Westin Maui

Is it bad that when I saw Monday’s post and read the phrase, “a reason to love Mondays,” my first thought was, “The Bachelorette!”?

Probably. But I feel a little less guilty about why I’m currently loving Monday nights when I think about the main reason behind my devotion to the reality TV show: getting a glimpse of the amazing locations featured each week.

And when I started researching how I could follow in Jillian's footsteps on the Tantalus Range glaciers of Banff or with the famous fondue of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, I was excited to see that not only is Canada’s tourism industry already on top of things, so is ABC. The network’s official Bachelorette pages include one that lists contact information for all locations and activities featured as the show’s stars jet from Los Angeles to British Columbia to Spain to Hawaii.

Those hot (and not-so-hot) nights of Maui? We have the Westin and Sheraton to thank (or blame). If you’re thinking of taking advantage of this summer’s Hawaii deals, they look like beautiful options—or you could just use the episode as inspiration and choose from a long list of other lovely Maui hotels instead.

My favorite thing featured so far, though, was the journey aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train between Vancouver and Banff. The scenery was stunning. Forget the suitors on board; I’d be half-tempted to propose to the glacier-fed lakes and snow-capped peaks outside!

From the very first Real World to today's Survivor, the Amazing Race, and the Great American Road Trip, reality TV has always been tied to memorable real-life locations. What’s your favorite?

Maui Westin photo courtesy of IgoUgo member azsunluvr