The BEST episodes of Departures
Every episode of Departures ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Departures!
Aimed at the adventure seeker, Departures is an action-packed and personal journey about two travelers. Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach leave their lives behind in search of unique experiences through some of the most beautiful and remote places on earth. From epic landscapes and unforgettable culture, to the often trying times that come with international travel, the series chronicles the unforgettable friendships, personal successes and sometimes crushing disappointments that befall them on their journey. Accompanied by their friend and cameraman, Andre Dupuis, Departures showcases the revelations of two travelers who strive to find themselves and new perspectives while trekking across the globe. Departures is as much about the journey as it is the destination. No prizes, no contests, just real life and real travel.
#1 - India: Quest for the Himalayas
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/31/2008
Friends Scott and Justin travel through the more untouched parts of India, a quest which takes them to the highest mountains in the world. Into the depths of a storm, and ill from food poisoning, India challenges them both to their utmost limits.
#2 - India: Sacred Ground
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/24/2008
Scott and Justin meet up with their friend Monica to take a gruelling train ride to the desert. Then to Varanasi, to witness the everyday mayhem and discover the depth of India’s culture and religions before flying to New Delhi in time for the Diwali celebration.
#3 - Australia
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 6/19/2010
From the southern coast of Adelaide, all the way to Darwin, the guys take on another road trip - this time with their own purchased 4x4 to get them through the perilous, dusty outback. Fighting constant breakdowns, they reach the underground town of Coober Pedy, where they search for opal with the help of an explosives “expert”. The crew travel from Uluru, staying on a working ranch, before tackling the ultimate offroad adventure through searing sand to remote Boggy Hole. Pushing on through a sudden rainstorm in the north, to the last miles to Darwin, Scott, Justin, and Andre have now travelled to all seven continents. What’s next?
#4 - Vietnam
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/27/2010
Scott and Justin catch up with their high school friend Fran, who is travelling to Vietnam to explore his motherland and family history for the first time. They travel south to north, through the commotion of Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong River floating markets, and experiencing haunting remnants of the Vietnam war and visiting magical and mysterious temples and caves along the way. Further north, surrounded by the beauty of Halong Bay, the guys realize that spending time with Fran’s family, and seeing the country through his eyes, has given them a fresh perspective on travel.
#5 - Thailand
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/19/2008
Nearing the end of the trip, Scott and Justin fly to Thailand looking for unique experiences outside of traditional tourist stops, from the hill tribes of the north to the sun-drenched kickboxing rings of the south.
#6 - Cambodia
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/26/2008
Scott and Justin meet up with their friend Sarorn and his family who show them the real side of Cambodia. The villages, the poverty, and the amazing people. The guys find new purpose with their year long travel and commit to another year-long trip.
#7 - Mongolia: Tribes and Tribulations
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/1/2009
After being separated at the airport and put on different flights, Scott arrives to find that his bag has gone missing. The guys grab supplies and climb into an old soviet van to start a long trek out to a Nomadic Reindeer tribe. But to get there, they will have to travel by van then by horseback for four days. Scott and Justin take part in the tribe’s traditional way of life and come to understand the necessity of the nature and balance around them.
#8 - Zambia
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/22/2009
Scott and Justin ultimately find themselves in the midst of some of the most wild roads and dangerous animals on the planet. Sleeping in a tree-blind while lions walk directly under them or taking a walking safari is no match to the real situation with the people they meet. The guys experience a way of life that is so drastically different than theirs, impoverished and battling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the guys witness the joy and sorrow at a small church ceremony and gain a fresh outlook from their new Zambian friends.
#9 - Cuba
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/22/2009
Avoiding the resorts and the all-inclusive vacation, Scott and Justin rent a car and head towards the tobacco fields around Viñales. They’re looking for a specific farmer to return a picture to him from a friend who visited years ago. After the successful search and a visit into the farmer’s home, they grab a couple of horses to ride into the countryside and try some sugarcane rum. On their way to Trinidad they pick up a hitchhiker, play a game of baseball with some kids, and are invited to take part in a traditional Santeria ceremony. But even the swinging machete, beating drums, sacrificed chicken, rum and cigars won’t end this trip. The three drive along the south east coast and visit Fidel Castro’s remote hideout on their way to Carnival in Santiago de Cuba.
#10 - Brazil: Treading Water
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/15/2009
There are so many things that can kill you in the Amazon. The guys rent a boat as protection and head down river to explore the rainforest. They find poisonous insects, angry snakes, and natives living in hand-built huts. After getting stuck in a 70 meter high tree in an Amazonian thunderstorm, and attacked by vicious pink dolphins, they hop on a plane headed for the island of Fernando de Noronha. Here they try their hand at scuba diving and witness the hatching of close to 1000 baby sea turtles. The dynamic changes when Justin and Gisele know their time together will soon be ending.
