We all like watching movies right? whether they’re super hero movies or horror, drama, comedy or something else, we all have a specific movie genre we look for when we sit on our couches on a weekend night.
Me, I have a thing for alien movies, whether I’m using Netflix or looking for Blue rays to buy on Amazon I always find myself looking for some outer space beings story.
But this post will be about Travel Movies, I’ll list a total of 12 that are related to traveling and I’ll speak my mind on why you should watch them.
Some of them are sad though, let’s begin.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Go to the office every day, do the same repetitive job over and over again, and to get away from all of it all you can do is daydream, do you relate?
If so then for sure you’ll be interested in this story. The first one in this Travel Movies list is a story about an office worker who is stuck in a repetitive office job until he gets the chance to actually travel the world in the search of the perfect photo.
Now, doesn’t that sound cool? In a way is pretty similar to my life, I have a very boring average routine and from time to time I travel a bit on a search for relaxation and nice pics too.
Here’s the trailer of the movie, starring Ben Stiller
And even though the movie did not get much love from the Rotten tomato critics, the audience did show more love for it.
In my humble opinion, this is a movie you must watch if you like travel adventures, and I don’t think is a bad movie. If you watch and you don’t like it please let me know in the comments.
Under the Tuscan Sun
Have you ever read the following travel quote before?
Well, this movie fits in the second part of the previous quote. If something bad happens, travel to forget it.
When France Mayes finds out her husband is cheating on her, her whole life falls apart and in order to get out of her state of depression she….you guessed it!!! She travels
You’re not allowed to take selfies here
But she doesn’t just travel. While she is in the Tuscan country side she impulsively buys a house and decides to start her new life there, and well I don’t blame her.
Take a look at the Tuscany
Next time I feel depressed I’ll go to Tuscany, I can’t afford to buy a house but the cheapest hotel will do for me.
Will France Mayes get over her divorce while living in such a beautiful place? There’s only one way for you to find out
Eat Pray Love
What is better than an around the world trip, that’s right Nothing!!!! Seriously I can’t think of anything better than that.
Well, perhaps winning the lottery and doing many around the world trips, yeah that’s better.
In this movie we get to know Liz Gilbert, she has a nice home, a husband and a successful career, but for the sake of drama everything falls apart and she decides she needs to start a journey to reconnect with herself.
Her journey takes here to Italy, India and Bali
What a trip, 3 countries with totally different societies, culture, and cuisines. I’m sure we can all agree that we’d love to do the same trip right?
And if you’re wondering about the critic’s reviews about this one, well let me save you the search and tell you that it got a lot of hate in Rotten tomatoes.
This movie is based on a book which many critics claim was way better than the movie, they claim the movie failed by a lot to take the story to the big screen.
I think the movie is not that bad. If you watch and hate it please let me know in the comments.
Beyond Borders
This is not a love story, this is not a happy story, this is not a trip to find yourself or get over depression with a romantic ending.
This is one of those Travel Movies that takes you on a trip through a war-torn country so we, the viewers, have a better understanding of the struggles of what ordinary people in third world countries go through.
And how will this movie inspire you? Well, even though I wouldn’t expect most people to drop their job and go into a war zone to help people.
There are still many touristic places like Thailand, Cambodia, Peru, among others, where there are people living in precarious conditions.
Instead of just passing by the popular tourist landmarks taking photos for our social media, we could all make an effort to research in what way we could help someone while we travel through a certain country.
The Bucket List
Have you ever seen a quote on social media about traveling while you’re young, something like the following
Well, I totally agree with that. Actually is one of the things travelers regret the most, not traveling more while they were young.
In this list of Travel Movies, The Bucket List takes us through the journey of two older men who after being in the hospital due to their advanced age and illnesses, realize that there’s still so much they want to see before their time is up.
This movie, beyond being a trip all around the world that any person would kill for, it tries to give us the viewer a moment to reflect on life and death, is what we’re doing with our lives right now really worth it?
