Antoni Porowski’s four-episode docuseries “Best of the World with Antoni Porowski” premieres June 7 on National Geographic and debuts on Disney+ and Hulu the next day, taking viewers through Mexico City, Paris, New York, and London—paired with personal rituals
Antoni Porowski didn’t set out to treat famous landmarks like trophies. In “Best of the World with Antoni Porowski,” he keeps returning to the same question while filming: who’s keeping the place alive—and what’s hiding just under the surface.
In one early moment. he peels the husk from a cob of corn in the kitchen of Chef Elena Reygadas’ Michelin-starred Mexico City restaurant. Rosetta. Porowski helps prepare her take on tamales, blending huitlacoche—a fungus with an earthy flavor—with onions, chiles, and epazote. “You can only taste this in Mexico, and like this, in Rosetta,” he tells her.
That approach threads through the four-episode docuseries. It premieres on National Geographic on June 7 and becomes available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu the following day. The series draws on National Geographic’s “Best of the World” franchise. with Porowski visiting businesses and attractions in Mexico City. Paris. New York. and London to spotlight what he calls the hidden stories behind iconic destinations.
Before filming began, he said he didn’t have to start from scratch on the itinerary. “Best of the World” already offered a framework. moving from “high-end to the low-end to the weird. quirky in between”—including stops that can take about six hours to reach through a jungle. He said his own travel style thrives on that mix, balancing “nice things” with the unexpected.
He also described the tension he feels when the filming starts near institutions everyone recognizes on sight. The challenge. he said. is finding what’s uniquely worth seeing—whether it’s a part of a place “that not a lot of people have access to. ” or the more personal “human story” of the person who keeps it running.
Some of his favorite memories, Porowski said, came from moments that humbled him rather than dazzled him instantly. In New York City—where he has lived for about 15 years—he experienced the New York City Marathon after avoiding it “like the plague.” He said he was humbled by how “beautiful and uniting it was. ” and described it as a reminder of why he moved to the city.
Mexico City delivered a similar jolt, he said, echoing the feeling of finally watching a movie that countless friends recommend. He expected a lot from the city’s food and Brutalist architecture. but said the place turned out to be “so much more than that.” He described a super cosmopolitan center paired with nature that “overgrow[s]. ” vegetation that feels lush. and a romantic sense of being built on a lake. He called it “the best damn first date ever.”.
One of the most striking sequences, he said, involves canoeing at Xochimilco Ecological Park. Porowski described being told he would need to be up at 3 o’clock in the morning. with departure planned for 3:30 and arrival expected “at 4-something.” He wasn’t impressed at the time. but once there—and as the sun started coming up—he said the experience looked “so epic. ” even more beautiful in person than in the footage he later saw during post-production. He noted that you’re still technically in Mexico City.
As the show progressed, he said his definition of “the best” didn’t settle into one answer. He described the pattern of arriving somewhere famous and having that initial belief confirmed. then contrasting it with places that surprise him—like Paris. where he stayed in a district he had never stayed in before. Instead of the larger hotels and busier areas he often finds himself in during fashion weeks. he said he stayed at a tiny Japanese hotel with Chinese noodle bars and Vietnamese restaurants nearby.
He said it brought him back to the idea that globalization has both downsides and upsides. He described the “pro” as being able to experience other cultures more easily—if you do it with mindfulness and respect. In his telling. it was also a food lesson: Chinese food in Paris. he learned. was “vastly different” and more obsessed with noodles than what he’s used to.
For travel must-haves, Porowski kept it practical. He said he always brings a sleep mask and a $10 noise machine that produces brown noise for babies. meant to help with jet lag by securing “at least a few hours of REM sleep.” He also said he travels with bone broth collagen packets recommended by a friend—something he described as sounding “pretentious. ” but that he considers “really delicious” in powder form. He said the packets help him get his macros through a hot. soothing beverage. and that he also carries magnesium packets in his backpack.
When it comes to transportation. he said trains are his first choice. especially because he still has a “bit of a fear of flying.” Trains. he argued. let you cover a lot of ground while keeping you at eye level with the landscape. Car travel can be even more immersive. he said. but “walking or jogging” remains his top preference no matter where he goes.
He said running also helps him understand a place’s topography. And walking. he added. serves another purpose—given that he has “absolutely zero sense of direction. ” even in New York City. He described it as a way to notice landmarks like a coffee shop. a bakery. and a record seller whose story he might want to follow later.
That preference shaped how he thought about the show’s cycling scenes in Paris. He said biking in Montmartre—where it’s “purely cobblestone streets”—meant focusing on not falling while on camera. limiting how much he could take in. Still. he said he watched in post and found the view “beautiful” and “poetic. ” including the city’s landscape even on a hazy. humid. cloudy day. He said he felt even more aware of how different architectural eras sit together—modernism with Gothic and medieval remnants—and that. despite hating heights. the moment left him humbled by something he framed as larger than himself.
When he travels, he said he also makes room for indulgence. He described eating more carbs than he allows himself in New York. especially when pastries overseas “just hit different.” He said travel loosens his grip on macros; with bone broth packets in his backpack. he can still feel in control while giving himself freedom to choose what he wants to eat—like pasta at 11 a.m.—and he believes that looseness makes the food taste better.
What he hopes viewers take away, he said, is a kind of zooming out. He described a world filled with uncertainty and fear. but said it helps to remember that many people are “just living their lives and going to work every day. ” keeping the lights on. He said that perspective helps him feel “a little less lonely” watching this kind of programming. and even less lonely when he experiences it directly—because it pulls him out of his own head and puts personal problems into perspective.
The four-episode series premieres June 7 on National Geographic, with streaming availability on Disney+ and Hulu the next day.
Antoni Porowski Best of the World with Antoni Porowski National Geographic Disney+ Hulu travel show Mexico City Paris New York City Marathon Rosetta Chef Elena Reygadas huitlacoche Xochimilco Ecological Park