#11 - Brazil: Piranha Soup
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/8/2009
The guys reunite with Gisele, whom they had met on their previous trip to Jordan. A native to Brazil, Gisele shows them around Rio de Janeiro. She takes them hang gliding, to a football match, and into the ghettos before they hit the road for the Pantanal. Here they find poisonous plants, the worlds largest living rodents, and catch piranha for lunch - none of the reasons why Justin ends up in the hospital. This is a great opportunity for the guys to learn about Brazil’s dangers before reaching the Amazon.
#12 - New Zealand: Adrenaline
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/12/2008
Christmas approaches as Scott and Justin continue their travels through untouched New Zealand. Finding adventure and uninhabited landscape reminds them of how long they've been on the road and of all the family and friends waiting for their return.
#13 - New Zealand - Risks and Rewards
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/5/2008
Adventure in New Zealand does not come without consequences, especially when Scott and Justin meet up with their "larger than life" kiwi friend Ellis. Justin's competitive risk-taking side takes over, while Scott deals with his own fears.
#14 - Ascension Island
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/7/2008
In the middle of the South Atlantic, staying atop the highest mountain, Scott and Justin struggle with feelings of isolation as they try to contact banks at home and save personal relationships.
#15 - Canada: Ocean to Ocean
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/18/2008
Friends, Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach leave the 9 to 5 to travel the world for a year. But before they leave, they feel that they need to explore their own country first. They rent an RV in Halifax and hit the road. Camping all the way across Canada, Halifax to Vancouver.
#16 - Jordan
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/25/2008
After landing in Jordan, Scott and Justin are greeted by their friend Ibrahim who is getting married in a few weeks. They spend a night in the desert with the Bedouins, travel to Petra and the gulf of Aqaba, all just in time for the big day.
#17 - Canada: Pushing North
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/2/2008
A year out, Scott and Justin arrive back on home soil, but can't part ways without one more challenge. An epic adventure which takes them from Vancouver, past the Arctic Circle, to the end of the road, seeing some of the most remote areas in Canada.
#18 - Libya
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/1/2009
After many visa difficulties, Scott and Justin are finally allowed to enter Libya. They travel from Tripoli to Jebel Nafusa, before getting lost in the abandoned city of Ghadames. They wander around the maze of empty streets and homes before finding each other again, and drive deep into the Sahara desert to climb some of the world’s largest sand dunes, and sand-board in their own private oasis.
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#19 - Mongolia: Meals and Wheels
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/8/2009
The guys stay with the Tsatsaan Reindeer tribe for a couple more days before the long trek back to Ulaan Bator. Scott and Justin stop along the way at a complete strangers ger (traditional Mongolian tent) where the three are invited in for fermented yaks-milk and some mix of goat-organ soup. Craving adventure of a different variety, they rent ATV’s and drive freely into the Gobi desert. Camping at night, and driving by day, the trio discover the ultimate idea of freedom, before running into various trouble on the road.
#20 - Madagascar
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/29/2009
In order to meet the King in the village of Vohipeno, Scott and Justin have to take a long train ride through the rainforest and bring gifts for the kingdom. Along with a Rooster and Rabbit aptly named “Pancakes” and “Waffles”, they make their way through Madagascar where they find lemurs, climb the jagged cliffs in Tsingy and develop friendships with a village full of chanting kids.
#21 - Cook Islands
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/28/2008
While visiting four of the Cook Islands, Scott is challenged about his commitments to the year trip while Justin learns from the locals how to live off the land. That is until his love for animals is challenged by "the head hunters" – the local school boys, who take the guys on a traditional pig hunt.
#22 - Japan: The Past
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/21/2008
Continuing in Japan, Scott and Justin seek the peace of nature by taking a late-night ferry to the island of Miyajima and try to find camp amongst the hundreds of native deer and discover that they may have taken for granted their decisions and ability to travel the world.
#23 - Japan: The Future
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/14/2008
While navigating the extensive train systems in Japan, Scott manages to get them to the South. Meanwhile, Justin struggles with language barriers and very different food. Things settle when they leave the city behind to find the more natural side.
#24 - Morocco
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/25/2009
Justin has been travelling alone for the past couple of months when Scott and Andre decide to come meet him at a festival in Spain. They head to Gibraltar, where Justin is attacked by candy-stealing Apes, before hopping on a ferry and completely switching continents. Now in Morocco, they head inland towards Fès, then further into the snow-covered Atlas Mountains to stay in a traditional Moroccan kasbah. They end their trip with a long climb up Jbel Toubkal – the highest mountain in North Africa. Three strong again, they find reason to keep travelling together.
#25 - Iceland
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/15/2009
Iceland’s raw nature, good hearted people and vast open spaces encourage Scott and Justin to brave the elements. From Reykajavik the guys rent a 4x4 truck and hit the open roads, no matter what the conditions. They encounter a family while sheep herding, and join in to help on their way to find adventure in the ice and glaciers . Active volcanoes, ice climbing and squeezing into an underground lava tube hint towards some of the personal strength needed to continue their world adventures.