vibe is definitely chill. It’s definitely summertime! Travel costs may be on the rise, but more people are planning trips this year compared to 2022 with the World Tourism Organization’s count of more than 900 million people traveling internationally. In 2023, that number is expected to rise, especially during summer season.

Some may not need telling twice, but if you’re the kind of person who still needs a bit of convincing to head out and make the most of the season, check out the travel inspo through these movies and reality shows that will make you want to pack your bags, pronto! Watch all these gems in vivid detail and uninterrupted all thanks to PLDT Home’s fast and reliable internet connection.

1. Killers (2010)

This romcom opens in one of the most beautiful places on earth: Nice, France, where the rich frolic on the beaches and arrive on private jets and yachts. With its red-roofed villas, a palm-tree lined boulevard, boutiques, cafes and restaurants, Nice attracts holidaymakers from all over the world. Including assassins. Starring Ashton Kutcher (That ‘70s Show, The Ranch) as assassin Spencer and Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy, Knocked Up) as lovelorn woman Jen traveling with her well-off parents, the film shows that je ne sais quoi thatmakes it easy to fall in love with and in Nice. 

Spencer gets tangled up in a mission to kill while Jen tries to untangle herself from her protective and overbearing parents (played by the legendary Tom Selleck, and Catherine O’Hara of the Home Alone franchise). The moment she meets him, shirtless and with that boyish charm, Jen is smitten. The two go on a date, and even before the aperitif Spencer remotely blows up a helicopter. They fall in love and we flash forward to the American suburbs three years later.

They are now married and Spencer is retired from the killing business. Unfortunately, someone has put a $20 million bounty on his head and suburbia is never the same again. If the couple thought the neighborhood block party was annoying, they’re in for the big surprise as unassuming neighbors turn out to be assassins trying to kill him.

2. Green Book (2018)

Green Book is a biographical film starring Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) as Italian-American bouncer Tony Lip and Mahershala Ali (House of Cards, Luke Cage) as the pianist Dr. Don Shirley, inspired by the latter’s 1962 tour of the Deep South. The movie is a road trip drama set in the Jim Crow south. 

The “Green Book” refers to the annual guidebook for blacks traveling through the United States. It is a directory of safe roads, motels, restaurants, and gas stations in segregated America. Tony Lip is hired by Don Shirley, a black man, to drive him on his eight-week concert tour with plans to return to New York City on Christmas Eve. A friendship grows between the two men as Don helps Tony write love letters to his wife in the Bronx, as well as details of their trip, which become some of the basis for the movie.

The movie captures the zeitgeist of a segregated America in the 1960s. Lip’s transformation begins as he sees how the other side lives. And while the landscape is beautiful, there are heart-wrenching scenes of racism, hatred, and violence that black people suffer in the hands of white people.

3. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

It’s the end of the world and Dodge Petersen (Steve Carell, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Despicable Me) is unhappy. Penny Lockhart is unhappy (Keira Knightley, Begin Again, Love Actually), too. Dodge’s wife has left him while Penny’s boyfriend has made her miss her last opportunity to go back to England and be with her family. 

After Penny accidentally spills that his wife was having an affair, Dodge tries to kill himself by guzzling window cleaner but wakes up in a park with a dog tied to his foot. The two strike a deal: Dodge would connect her with someone who can fly her to England while she would help him find Olivia, his high school sweetheart and the love of his life.

Dodging madmen, riots, and an assassin — and everything else that make people crazy at the end of the world—they locate Penny’s ex-boyfriend, a doomsday prepper that lets her contact her family in England with his satellite phone. They also arrive at Olivia’s home but find it empty. Here, they fall in love and figure out their feelings for one another — all as the asteroid makes its inevitable impact.

4. Travel Stalker

Travel Stalker is a Japanese series whose hosts connect with travelers with no plans and hang out with them for the day. Call it innocents abroad, if you will. Each episode features different tourists, locations, shopping areas, food, and adventures.

In the first episode, they go to Nara, Japan’s first capital city, where they feed deer and visit the Todaiji Temple. Episode 3 in Inari is a special one featuring the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Throughout the 10-episode season, viewers get to see places like Shinsaibashi, which is famous for its shopping district, a marathon, temples, sunsets, how Osaka looks in autumn, Kyoto, Arashiyama, and  Sagano.

This travel series is useful inspiration for when you’re going to a place (whether international or domestic) without much of a real plan. And if you’re actually headed to Japan — or impulsively made plans for later in the year — Travel Stalker is a great guide for making your DIY itinerary.

5. 2 Days and 1 Night (2007-present)

Two days and one night is usually how long a quick break goes. But what if you had to perform tasks to earn points for things like food during this short time? That’s exactly what the South Korean reality show is all about.

2 Days and 1 Night, nowwith four seasons available to stream on Viu, features a cast of six men that have continually been replaced by new ones since it first aired in 2007. They travel throughout South Korea and deal with unpredictable situations and severe environments. It’s a cheerful way — because the hosts definitely are — to see South Korea from your couch or to base your travel plans on when you visit.

Be inspired for your next trip or travel vicariously to these destinations while at home through your PLDT Home subscription. Start streaming on Lionsgate Play when you activate your complimentary access voucher until June 1. For Asian content, subscribe to Viu Premium for only P80 a month and charge it straight to your PLDT Home account. To find out, visit pldthome.comentertainment.