Just Heading Out

You won’t be surprised to hear that I have a chronic case of wanderlust. I caught the travelbug at an early age and there is no cure, I’m afraid. I will forever be longing for distant shores and foreign places. The only way to scratch that itch is to go out and travel.

Unfortunately, that’s not always option. Because of work, money, commitments, pandemics etc. So, I have to find other ways to sate my wanderlust.

For me, the next best thing to travelling is watching other people travel. By reading travel books and blogs, but mostly by watching movies. There are plenty of films made about adventure, exploring, discovering yourself and other cultures. Really, you could fill a whole quarantine just looking at beautiful people in beautiful places.

But of course, not all travel movies are created equally. I want to help you pick the right ones, that will inspire your wanderlust. So, here are a few of my favorites that never fail to make me want to pack my backs and go:

Under the Tuscan Sun

Under The Tuscan Sun is one of my all-time favorite movies. Not just travel movies, but movies in general. I’ve seen this film so many times, I can dream it.

The premise is simple: a woman gets cheated on, goes on a trip to Tuscany and once there, decided to buy an old mansion and move to Italy. The necessary problems, romance and self-discovery follow.

Sure, the plot is predictable and it is a pretty generic romcom. But it is just so damn romantic! The Tuscan scenery and sweeping landscape shots will make you want to book a vacation to Italy and fall in love with a handsome stranger.

Italy might just be my favorite country in the world. And these are my favorite places in Italy

A Good Year

A Good Year has a similar premise to Under The Tuscan Sun, but this time with a man in the lead. A busy lawyer inherits his uncles vineyard in France, where he used to spend his summer vacations as a boy. Naturally, he falls in love. Both with the estate, the simple life in France and a beautiful local girl.

Not only is the scenery gorgeous, your eyes are also treated to a young Russel Crow and Marion Cotillard. Not to mention spreads of delicious food and wine. It’s a classic film about learning to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

Wild

A lot of travel movies are about women going off to ‘find themselves’. A bit of a tired trope if you ask me, especially when they do it through falling in love, which is why Eat, Pray, Love is not on this list.

But in the case of Wild it really works. Because it isn’t about finding a man, but about healing yourself and facing your demons.

Based on the autobiography of the same name, Cheryl finds herself at rock bottom and decides to work through her problems by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. She does so completely unprepared and with a lot more baggage than the massive backpack on her shoulders. But she learns the lesson all solo female travelers learn: that you are much stronger than you ever imagined, and you don’t need a man to save you.

To be honest, I actually prefer the book, but the film offers beautiful landscapes and Reese Witherspoon is always a win.

More a book person than a movie person? Read these awesome travel books by female authors.

The Bucket List

Make sure you have plenty of tissues for this one!

The Bucket List is about two older men taking the trip of a lifetime to tick off everything on their bucket list before they die. Not exactly a travel movie in the traditional sense, but behind the depressing premise, it’s actually a very uplifting film. There is something so delightful about watching these men realize that you’re never too old to live.

With the ever so brilliant Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. They go on epic adventures and travel to gorgeous places, that will probably end up on your own bucket list.

Curious what’s on my bucket list? These are the top 5 trips I’m dreaming off

Chasing Liberty

If you ask me, the nineties and zeroes were a golden time for rom coms. Especially for travel-related teen rom coms.

Chasing Liberty is my favorite among a list of movies that made me want to travel the world and have romantic adventures as a teenager, such as The Lizzie McGuire Movie, What a Girl Wants, Leap Year and Letters to Juliet.

The movie is about the presidents daughter who wants to go on an adventure and attend the Love Parade in Berlin. Because her dad won’t let her, she sneaks off and all kinds of crazy hijinks ensue.

Chasing Liberty is a super fun movie and also the start of my life long crush on Matthew Goode. Mandy Moore is always rom com gold of course. I even had my own romantic night in Venice, just like in the movie 🙂

Headed to Venice? Don’t miss out on these highlights

Aside from romance, the movie also offers incredible shots of Europe. And Chasing Liberty is a surprisingly accurate portayal of solo backpacking. Because you’ll definitely take the wrong train, meet interesting people, lose your wallet and more. And those set backs and unexpected adventures are what will make it an unforgettable trip!

What is your favorite wanderlust movie? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll add them to my watch list.

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