...
British comedian Paul Merton's first extreme holiday is a Caribbean cruise aboard the Allure of the Sea, the world's largest holiday ship. he feels hardly at ease among what seems an international luxury mall crowd and their mindless entertainment. Island visits start promising, but are too short to properly find out about the real county and people behind the standardized luxury tourist resorts.
Paul visits hot Balearic (Spanish Mediterranean) island Ibiza. The party culture isn't his thing, even when he tries a costume party it soon goes wrong. He prefers the locals' traditional fiesta and the lavish villa complete with attendant. Long-term residents tells him their different views on the good life, from a retired and a popular DJ (with whom Paul enjoys making a song) to a former opera singers' agent turned horse sanctuary manager.
Visiting Florida, mass tourism destination for seniors and families with children in the US, Paul isn't too impressed with generic entertainment like theme parks or dog mania event Woofstock. In Key West, Paul discusses with Paul Anderson the Cuban immigrants' Conch Republic, an absurd pseudo-state pretending to have torn away from the US, and is recruited as its latest ambassador, to the UK.
Paul starts in Kingston-upon-Hull, where British caravans are made, to experience the most popular mode of transport for domestic holidays in England, which annually receives 30 million tourists. Learning the practicalities of a caravan proves quite a challenge. On his tour of England, Paul discovers such quaint traditions as competitive egg throwing. In tiny Weston, the joys of sleepy beach resorts, such as sand castles and Punch & Judy puppet shows, where guest performer Paul introduces as character football star Wayne Rooney.
Paul tries out 'healthy' tourism in three Alpine countries. In Switzerland's wellness resort Bad Radaz, it's strife for a perfect body, and Olympic athletes' condition tests, basically altogether a rather unsavoury diet and gym experience and rather pointless in his eyes. In Austria's capital Vienna it's mental sanity, or rather absurdity in a specialized museum and body-painting to instantly change personality. In Italian Duranham, he joins a community of over 1000 who seek to enlighten the soul in dubious ways, but enjoys their temple deep inside a mountain.
Paul visits Scotland, famous for active holidays in Britain. Hunting isn't his thing, not even for the grey 'tree rat' squirrel. Nothing macho in the Cairgorns Mountains either, so he abandons mountain bike champion Shore for carts, even if these go down terribly fast. Movie stars' coach and combat expert Charlie is asked to 'man up' of Paul, strangely in medieval armour. Paul hates leaving his castle hotel for 'activities', so he sneaks off to a farmer who 'diversified' into training 'stunt drakes' (ducks). Next the highland games. Finally a woodland hunting course.
