With social distancing in full force and sheltering in place becoming mandatory across the nation, hunkering down at home has become the norm. Whether Netflix-ing with wine, or living room movie nights with the kids, our “new normal” will certainly help flatten the curve, but still allow us to keep dreaming about the world we took for granted just a short while ago, especially with these entertaining travel related movies.
We took a census from our travel advisor network to find out what their favorite travel movies are and seeing that everyone is in the same boat, some were inspired to re-watch some of their favorites during this unprecedented time. Since most of us our house-bound playing teacher and travel advisor, the MVT team is traveling via our favorite wanderlust films.
The power of film certainly doesn’t replace the act of breathing in exotic new senses and fully experiencing a destination but it sure does inspire you to dream. And once you start dreaming, your journey has officially begun. You have now commenced planning for your next trip! All thanks to classic and iconic films like Out of Africa or ones that remind you of your own family holiday filled with mishaps and laughs such as National Lampoons European Vacation.
Below, take a look at our favorite travel movies that will inspire your next adventure:
1. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller), an employee at Life magazine, spends day after monotonous day developing photos for the publication. To escape the tedium, Walter inhabits a world of exciting daydreams in which he is the undeniable hero. Walter fancies a fellow employee named Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) and would love to date her, but he feels unworthy. However, he gets a chance to have a real adventure when Life's new owners send him on a mission to obtain the perfect photo for the final print issue.
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by Samuel Goldwyn Films, New Line Cinema and other relevant production studios and distributors
When Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) learns her husband is cheating on her from a writer whom she gave a bad review, her life is turned upside down. In an attempt to bring her out of a deep depression, her best friend, Patti (Sandra Oh), encourages Frances to take a tour of Italy. During the trip, the new divorcée impulsively decides to purchase a rural Tuscan villa and struggles to start her life anew amid colorful local characters, including the handsome Marcello (Raoul Bova).
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by production studio and/or distributor.
Initially set on being a dairy farmer, the aristocratic Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) travels to Africa to join her husband, Bror (Klaus Maria Brandauer), who instead spends their money on a coffee plantation. After discovering Bror is unfaithful, Karen develops feelings for hunter Denys (Robert Redford), but realizes he prefers a simplistic lifestyle compared to her upper class background. The two continue on until a series of events force Karen to choose between her love and personal growth.
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by production studio and/or distributor. Intended for editorial use only.
Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) thought she had everything she wanted in life: a home, a husband and a successful career. Now newly divorced and facing a turning point, she finds that she is confused about what is important to her. Daring to step out of her comfort zone, Liz embarks on a quest of self-discovery that takes her to Italy, India and Bali.
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by Columbia Pictures and other relevant production studios and distributors.
During the Russian Revolution, Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif), is a young doctor who has been raised by his aunt and uncle following his father's suicide. Yuri falls in love with beautiful Lara Guishar (Julie Christie), who has been having an affair with her mother's lover, Victor Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), an unscrupulous businessman. Yuri, however, ends up marrying his cousin, Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin). But when he and Lara meet again years later, the spark of love reignites.
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and other relevant production studios and distributors.
The story of Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer, whose attempt to scale a Himalayan peak is interrupted by the Second World War. After many adventures, he finds himself in Tibet where he befriends the Dalai Lama, gaining maturity and humility. However, turbulent times lie ahead.
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures and other relevant production studios and distributors.
When drag queen Anthony (Hugo Weaving) agrees to take his act on the road, he invites fellow cross-dresser Adam (Guy Pearce) and transsexual Bernadette (Terence Stamp) to come along. In their colorful bus, named Priscilla, the three performers travel across the Australian desert performing for enthusiastic crowds and homophobic locals. But when the other two performers learn the truth about why Anthony took the job, it threatens their act and their friendship.
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and other relevant production studios and distributors
On a break before his last semester of medical school, Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Gael García Bernal) travels with his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) from Brazil to Peru by motorcycle. The two men soon witness the great disparities in South America, encountering poor peasants and observing the exploitation of labor by wealthy industrialists. When they reach a leper colony in Peru, Ernesto's values have changed so much that he sides with the sufferers, forgetting his own comfort.
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by production studio and/or distributor. Intended for editorial use only
Some British retirees (Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy) decide to outsource their retirement to exotic -- and less expensive -- India. Lured by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and imagining a life of leisure in lush surroundings, they arrive and find that the Marigold is actually a shell of its former self. Though their new home is not quite what they had imagined, the retirees find that life and love can begin again when they let go of their pasts.
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by Fox Searchlight Pictures and other respective production studios and distributors.
A lonely, aging movie star named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a conflicted newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), meet in Tokyo. Bob is there to film a Japanese whiskey commercial; Charlotte is accompanying her celebrity-photographer husband. Strangers in a foreign land, the two find escape, distraction and understanding amidst the bright Tokyo lights after a chance meeting in the quiet lull of the hotel bar. They form a bond that is as unlikely as it is heartfelt and meaningful.
Find out where you can watch it here.
Copyright by production studio and/or distributor.
Movies we missed? Of course there are! Send them over to us at info@montecitovillagetravel.com or share them on our social channels. Perhaps we'll still be hunkered down next weekend and will need another 10 movies to watch!
Travel is at the heart of what we do at Montecito Village Travel. We urge you all to continue to act with compassion and care. As always, we are here for you.