Has a tv show inspired you to travel somewhere?
 

I was watching "The Amazing Race" last night and now I want to go sledging and zorbing. Never heard of either activity before but both look like fun.

How far behind do you think the twins were at the checkin? It was after dark so I'm guessing an hour or so after Chip and Kim.

Watching Three's Company and Charlie's Angels used to make me want to travel to LA. On those shows, they always made it look like the perfect place to be. Hawaii Five O made me want to see Hawaii. Then I moved to Oahu to work for the airlines and we ran into Jack Lord and crew filming an episode. That was exciting.

Several months ago, the Today show had their annual feature "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?". His first day was in Zermatt. I very nearly had it booked when I saw a movie (can't remember the name, Julianne Moore & Pierce Brosnan) filmed largely in Ireland, somewhere I've always wanted to go.

We went to Ireland for 9 days in August, and absolutely loved it!

A TV commercial inspired my husband's choice for our honeymoon. Several years ago, a cereal company had "bed and breakfast" cereals--one was in California. My husband said--"I want to stay at that inn" and booked us into the Green Gables Inn in Monterery for our honeymoon. Wonderful experience.

ncgrrl, at first they made it seem like the twins found their clue almost immediately, but when they finished in the dark, we decided it must have taken them a while. I was really afraid that Chip & Kim would be eliminated, but I'm glad they didn't use their yield on the twins. IMHO, everyone needs to save their yields and use them on Colin & Christy! Yes, they are tough competitors and doing a great job, but that isn't enough to make me like or respect him! And yes, the sledging and zorbing both looked like tons of fun. :)

Yes, yes, yes! Sledging looked like so much fun!!! I cannot surf so this would be as close as I get.

I am not sad about the twins--I would have been very bummed if C & K had been gone. I hope someone knocks the top two out--Collin looks like a serial killer. They just rub me the wrong way.

I was very amused with the praying/mud hunt.

I saw a travel show about 8 years ago about the Cinque Terra along the western coast of Italy. I was charmed and kept it in mind and actually went in 2001. Loved it!

ALso watching the Amazing Race a few seasons back when they went to Porto Portugal (they had to transport barrels of port wine) and then later to Fez in Morocco where they had to find a clue in the smelly tanning vats. After that show I immediately starting planning my next vacation: to Portugal & Morocco!

Actually, a movie, "Shirley Valentine", that I saw years ago inspired my desire to visit the Greek Isles. Haven't gotten there yet, but WILL! And "Hawaii Five-O" definitely upped my interest in the Hawaiian Islands, where I've vacationed several times, and I absolutely love them!

I've wanted to visit Australia ever since they held the summer Olympics. The remote shots of the countryside and beaches looked wonderful. Also thought the coast of Scotland looked good in the underappreciated movie, "Local Hero".

Leona: The movie you are thinking of with Pierce is "Laws of Attraction" I saw it which made the wife very happy with me!

When I saw Bo Derek in "10" I wanted to vacation at the beach.....any beach where she may be....and I would have but I couldn't get "Jaws" from several years earlier out of my mind! :-)

ncgrrl, you are a clever one -- brava!

Sledging looked a bit scary, but zorbing looked like great fun to me.

shaz60, Local Hero is one of my all-time favorite films. If you really want to get stoked on going to Australia, read Bill Bryson's In A Sunburned Country. Did the trick on my DH.

At least Christie stood up to Colin a little bit last night. If she stays with him, she gets what she deserves.

Thank you, placeu2. I couldn't think of the name. Weren't the Ireland scenes beautiful?

I've seen Bo Derek recently, and I can assure you she is still a perfect 10!

I guess I should have mentioned sledging and zorbing were in New Zealand. I now want to get one of the zorb things to hamsterball around the neighborhood. I think I would enjoy sledging if it didn't involve class III rapids. The flat water looked better for the novice and it's easier to see what's around you.

Marilyn, I'm trying to stay within the boundaries Fodor's gives us.

Does anyone know if they "zorb" anywhere besides New Zealand? It sure did look like fun. Seems like all you need is warm weather and a hill. How about zorbing down from Haleakala?

Every medium inspires me to travel! TV shows, movies, magazines, ads etc. Where in the World is Matt Lauer? and the Amazing Race always get me thinking of where to go next. As it happens, I was in Marrakesh two years ago and saw the Amazing race film crew (although I didn't recognize the contestants).

