There’s nothing better than watching a movie about someone on the road to inspire you to go travel and find yourself!
Whether it’s a group of friends in a convertible crossing the country, or a strong independent character taking on a mammoth solo journey, we love these kinds of movies because they instil a need of adventure within us all.
We’re suckers for movies. We get influenced by them all the time and we at The Lifestyle Confessions would be lying if we didn’t say that some of our travels had been inspired by the movies we’ve watched. Either that, or we sometimes pretended to be characters from certain movies when we’re busy travelling to similar places.
Our team has put together a list of 9 movies that is sure to make anyone want to pack their bags and go exploring.
1. Into the Wild
Okay, this isn’t necessarily a travel movie, but it does excite a spark of adventure. Whether you read the book or see the movie, we’re sure one of them will urge you to go explore the unknown.
If you’re in your late teens and all you’ve ever known is studying and the idea of the world that was set by those in your immediate community, Chris McCandless is the source of inspiration that will make you want to give everything up and go travel the world with nothing more than a backpack and a notebook.
This story will inspire you to break free from everything you know and to go out and write your own story.
2. The Beach
The movie that has inspired countless trips to the islands of Thailand.
If you’ve ever been to the islands of Sout East Asia, you will know that this movie spot-on hits the target on foreign communities staying on for too long. It beautifully captures the “bubble” that people get stuck in on these islands in the attempt to remove themselves from the “real world”.
This movie will make anyone want to break away from their reality and join an idyllic utopia until the freedom turns into boredom and you return to the comfort of your previously known structured life again.
3. Under the Tuscan Sun
Recently suffered heartbreak? Got your whole world turned upside down?
This movie will inspire you to pack your bags and start over in a foreign country far from everything you’ve ever known. It’s the ultimate movie about new beginnings in new places and building up what is broken.
It’s a wonderful feel-good movie that will definitely put Italy on your travel bucket list.
4. Vicky Christina Barcelona
If you’ve never been to Barcelona, this movie will make you consider going there without a doubt.
All it takes is a little bit of Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johanson and a charismatic artist to convince you that your life will not be fulfilled until you go seek adventure amongst the architecture of Gaudi.
5. Wild
You don’t have to go as far as to hike the Pacific Crest Trail on your own, but seeing Reese Witherspoon taking on a 1,800km solo journey of self-discovery and healing will make you want to go hike a mountain to get some perspective on life.
Seeing characters taking on hard physical journeys and facing their demons along the way, is a sure way to motivate you to go do the same.
6. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
We’re pretty sure Iceland saw an influx of tourists after this movie came out.
If you’ve reached a point in your life where your day-to-day just seems pointless and you feel like you’ve missed out on so much due to fear or laziness, then Ben Stiller’s character might just give you the inspiration needed to take that leap and break free.
Remember it’s never too late and you’re never too old to go chase your dream!
7. Eat Pray Love
Another great story for women who want to go find themselves after realising life had not quite worked out as planned.
From Italy to India to Indonesia, this movie will fill your head with ideas of romance strong enough to make you buy that ticket and go experience these places for yourself!
8. To Rome with Love
(Just had to sneak a Woody Allan movie in here.)
The lives of the couples in this movie will spark any adventurer or hopeless romantic to go spend a summer in Rome in hopes of meeting all kinds of quirky characters and possibly finding love.
Life always seems more exciting elsewhere, and we’re sorry to say, but this movie will definitively make you contemplate the mundaneness of your current life situation
9. Thelma and Louise
Last and definitely not the least… Thelma and Louise!
One of the movies with the most epic endings ever. It covers great themes of friendship, seeking adventure and breaking away from a life that no longer serves you.
When these two ladies hit the road in their 1966 Ford Thunderbird back in the early ’90s, every second unhappy housewife quite possibly wanted to do the same!
Heck, it even inspired our cross country road trips in the past.
So there you have it. Nine timeless movies to make you want to hit the road, chase adventure and go find yourself.
There are many movies with similar themes that could have easily been added to this list, so hit the comment section and tell us which movie had inspired you to travel in the past, or will possibly in the future.
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