Have you ever watched a movie or read a book and instantly been inspired to travel to the setting? Travel inspiration can originate in some obscure places, but movies have long been the trigger for many trips.
These travel writers share some of their most unique movies that resulted in iconic trips!
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Papa ✈️ Cuba
Contributed by Angela DiLoreto of FittinginAdventure.com
We were newly(ish) married and had just turned in my passport for my name change. After the long government building lines, ee came home and fell onto the couch to search for something to watch. We found Papa Hemingway in Cuba and started it.
Halfway through the movie I was in love with the countryside and ready to book a trip. While Hemingway’s time in Cuba was long ago (1939-1960) the unique freezing of time in Cuba left the country much the way he would have experienced it. While roaming the countryside we saw the typical 1950s Chevys, a farmer plowing a field with an ox and wooden plow but also locals scrolling on their iPhones.
Papa’s favorite bars and restaurants are still around and, of course, you can still tour his Cuba home.
West Beyrouth ✈️ Beirut/Lebanon
Contributed by Agnes of Voice of Guides
West Beirut is the most well-known and touching movie about the Lebanese civil war that took 15 years (1975-1990) in a country where religious tensions were always present under the surface, and sectarianism was rooted in the society. It tells the unveiled truth about how Beirut was suddenly divided by the Green Line between Muslims and Christians and turned former friends and neighbors against each other. If somebody crossed the line could immediately be shot. The Lebanese civil war was one of the most chaotic wars, with various alliances, independent militant groups, and gangs. The belligerents often changed sides, and the fighters were not always aware of why and against who they should fight.
The movie gives an insight into life during the Lebanese civil war through the friendship of a Christian girl and a Muslim boy. A scene from the film appears as graffiti in Beirut.
This movie inspired me to visit Beirut more than 20 years after the civil war. The war is long over, but it is still taboo for most people. Part of Beirut is modernized, while several buildings still have bullet marks as reminders of the civil war. Once you travel there, you realize there are so many things to do in Beirut, in this tiny liberal Middle Eastern country.
Scooby Doo ✈️ Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia
Contributed by Chris Fry the Aquarius Traveller
Most people would remember one of the blockbuster hits from 2002, Scooby Doo. This is when the Mystery Inc gang of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby Do, visit Spooky Island’s tropical paradise to solve their latest mystery. The Island is incredibly beautiful, and it definitely inspired me to travel where it was filmed.
Consequently, this Spooky Island is located just off the coast of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The real name is Moreton Island, and you can easily book to stay in the Eco-Friendly Tangalooma Resort. It’s just a short 1.5-hour ferry ride from Brisbane, and you’ll have everything at your fingertips. This includes snorkeling the shipwrecks, quad bike tours, helicopter rides, and seeing wild dolphins. In fact, the quad bikes were actually used in the movie and are so much fun to ride on the sand dunes. In addition, the Movie Stars themselves, like Freddie Prince Jr & Sarah Michelle Gellar, actually stayed in this resort. Therefore, you can imagine exploring the beaches and walking down the same paths they did while on vacation.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy ✈️ Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
Contributed by Laura from Laura the Explorer
One of the greatest film series of all time with breathtaking scenery to boot, there’s no doubt that The Lord of the Rings trilogy inspires many a trip to New Zealand. From the glacier-carved valleys around Queenstown to the rolling hills of Hobbiton in Matamata, and getting behind the scenes at Weta Workshop in Wellington, there are a plethora of locations featured in the films that are ready to discover.
For those looking to set out on a quest of their own, look no further than Mt Doom, also known as Mt Ngauruhoe, where the Tongariro Alpine Crossing track will lead you there. This incredible one-day adventure across a volcanic alpine landscape consistently ranks as one of the top day hikes in the country and is a must-add to any North Island itinerary.
Vikings ✈️ Oslo, Norway
Contributed by Nick Rosen of The World Overload
Movies involving Vikings have always been one of my top favorites. Not only for the Norse mythology and good action scenes but what they represented. It’s because this culture is the old-world definition of travelers and adventurers. These were the people who wanted to explore new territories and gain knowledge not only for survival but for the sheer enjoyment of it. You can see this is in the many movies and tv shows that focus on Viking life.
This is what inspired me to go travel to Norway as well as the rest of Scandinavia. I wanted to learn more about Viking culture by going to the museums and seeing the country that made it all possible. Learn about historical names and figures that are still part of Norway’s learning and celebrations. And I found this all in Oslo, the capital of Norway. Here I could really embrace that spirit of knowledge and adventure that makes this country so worthwhile.
The James Bond Franchise ✈️ Monte Carlo, Monaco & the French Riviera
Contributed by Lisa Garrett of Waves and Cobblestones
The James Bond movie franchise often features the dramatic natural beauty and glamorous cities of the French Riviera as a setting for the action, intrigue, and romance that James Bond films are known for. If thrilling car chases through the hills above Monaco and stunning views of the Mediterranean aren’t enough, certainly, the glamorous casino scenes will inspire you to book a trip to the French Riviera!