So Bonnie was that the one with the line "I'm going to Greece for the sex!"? Now we know what kind of travel you do! Just kidding, I remember that movie making me want to go there too. There was a movie with Marissa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr that took place in Positano Italy and I have longed to go there ever since I saw it...I think it was called "Only You"

Like kcapuani, every medium that talks about travel inspires me on where to go next. When I meet people at fodors GTGs, I get inspired to visit their hometowns. When I watch Amazing Race, I'm inspired to try new things. Like the sledging and zorbing!! I think seeing "real people" like the bowling moms take on those activities shows me that I can do it, too.

Mary2Go, yes, that was the one!!! That movie was such a great one...... can't tell you how many people I've turned on to that movie!!! :-) And now you know my secret! :-d

Sex and the City made me want to go to New York. I'm a California girl, and the show made New York seem so glamourous and exciting. I finally went this summer and was disapointed to find it not nearly as wonderful as I thought it would be. Too much culture shock, I guess. On the other hand, when I was a kid there was this movie called "Airborne" that I used to like about a California surfer dude who had to move to Ohio. Because of that movie, I always pictured Ohio as being the most horrible place a person could ever live. When I actually saw it this summer during my cross country trip, I was pleasently surprised to find that it is actually quite pretty in some areas.

After realizing a bunch of movies have been filmed in Vienna and Prague, I've wanted to go there. I had never really considered visiting that part of Europe til then. Might even end up being our next trip! I want to safari in Africa too--maybe that comes from watching those Wild Kingdom videos in elementary school. And the Amazing Race makes me want to go somewhere new weekly (well, except maybe India, I'm too claustrophic for those crowded streets.)

Speaking of AR, you clever ncgirl, I want to see Christie get utterly fed up w/Colin next week and either completely walk away or smack him in the mouth. (Not that I condone that behavior but...LOL) And then I want either the moms or Chip or Kim to move to the top!

Debbie

Go Chip and Kim!

Season 1 of the Amazing Race inspired us to go to Thailand. We went to Railay Beach where they did some rock climbing, we even saw the route marker!

Great thread, ncgirl! Many movies set in hawaii have me thinking about a trip there. And while we've been in the southwest usa many many times, i just LOVE the various car commercials done in the area, many in Moab, God's country!

A few years ago, public television had a series on great train trips. One of them featured The Skeena - ViaRail's two day trip from Jasper to Prince Rupert in northern Alberta and British Columbia. It's a daylight only trip (overnight stop in Prince George, BC) through the Canadian Rockies.

The next summer I took the trip in both directions and it wildly surpassed my already high expectations. Mile after mile of the most superb scenery, highlighted by frequent sightings of bears, moose, and eagles. For train buffs, its also a great trip because it features the old 1950's restored polished stainless steel Bud rail cars with the tear drop lounge cars and the real old-style vista dome cars. I even met one of the ladies who had been featured in the public TV film. When they filmed it she was a passenger attendant. By the time I made the trip, she had been promoted to engineer and worked the trains I was on in both directions.

The trip was so wonderful, I'm going again later this year.

For those who don't know, Prince Rupert is located on the Pacific Coast and they get a fair amount of rain. I met a lady on the train who told me she had lived in Prince Rupert for five months and it had only rained twice in that time - once for two months and the other time for three months.

It was pretty nice when I was there in July with only a few showers.

The other movie that tempted me a lot was "Out of Africa" but I've never been able to make that trip. The aerial sequences across the veldt in an old open cockpit biplane are nothing short of breath taking.

A family I know went from Toronto to New Zealand because of Xena, Warrior Queen.

It was a huge project. The kids (preteen, young teen)did all sorts of research on everything from how a tv show was produced to alternative routes to the country, plus history of NZ, current politics and economy and culture of the country, and then they headed off on the adventure of a lifetime.

The post-trip report was that it was a wonderful trip; full of education and beauty, but rooted in the fun concept of learning about a television show.

In my own case, probably the closest TV-related trip was a four-day cruise from Florida to The Bahamas. My father phoned me one day when he was in Florida and I was about to fly down to drive him back in his car, asking if I could take a few extra days to go on a cruise. He said he'd nevber taken one, and wanted to. We did not discuss what prompted the desire for a cruuise, but i'd credit it to Love Boat combined with some movies from the 40s and 50s,. He was 82 at the time, we took a Big Red Boat cruise in the lowest priced cabin, taking advantage ofhis senior discounts, and it was both a bargain and a great time.

BAK