Movies often play to the landmarks where the film is made. Many movies based in Paris, will show the Eiffel Tower, and movies set in London will show Big Ben, Buckingham Palace etc, And whilst some places have become tourist attractions due to movies (The Bridge the Hogwarts Express train takes in Harry Potter for example) I seek to display movies below that embody the travelling spirit, or the need to change from the conventional way of living.
We all find inspiration to travel from different sources. There are dozens of travel bloggers and ‘digital nomads’ whom I follow on Instagram, I listen to old playlists from my past trips, and occasionally, I will watch a movie to get me in the mood to see the world. The best of which I will list below.
The Beach
Danny Boyle’s cult movie epitomises the search for Paradise. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character hears word of a hidden beach commune away from the rest of society and seeks to find it.
After joining this isolated commune, and rejecting mainstream society’s way of life, all does not pan out as planned for Leo’s character.
Filmed in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand – this movie has inspired countless people to visit to Thailand and check out the numerous island paradises the South-East Asian country has to offer.
Up
This bittersweet Pixar classic tells the tale of a widowed pensioner Carl Frederickson and a stowaway scout journeying to the fictional ‘Paradise Falls’ in South America to fulfil his and his deceased wife’s lifelong dream, travelling by unconventional means (balloons attached to his house).
Into The Wild
The tale of Christopher McCandless is a tragic, true story, based on the book written by Jon Krakauer, another story about rejecting mainstream society, it tells of McCandless who chose to live in the Alaskan wilderness, but being ill prepared he died a few months into his journey.
He found an abandoned bus which he lived in, which has controversially become a pilgrimage stop for other adventurers (some of whom have died trying to reach the bus to pay tribute to McCandless).
El Dorado
The Dreamworks cartoon depicts the story of 2 Spaniards; Julio and Miguel who are captured by conquistadors for fixing a dice game; and eventually flee captivity to the gold city of El Dorado, where they are welcomed as God’s to live beyond wealth imaginable, and after discovering the city of gold; they fall in love with its’ customs and traditions and decide to stay, rather than return to Spain rich beyond their dreams.
Everest
Everest is another true story, based on the book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, about his journey on Mt. Everest with Adventure Consultants, a tour company which acted as guides up Everest for wealthy clients. Krakauer was invited for a free trip to document climbing Everest, giving publicity to Adventure Consultants, tragedy however struck and resulted in one of the most tragic days on the mountain. 8 people died in total.
Everest shows the downfall of tourism, as too many people climbing the mountain in adverse weather was a major contributing factor to the tragedy.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
The story of childhood classic musical featuring Dick Van Dyke may not strike you as an inspiration to travel, however many of the scenes filmed should. Based in the fictional country of Vulgaria, but lots of scenes were filmed on Scenic Beaches in France, the White Cliffs of Eastbourne in England, and picturesque medieval villages/castles straggling the Austrian/Bavarian border.
The breathtaking scenery will have you looking up medieval tours around Bavaria.
Wild
Wild is a 2014 movie based on a true story, starring Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed, a newly divorced recovering addict, who wants to redeem her past actions by hiking over 1,000 miles of the US West Coast. With trials and tribulations along the way, Wild is a powerful story that could encourage people into the world of solo-travel.