TV Mini-Series Travel: Crusoe-Inspired Islands

NBC will air a serialized television adaptation of the 1719 Daniel Defoe novel Robinson Crusoe this fall, keeping alive the desert island theme that has done so well for the Pirates of the Caribbean and Lost franchises. Crusoe will premiere on October 17, and the 13-part series aims to provide the "pace and energy of network television while remaining faithful to the author's original classic story."

That all sounds dandy, so let's just take quick look at the story and the legend that influenced it to see what islands we need to visit to have our own Crusoe experience.

Defoe's novel was likely inspired by the tale of Alexander Selkirk, an eccentric and hot-headed Scottish sailor who, after a quarrel with his Captain over the seaworthiness of their ship, insisted on being dropped off on the uninhabited island of Mas a Tierra (now Robinson Crusoe Island) off the coast of Chile. He stayed there for more than four years before being rescued, using his considerable ingenuity to live off the land. If you decide to visit, as several hundred tourists do every year, you won't find much in the way of amenities, making your experience that much more authentic.

While Selkirk was marooned off the coast of South America, Defoe likely chose the southern Caribbean island of Tobago as the setting for his story. Tobago, of course, has a fully-developed tourist industry, drawing thousands of scuba divers and eco-adventurers every year. Nobody can stop you from pretending you're shipwrecked, but when playtime's over, you can take a shower and have dinner at the resort rather than slaughtering a feral goat.

[Photo: edwardshenton.com]

Related Stories:
· NBC's Crusoe [Official Site]
· Island Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

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