By: Danny Dietz

What could be an easier a way to prepare, get excited, or come up with ideas for a trip than to kick back and simply watch a movie?  Whether they’re based in one intriguing foreign city, touch down in multiple countries or simply provide inspiration to travel, movies are one of my favorite ways to get a feel for destinations. While books can be picked up anywhere, you miss the stunning visuals, local language and appealing accents that are so important to travel. Watching a movie in a different language with English subtitles can help ease you past the culture shock with regards to language immersion. Personally, I love trying to find the actual spots shown in films; for example, when I went to Bruge I stood under the picturesque tower shown in the movie In Bruges (#6 on the list below).

Here are nine movies that are great travel motivators.

1. 180° South (Documentary) – Surfer and adrenaline junky, Jeff Johnson, takes the long way to Patagonia demonstrating how the journey can be just as important as the destination. Along the way Jeff manages to board a ship going to Chile, get stranded off Easter Island, surf amazing waves and make friends with local legends of Patagonia. This well done documentary is great for nature shots, inspiration for adventure travel and an interesting outlook on an important conservation project in Patagonia. Here’s the trailer.

1. The Talented Mr. Ripley – Matt Damon stars in this drama based in 1950’s Italy where he goes abroad to retrieve a rich acquaintance’s son. Meanwhile, his target (Jude Law) is living in a small coastal town, spending his part of the family fortune with no intention of returning home. Despite the name of the main town being fictitious, the sites are real: Ischia, Procida, Rome, Venice, Anzio (all in Italy) and Palermo, Sicily. This gripping movie offers a great cast of actors, a plethora of beautiful sights and a thrilling twist or two. See the trailer here.

The Bourne Series (Identity; Supremacy; Ultimatum) – No, I don’t consider “Legacy” to be a part of the series. In this trilogy, Matt Damon stars as ex-military experimental subject Jason Bourne who tries to figure out his true identity after suffering a blow to the head that induced amnesia. This involves traversing countries, avoiding assassins and escaping police.  The list of settings is too long  to itemize, but some major destinations are Paris, Prague, Berlin, London, New York and Tangier. This is a really great series of movies with lots of action all over the world and the scenery just makes it that much better. Here’s a teaser for The Bourne Supremacy.

The Harry Potter Series – This series, while targeted at a younger audience than the others on the list, still has some very exciting scenes taking place throughout Britian that make me want to travel there. Some of the sites that are shown in these movies are various spots in London, the rolling hills of Yorkshire, the beautiful beach of Pembrokeshire and the impressive Alnwick castle of Northumberland. After reading the entire series, the locations in which they filmed are exactly how I pictured them and the films have definitely instilled a new curiosity of the UK in me. For a complete list of Harry Potter film sites and locations see Rick Steves’ website. If you can’t make it to the UK, you can always just hop on down to Orlando to see the new HP castle or visit “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” which returns to Discovery Times Square in New York November 2012 – April 2013.  This trailer is for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, the dramatic finale of the series.

The Tourist – In this thrilling drama, you follow mega-stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie through some of the famous cities of Europe including Paris, Venice and Treviso as they elude a group of government agents and gangster hit men. Several significant train scenes showcase the speed and elegance of Europe’s rail system. Between the dramatic scenery and the star studded cast, this is a must see if you’re looking for a good travel film with a couple of twists that keep you on your toes. See the teaser here.

6. In Bruges – This movie is about a couple of hit men (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) who are directed to Bruges as a place to hide out. This dark action/drama, while not as glamorous as the others on the list, provides a different spin on this interesting European city. From the canals and quaint side streets to the rustic hotel they stay in, this movie really takes me back to wandering the streets of not only Bruges, but many other small European cities. This is a must see if you are planning a trip or have already visited Bruges. In Brugesmay not have made the cut if I kept it at a ‘PG only’ level as there are some adult scenes, lewd content and a lot of choice words; I would keep the kids out of the room for this one.

7. Seven Years in Tibet – An Austrian national hero and accomplished climber, Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt), leaves his family for glory, escapes a P.O.W. camp, traverses Tibetan mountain ranges, and eventually ends up in the holy city of Lhasa, Tibet.  While only about 20 minutes of this movie was actually filmed in Tibet, the filming locations of Argentina, Nepal, Austria, and Canada all amount to spectacular views.  7 Years in Tibet is somewhat of a slow movie; however, it does combine other cultures’ actions and other worldly scenery in a portrayal of the autobiographical book by the same name.
   See the trailer.

8. The Way – Tom (Martin Sheen) walks the entire Camino de Santiago (France to Western most Spain) in honor of his son who tragically dies weeks before while on the same trek. This movie is inspiring as it takes a bitter, workaholic father and places him in the adventurous shoes of his son, whom he never quite understood. The trek not only allows him to scatter his son’s ashes over the course of the Camino, but also brings down his guard, allows him to make friends and brings him to realize the value his son found in traveling. A mixture of different languages and cultures combined with the shots along the Camino makes this a great movie to arouse travel desires. Here’s a peek at this powerful movie. 

9. The International – Clive Owen plays an Interpol agent who attempts to take down a corrupt global bank. As the title suggests, the settings are all over the world, including alot in Germany, a bit of France and the Afghanistan desert (granted, not an in-demand travel destination). The cinemagraphic shots of beautiful Istanbul and the final shoot out in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum are spectacular. This is an action loving traveler’s movie. See the trailer here.  

These are some of my favorite movies that make me want to go places. What movies have motivated your travels? Please comment below and we’ll compare notes!

Danny Dietz is a 2010 graduate of Hampden-Sydney College with a major in Economics and a minor in Spanish. His love of travel drew him to the tourism industry and he happily began his career with Covington Travel immediately after graduation as a Corporate Support Specialist where he provides research and booking support in the business travel division.