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Brokaw: Eugene Levy reflects back on the second season of ‘The Reluctant Traveler’

By Francine Brokaw - Special to the Standard-Examiner | Jun 22, 2024

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"The Reluctant Traveler," hosted by comedian Eugene Levy, is now streaming on Apple TV+.

It’s summertime, the time when families take their vacations. Check out some of the destinations explored in Season Two of “The Reluctant Traveler.”

Eugene Levy hit the road, and the skies, for the second season of his traveling show, which streams on Apple TV+. For those who have yet to see how this man explores foreign destinations with humor, know that Levy is in awe of new places. He admitted last year that he has not been a world traveler, until now. Europe is the focus of the locales for Levy in this second season.

There were many places he explored this season, and many places that unexpectedly amazed him. His first example, when asked about this, was the island of Sylt in northern Germany. As he explained to a group of media, “It borders Denmark and it’s an island. And when you look at the island, it’s absolutely gorgeous.” He went on to talk about how the island is known for its wellness program, and the hotel Lanserhof, where he stayed, is a well-known destination in Europe for wellness and health. It’s a place dedicated to becoming healthy. Coffee and wine are not on their menu. “You have to fast for three days, and it’s kind of a detox thing where people go and torture themselves and walk out feeling better.” Levy wasn’t super excited about this, but he did it nevertheless.

The actor acknowledged, “I’m loving the show for what it’s actually doing for me.” He is getting more enlightened and he said this makes him a more interesting person. Visiting unusual places and meeting new people has made their mark on him, and he feels grateful for the opportunity. “It’s learning about the country, learning about the culture through the people that I’m actually meeting, and I’m finding I’m having a great deal of fun doing that.” He is truly enjoying this show, which opens up the world to him and takes him places he never would have imagined prior to being “the reluctant traveler.”

“I’ve been shocking my wife, Deb. She would say, ‘I’ve never seen you do so much talking in my life.’ I’m usually not a a chit-chatty person generally with people. I don’t start up conversations. So what I have to do on the show is interact with people, and I’m finding I’m getting more comfortable doing that.”

So, where does Levy visit in Season Two? The first episode takes him to Sweden for the Midsummer celebration. Moose calling and kayaking are just two of the activities. The second episode takes him to his mother’s home country of Scotland. Wearing a kilt and dancing a jig brings him closer to his roots. Joan Collins joins him in the third episode as Levy explores the glamor of Saint-Tropez in France.

The fourth episode is where Levy lands in the holistic health resort in Germany. It’s quite a change from Saint-Tropez. From there, the show takes the actor to La Dolce Vita. The beauty of Italy engages him and Levy takes part in grape harvesting, truffle hunting and jousting. You read correctly. The islands of Greece are explored in the sixth episode. And the final episode of the season takes him to Spain, where he gets up close and personal with the sport of soccer.

With a variety of locales and activities, Levy is exploring places, people and excitement that he would have not enjoyed had he not been selected for this series. We should all be so lucky. But alas, viewers must explore all these places through Levy, who, with his great sense of humor, is a wonderful travel host, to his surprise.

Both seasons of “The Reluctant Traveler” are streaming on Apple TV+.

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