6 movies about travel that will inspire you to book your next trip

Movies, be it blockbuster hits or underground indie flicks, have always had a way of transporting viewers to a time and place far away from the screen they’re on. Mo Baghdadi / Unsplash

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Social media is the most common place for certain generations to look for travel inspiration. As CN Traveler reports, rather than going into a brick-and-mortar shop and visiting a travel agent, Gen Z are using platforms like YouTube and Instagram to help them choose their next vacation destination.

Sure, perfectly edited imagery of Bali’s cotton candy-coloured skies that Instagram seems to favour are enough to get some people book a ticket to Southeast Asia, but there are other ways to find travel inspo for those whose thumbs are tired of scrolling.

Movies, be it blockbuster hits or underground indie flicks, have always had a way of transporting viewers to a time and place far away from the screen they’re on. If you’re in need of a wanderlust pick-me-up, these six movies are sure to inspire you to book your next trip… or at least make you feel like you’ve had a mini getaway once the credits start to roll.

Movies to inspire travel: One Week

Will make you want to explore: Canada
Our nation takes centre stage in this drama starring Canada’s own Joshua Jackson (remember him from Dawson’s Creek?) The film’s subject is dark — Jackson plays Ben Tyler, a young school teacher living in Toronto who’s been newly diagnosed with terminal cancer, but it shines a bright light on some of our country’s most famous landscapes as the protagonist takes an epic journey, riding across multiple provinces on a vintage motorcycle. For peak Canadiana, look out for a cameo by the Tragically Hip’s late lead singer, Gord Downie.

Movies to inspire travel: Before Sunrise

Will make you want to explore: Vienna, Austria
Before Sunrise, the first in a trilogy, stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy who have a fling in Vienna while wandering through the city and its cobblestone streets at nighttime. It’s romantic to say the least. This 1995 flick was followed by Before Sunset, which takes place in Paris, and Before Midnight, which is set in Messenia, Greece. All three are worth watching, really, if you’re looking for multiple spots to inspire… and maybe make you a little sappy, too.

Movies to inspire travel: The Darjeeling Limited

Will make you want to explore: India
Three brothers (played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman) who haven’t seen each other since their father’s funeral, take a train ride through India, en route to visit their estranged mother who now lives in a Himalayan convent. The costumes and set design on the train are enough to make you want to book a days-long adventure riding by rail through a some exotic climate.

Movies to inspire travel: The Beach

Will make you want to explore: Southern Thailand
How do we know that Leo DiCaprio’s The Beach is one to inspire travel? Well, it has literally created an overtourism problem for Koh Phi Phi, one of the most famous islands in southern Thailand. In the 2000 flick, DiCaprio’s character, Vicenarian Richard, gets frustrated and bored in Bangkok until he learns about a secret paradise island that he has to see for himself. The visuals are ridiculously gorgeous, filled with white sand and clear ocean waters, and while there masses of people flocking to Phi Phi IRL these days, Thailand is still home to many unspoiled islands that are similar in appearance to what’s seen in The Beach. The film is based on Alex Garland’s novel of the same name and is also worth checking out.

Movies to inspire travel: Out of Africa

Will make you want to explore: Kenya
Based on an autobiography by Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa takes viewers to Kenya and its Shaba National Game Reserve. The plot line of the film isn’t exactly cheery: Meryl Streep plays a married baroness who falls for Robert Redford, a game hunter, but the perfectly-captured visuals of the African Savannah are enough to make viewers long for an African safari of their own.

Movies to inspire travel: Copenhagen

Will make you want to explore: Denmark, but mostly Copenhagen
The premise of the film Copenhagen is simple: a young Canadian (Gethin Anthony) flies to Denmark and befriends a local waitress (Frederikke Dahl Hansen). Together, the pair explores the country, Dahl Hansen serving as Anthony’s makeshift tour guide and personal translator. The movie was filmed in 2014, so it will give you a good idea of what the city is like today.