Missing traveling? These 19 travel movies will take you on a trip again.
Is there anyone who went on a trip just because he got inspired by a travel movie? That’s totally me. A few of my journeys started because I have seen something beautiful in a film. And few of these places are still of my list to-see. Travel movies are also my “comfort trip,” compensation when I am not able to pack my suitcase and leave, and I feel like I’m stuck at home.
I have created the list of movies I enjoyed watching and that made me feel inspired to travel again. These films are not always typical adventure stories, but they have some kind of travel theme that allows you to break away from reality.
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
Type: Comedy, drama
Places you will see: India
Trailer: here
My favourite quote: “Everything will be alright in the end so if it is not alright it is not the end.”
The movie shows that there is always time to live your life to the fullest. Even when its on twilight of your life. The story of a bunch of people who decided to spend their retirement in the mysterious Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It turned out to be less luxurious than described but bringing them as colorful life as the streets of India.
INTO THE WILD
Type: Drama
Places you will see: US: Alaska, Arizona, Dakota, Nevada
Trailer: here
Available on Netflix.
My favourite quote: “The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences.”
My favorite travel movie. Based on a book by Jon Krakauer. A real motivation to start traveling. The name of my blog is inspired also by this movie. It describes the journey of a young man who decided to leave his life and stay in the wildness. On his way to Alaska, he meets many people who influence his life in a certain way. The soundtrack of the movie is fantastic by itself – made by Eddie Vedder, the vocalist of Pearl Jam.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
Type: Comedy, drama, fantasy
Places you will see: Iceland, Greenland, US.
Trailer: here
My favourite quote: (about photography) “If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it. Right there… Right here.”
Fantastic views, a great story balanced between the imagination of the main character and his real-life mission. His personality has changed from boring one to super adventurous, just in a couple of days.
EAT, PRAY, LOVE
Type: Drama, romance
Places you will see: Italy, India, Indonesia (Bali)
Trailer: here
Available on Netflix.Available on Netflix.
My favourite quote: “It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”
The story of a woman who feels “trapped” in her life and decides to divorce and travel the world to find herself – the thing which a lot of us feel and plan to do. Amazing scenery will take you to the streets of Italy, India, and Bali. After this movie, Bali became even more popular gateway and “finding spirituality” destination.
CHRONOS | BARAKA | SAMSARA
Type: documentary
Places you will see: the whole world
Trailer: here
Frankly, the best travel and documentary movies I have ever watched. I can go back to them over and over and never get bored. These three, made by the same directors, are documentary, non-narrative movies, a masterpiece of the 21st century. A collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life, nature, religion, and culture. It shows not only the beauty of the world but also a destructive part of humanity. It leaves in you with so many emotions like inspiration, sadness, disappointment, anger, astonishment at the beauty of the world, and the curiosity of seeing more and more.
INTO THE MIND
Type: Documentary, sport
Places you will see: Canada, USA, Bolivia, Nepal, Costa Rica, Switzerland
Trailer: here
The cinematography and editing are some of the best I have ever seen. Just check the teaser I have attached above, and you will see what I am talking about. Several themes, including Sherpa’s life, crazy ski free ride, which ends up in the hospital, snowboarding, and climbing. Breathtaking scenes of nature, people, and movement.
HIDEOUS KINKY
Type: Drama, romance
Places you will see: Marrakech
Trailer: here
A beautiful story of a hippie woman and her two daughters who decided to live in vibrant Marrakech, and adjust to the oriental culture. I watched this movie a long time ago, and that was my motivation to see Morocco.
SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET
Type: Drama
Places you will see: Tibet, Himalayas
Trailer: here
Available on Netflix.
My favourite quote: “The haste of Europeans has no place in Tibet. We must learn patience if we wished to arrive at the goal.”
A true story based on the life of Heinrich Harrer. He was an Austrian mountain climber, escaping prisoner-of-war camp and traveling through the Himalayas to finally find shelter in Tibet. He became friends with the Dalai Lama at the time of China’s takeover of Tibet.
AFRICA UNITED
Type: Comedy
Places you will see: Africa
Trailer: here
The extraordinary story of Rwandan kids who walk 3000 miles to the Soccer World Cup in South Africa. Depicting third world problems such as poverty, HIV, and child prostitution but showing as well the power of friendship. Heart-melting, colorful and full of humor, suitable also for family watching.
WILD
Type: Drama
Places you will see: US: Oregon, California
Trailer: here
My favourite quote: “I’m a free spirit who never had the balls to be free.”
After the death of a mother, a young woman decides to do solo trek for over 1000 miles on a Pacific Crest Trail, with no previous hike experience. She has to face threats to the outside world, but also her own mind.
ON THE ROAD
Type: Drama
Places you will see: US: Pennsylvania, Oregon, Louisiana
Trailer: here
My favourite quote: “There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.”
Free-spirited road trip across the US, made by 3 friends. The story shows America of the 1940s.
THE BUCKET LIST
Type: Comedy
Places you will see: all around the world: Taj Mahal, Pyramids of Giza, Tanzania, Great Wall of China and many more
Trailer: here
My favourite quote: “Three things to remember when you get older: never pass up a bathroom, never waste a hard-on, and never trust a fart.”
The kind of movie which makes you wonder what would you do if you had only a few months left of your life and what is on your bucket list?
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARES
Type: Drama
Places you will see: Argentina, Chile, Peru
Trailer: here
My favourite quote: “What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land.”
The story based on journals of Ernesto Che Guevara. However, it has nothing to do with politics or revolution. Two friends decided to travel across Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela on a motorcycle. Primarily they are only looking for an adventure, but their trip finishes with more serious achievements and real change. The movie shows the unfair treatment of South American ethnic people and the conditions they are pushed to live in.
BEFORE SUNRISE | BEFORE SUNSET | BEFORE MIDNIGHT
Type: Romantic comedy
Places you will see: Vienna, Paris, Greece
Trailer: here
My favourite quote: “Only if you find peace within yourself, will you find true connection with others.”
The saga starts when two strangers meet on the train in Europe and decide to spend one night together, exploring Vienna. They both assume that it will be their only one night together, so they try to use this time to the fullest. In the beginning, I thought that the movie is quite dull, but after some time, I have discovered that real power and the message is hidden in deep conversations. Worth checking, after the first part, you will be curious to watch another one, to discover if they met again.
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Type: Comedy, fantasy, romance
Places you will see: Paris
Trailer: here
My favourite quote: “Nostalgia is denial – denial of the painful present… the name for this denial is golden age thinking – the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in – its a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present.”
Woody Allen’s surrealistic creation. The main character travels in time to Paris of the 1920s, to the society of the Parisian Boheme. The movie raises an interesting topic that we always miss the eras that are gone.
Not sure if you have this feeling also, but I always think that I would love to be born in the 1960s in California to experience the real hippie movement.
Let me know which of the above travel movies is your favorite! And if you have some other inspiring films in mind, leave the comment with the title below <3
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