Movies that inspire travel
 

I've been a long time reader of this forum, but this is my first post here. Thank you all for your great travel tips!

Now that the Oscars are almost upon us, I've been thinking about movies that have inspired me to travel. Amongst the 2010 nominees, Inception--all those lush depictions of dreams came along with icons of great cities like Paris--got my travel bug all riled up.

What movies in 2010 have inspired you to travel? What is your all-time favorite travel movie?

Nothing in 2010. Not even Cairo Time, which I enjoyed.

Older films:
Hidalgo - it made the desert look very beautiful. In some ways it had the same effect on me as The Wind and The Lion. I haven't been anywhere with that kind of sandy desert (only the Kalahari, which looks vastly different), so these films intrigued my desire to travel there and someday see it for myself.

Nothing from 2010.

Older:
Lion King :D

Eat Pray Love

True Grit - though our road trip that it inspired won't be quite so rough... :-)

One of my all time travel favs is Under the Tuscan Sun.

The Bucket List

I left a viewing of Enchanted April and went directly to a TA's office. It was a rainy day here that day too just like in the beginning of the movie.

A few months later I was off to Italy .....my first real trip to Europe and I was alone!!! I had a ball!!!

www.thetourist-movie.com

Actually was there last May when it was being filmed

saw Brad Pitt Smoking on his balcony

overlooking the Grand Canal and Johnny Depp and cute family

on his giant liveaboard yacht which was docked at Dorsoduro.

Best oscar to Venice supporting nod to the Grand Canal

and the Danielli Hotel all of which were awesome...

3 thumbs down for the acting no chemistry between the actors.

But Venice was AWESOME!

venicetravelblog.com/2010/04/johnny-depps-yacht-in-venice.html

For rent by the week for anyone with $130,000

in spare change...

(not 2010) but 'Vicky Christina Barcelona' by Woody Allen, most definitely but Barcelona on my future to-do list!

Thanks for all your ideas, everyone. I'll definitely be firing up Netflix (and all the airfare aggregator sites) with these suggestions.

suze, I agree about "Vicky Christina Barcelona"!

qwovadis, I'd love to share space once occupied by Johnny Depp. Maybe after I win the lottery. :)

Anyone else out there have a favorite movie that inspired travel?

eat pray love
vicky christina barcelona-good call! remembered my time in barcelona 6 years ago.
sideways-desperately makes me want a california wine trip.
for starters...
leanna, great story about enchanted april.

y tu mama tambien (for mexican beaches)

Stephanie_B: As you are finding hardly anyone reads this "Travel Tips" thread. If you'd posted this in the Lounge you'd have a hundred answers by now. Just a thought.

Thank you!! :)

Bit of a strange one but a movie actually from 2008 that i only saw last year 'In Bruges' with Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes. I have never fancied Belgium and the movie was filmed in winter so it looked very cold but i thought Bruges looked lovely anyway. Still haven't been yet but it is on my wish list.

in bruges! yes, good one.
even lost in translation makes me want to go to tokyo.

Yes, In Bruges is a good one. It definitely drew my attention to Brugge and the town is even more beautiful in real life than in the film, IMHO.

127 Hours- makes me want to go back to Canyonlands NP. Just make sure if you are hiking by yourself that someone knows where you went and when you expect to return.

2010, Robin Hood made me come home and explore where it was filmed. Wales. Leap Year, going to Inishmore this year where most of the film was done.

Ok here's my very crazy all-encompassing list. It's long because I love movies just as much as I love traveling :). I also have a few movies on here I don't care for all that much but still make me think of travel for one reason or another.

Up, Road Trip, Love Actually, Madagascar, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Ratatouille, The Holiday, Finding Nemo, Home Alone 2, Oceans 11/12/13, Apocalypto, Indiana Jones, The Painted Veil, Casino Royale, The Departed, Adventures in Babysitting, Mission Impossible III, King Kong (new and old version), Planes Trains and Automobiles, Due Date, A Very Long Engagement, Bourne Identity, Angels and Demons, National Treasure, Tommy Boy, Before Sunrise, The Count of Monte Cristo, Only You, Master & Commander, 50 First Dates.

The Beach, Blood Diamond and Brokedown Palace should have the opposite effect (make you NOT want to travel), but they still make me want to :) Blood Diamond in particular because we flew over the Okavango Delta on the same plane as in the movie which was very cool!

I definitely agree on Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona! Awesome soundtrack to boot. Sideways & 127 Hours are also great picks.

Usually it's the other way around for me. I get excited if a movie is set in a place I've been and I can recognize the background. (The only reason I'd see 127 Hours is because I've hiked in that location).
That said, I am most inspired when a movie introduces the culture of a place. For example, I would love to go to Botswana now that I've see The Number One Ladies Detective Agency series (and also read the books).

Speaking of "the other way around" - I read all the Ladies Detective novels before I went to Botswana, and it was great knowing a bit about the people beforehand. Go to Botswana - it's Eden on earth.

I so agree w/ SPCFA. I was in a restaurant and addressed the waitress by MA.....and she just beamed and gave me a huge hug!!! It was so right and so fabulous!!

Read ALL the books before you go.....not a hard chore at all!!!