Eugene Levy: “It’s never too late to travel”
At 77, the actor is crossing continents and facing fears in The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Apple TV+. He tells us how he left his comfort zone—and why you should, too
After six seasons of Schitt’s Creek, the award-winning sitcom he created and co-starred in with his son Daniel, Eugene Levy was ready for something different. But when he was approached to host a show about the world’s most incredible hotels, he said no. Repeatedly. “I couldn’t figure out why they wanted me,” he says now, those trademark eyebrows raising high over his glasses. “I kept telling them, ‘You got the wrong guy.’”
Because here’s the thing: Although he loved watching travel shows, he didn’t like travel. A lifelong worrier, the thought of airports and flying filled him with anxiety, and while he had been on plenty of vacations with his wife Deb, those vacations tended to mean a nice hotel in a European city, where his “meat and potatoes” palate wouldn’t be troubled by anything too exotic, and his feet wouldn’t be troubled by too much sightseeing.
The more he protested, the more the producers realized he was wrong for their idea—and came up with a new one: The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy, in which he would indeed stay in some jaw-dropping hotels, but as a quid pro quo, he would have to step out of his comfort zone. The first season took him from the Maldives to the edge of the Arctic Circle; the second, now streaming on Apple TV+, takes him off the beaten path in Europe, from Sweden to Spain. And it has pushed him to face his fears, from heights to raw fish, wild animals to water—even just talking to strangers.
“I’m glad this show came along, because I’m going through things I’d never have done before. I don’t have a great sense of curiosity or a big sense of adventure, that’s just not me. But it’s actually great fun,” says the 77-year-old, his surprise palpable. “I’m having a ball. And you know, I’m a better man for it.”
You don’t know how much fun you’ll have until you actually do it
Asked what he’d say to any other reluctant travelers out there, he doesn’t hesitate: “My message is quite simple: Just do it. Because you might surprise yourself. If you don’t think you’d like traveling, or don’t think you would love the experience of being in another country and hearing another language, to be touching elbows with other cultures, just try it. You don’t know how much fun you’ll have, or whether you’ll like it, until you actually do it. And it’s never too late.”
How Eugene faced his fears
Heights, helicopters, and hanging bridges
“In one of the countries, they wanted me to go in a hot-air balloon, and I said no—I’m not going to stand in a basket 600 feet above the ground. But hanging bridges, and helicopters… I’m never going to love it, you’re never going to lose a fear of heights, but they said it’s safe, and there is a reality there. In Utah, that was my first time on a helicopter. And on the hanging bridge in Costa Rica, I thought, if I just keep my gaze straight ahead then I’ll do it. And I did it.” He laughs, then puts on a scowl. “I hope you’re satisfied.”
Communing with other cultures
“I’m not a gregarious personality, but the most fun part of the show for me has been learning about different cultures through the people I’m coming into contact with. I experienced the culture and landscape of Utah through the people of the Navajo Nation, who were so sweet and so family oriented. And in Scotland this year, where my mother was from, I wasn’t expecting how emotional that would be. I’d never had a desire to go there, but being in the country, touching on the culture, history and landscape, it really hit home. It was beyond just a travel experience.”
Ewan McGregor: A brothers’ guide to Scotland
Testing his taste buds
“I’m not into exotic foods, raw fish, the squiggly stuff. I was nervous about Japan because I’m nervous about any country where the main diet is fish. I was worried about eating reindeer in Finland—I’m not into gamey meat. But listen, I tasted it. I had my first oyster in France, and you know, it was in my mouth maybe half a second. I didn’t care for sushi. Haggis, I hated. Why that’s even a food dish… But in the Maldives, at Kudadoo, that was something. The best food I’ve ever had in my life. In my life! Boy, that was amazing.”
Up close with nature
“Going into the rainforest at night in Costa Rica, that’s not something I would want to do twice. You don’t want to be in one of those headlines. You know, ‘Nerdy funnyman Eugene Levy mauled to death.’ But in South Africa at the Kruger National Park, I found myself really at home with the landscape. The hotel [the Kruger Shalati] was a train permanently situated on a bridge over the Sabie River, and you could see an elephant, a hippo; I saw a crocodile one day. That’s all it takes—you don’t need [to go on] a safari to absorb what that place is giving you.”
Chills and LOLs
“Finland was a surprise to me, because I thought it was going to be a tough one. But again, the people there made it so much fun. I had the most laughs there. I wasn’t looking forward to ice floating—you put on a floatation suit that is completely insulated—but once I hit the water, I burst out laughing. I couldn’t believe how great it felt, lying there, just looking up. And dogsledding? I loved it. Loved it. I think my family is getting a kick out of seeing me going through things they know I’d never have gone through. But maybe the biggest surprise to them is how much fun I’m actually having.”
Season two of The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy is now streaming on Apple TV+
Kate Bussmann is an editor at Expedia Group, covering all aspects of culture and style. She has hosted live and online events, written and edited for titles including The Times, The Telegraph, InStyle, Glamour, and Marie Claire, and appeared on NPR, the BBC and Sky News. She has lived in London, New York and Naples, and one day plans to move to Paris.