‘Golden Eye’, ‘Never Say Never Again’ and ‘Casino Royale’ all contain scenes featuring the iconic Casino de Monte Carlo. In the movies, dashing gentlemen in tuxedos and stunning, jewel-bedecked women test their luck at this world-famous casino — and you can, too.
Despite the advances in filming techniques over the decades, the movies just don’t do the scenery justice. When you visit, you’ll have to decide whether Monte Carlo is more beautiful by day, or by night.
The Bourne Identity ✈️ Paris, France
Contributed by Martha of MayCauseWanderlust.com.
The Bourne Identity (2022) takes place in a number of locations in Europe including the Mediterranean and Zurich – but the majority of the action takes place in Paris. What’s interesting about it is that, unlike many other movies set in Paris, filmmakers don’t glamourize the French capital, nor even showcase much of it. Other than one or two establishing shots of the Eiffel Tower, the focus is the drama and the action, not the landmarks. Even a shot of Notre Dame seen from the banks of the Seine is cropped, so you only see half of the famous cathedral.
Add to this the cold, mid-winter setting and the overall portrait of Paris is of grey streets and clandestine conversations. And yet, it still feels like an intriguing, handsome place. If you like to explore beyond the landmarks, the movie could well inspire you to seek out Paris’s Haussmann mansions, like the one where Jason Bourne lives, and to discover the charming covered passages of Paris, which feature in one scene.
The Motorcycle Diaries ✈️ South America
Contributed by Barbara of Moms on Flip Flops
When you watch The Motorcycle Diaries, it’s easy to be inspired to travel throughout South America. The film follows the journey of two friends – one of whom would later become the infamous guerrilla leader Che Guevara – as they travel on a motorbike from Argentina to Venezuela, passing through Chile, Peru, and Colombia along the way.
In this true story, based on Che Guevara’s own memoir, I got to see some of the most beautiful scenery in South America but I also got a glimpse into the social and economic life of the region in the 1950s. Furthermore, it helped give me insight into the thoughts and motivations of one of the most influential figures in Latin American history.
The road trip that Ernesto (Che) Guevara and his friend Alberto took, inspired me to do something similar: my wife and I spent 6 months cruising the continent in an old yellow Volkswagen van. I hope that after reading this, you will be inspired to travel around South America yourself!
Eat, Pray, Love ✈️ Rome, Italy
Contributed by Tori of Tori Pines Travels
Eat, Pray, Love is the quintessential movie that inspires travel, to destinations around the world. The main character, Liz, visits three totally different countries, Italy, India, and Indonesia. She sets out on this year-long journey to find herself. To see and learn about the world, but to also learn about herself through the world. The movie inspired me to travel as a means of learning more about myself. I learned from Liz that the more I learn about the world around me, I can too learn about myself, often things I never would have known.
While the entire movie is incredible, and each destination is alluring, I was drawn to the scenes of Liz walking the romantic cobblestone streets in Rome, Italy. I wanted to try the incredible food and be immersed in the history that is Rome. It was a 10-day adventure through the country, experiencing all the Italian lifestyle has to offer. Getting to know locals, trying only the best gelato, and eating more pizza and pasta than one could imagine. The experience taught me many things, but the main takeaway was that I had so much more to give to the world than sitting behind my desk each day. We can all explore the world, make friends with strangers and leave a positive impact along the way.
Finding Nemo ✈️ Cairns, Australia & Sydney, Australia
Contributed by Dr. Rachel Catalano from The Rx For Travel
Disney’s Pixar films have come a long way since their inception. With each new film, their ability to create detailed and realistic replications of real-life locations becomes more and more incredible. In 2003, Finding Nemo was released, and it was no different. It took us on an underwater journey from the vibrant-colored coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef of Cairns, Australia all the way to Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia.
There are so many amazing places and fun things to do in Australia. After seeing this movie, I knew that I had to include all these places on my itinerary. So just like Marlin, Dory, and Nemo, my adventure took me to all the same places. From snorkeling the neon-colored reefs in Cairns, Australia, to learning the history behind the design of the Sydney Opera House, to walking over the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, and relaxing on the grass of the Royal Botanical Garden Sydney. Now every time I watch Finding Nemo, I’m reminded of my adventures in the land down under.
First They Killed My Father ✈️ Cambodia
Contributed by Annelies of Travelers & Dreamers
First they Killed my Father is a movie directed by Angelina Jolie about the Khmer rouge genocide in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. It follows the story of a seven-year-old girl named Loung who is captured by the Khmer Rouge to be trained as a child soldier. The movie is based on a biographical book by Loung Ung that goes by the same name.
While the movie received criticism for not being completely historically correct, the horror done by the Khmer Rouge regime and the trauma of Luong grabs you by the throat. The movie is a must-see before you visit Cambodia, so you can truly understand the terror that the Cambodian people have undergone in the second part of the 1970s. Places not to be missed when you travel to Cambodia are the Tuol Sleng prison and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh. Other sites related to the war that are worth a visit are the landmine museum in Siem Reap, the Preah Vihear temples, and the Cardamom Mountains where people still live in extreme poverty because the Khmer Rouge fled to their land after the regime fell to continue the fight until the 1990s.