Just remember that nothing is more precious than time, it never comes back.
Wild
The real-life story of Cheryl Strayed brought to the screen by Reese Witherspoon. In this inspiring movie, we see Chery trying to get rid of the demons of the past by doing the hike of a lifetime.
She did the Pacific Crest Trail, a hiking trail that expands for 4,270 Km from Mexico to Canada. On the way, she encounters threats of different kinds. She gives us a glance at what loneliness on the road feels like.
The average time it takes to finish the whole trail is 5 months. It’s needless to say that you must be in a decent physical condition and have experience doing long hikes to finish this trail without any major issues.
I wouldn’t even know how to pack for such a trip, should I pack power bars??
But hear this, Rachel Strayed – the real person behind this story- did it with no previous hiking experience at all, isn’t that amazing?
This is one of my favorite Travel Movies. The landscapes are breathtaking and the acting is great, Reese Witherspoon makes one of the best performances of her career.
The best exotic Marigold Hotel
You think it’s gonna be alright?
I Think it’s gonna be extraordinary
A group of retirees decides to live out the rest of their days in an exotic destination. Lured by good advertising they decide to go to India and stay at the beautiful Marigold Hotel.
But here’s the thing, the hotel is actually a shell of what it used to be. Their journey quickly becomes one full of new experiences, new food, new adventures and old feelings they thought they were too old to feel again.
This is one of those Travel Movies that does a great job at exploiting India’s best cultural side. The music, dance, the colors, the smiles, the food is all there, making you want to get on a plane to India right away.
This movie is definitely more on the dramatic comedy side. It’s colorful and cheerful enough to entertain you for a couple of hours.
One Week
A Canadian movie that will make you realize that life can have bad news for you at any time and sometimes there’s nothing you can do.
A young man receives a dire medical diagnosis, but instead of going into an immediate medical treatment to try and saves his life, he decides to take a motorcycle trip from Toronto to Vancouver.
Along the way, he meets people that will make him reflect upon the current relationship with his fiancée, his job and his dreams.
The amazing Canadian landscapes are prevalent throughout the whole movie.
What would you do If you knew you had one day, one week or one month to live?
The Beach
The reason why we all want to go to Maya Bay. Before this movie, the island of Ko Phi Phi and Maya bay were very underdeveloped and it was not common to see tourists.
After the release of The Beach, Maya bay became a huge tourist destination in Thailand and is completely understandable as the place is beautiful a true paradise on earth.
The movie follows a young American backpacker who is in the search for adventure. After arriving in Thailand he decides to go on an adventure to find the secret beach, once he gets there is a story of drama that ends up becoming a thriller.
A Beautiful Trip Through Thailand
Unfortunately Maya bay is far from being a secret place. For the past 18 years, tourists have been visiting the island non-stop. All the boats and trash carried by tourists have severely damaged the island’s ecosystem.
Maya Bay has been closed by the Thai government and is expected to open to tourists again in 2021.
Into The Wild
This one is another classic. This is a movie that makes us reflect on the way we live life.
Commute to work every day, get a mortgage, work non-stop in an office to pay our debts, retire when you’re old and if you’re lucky you’ll have saved some money to live out the rest of your life decently.
But what if it doesn’t have to be that way?
This is the story of a rich boy who graduates top of his class and as a good athlete, but instead of getting a job and become part of the system, or use his money to travel and be a tourist, he decides to leave it all behind.
He gets rid of all of his possession and donates his money to charity, then he embarks himself on a journey to the Alaskan Wilderness.
The movie is based on a true story by the way.
Let’s see one more movie in this Travel Movies list
Jungle
This movie is all about survival. A group of 4 travelers goes into the Amazon rain forest looking for adventure, but things go down south and it ends up being a nightmare.
Based on a true story, we see a group of people fighting to stay alive, this story for sure will keep you at the edge of your seat.
Needless to say that the cinematography is amazing, the landscapes of the Amazons are breathtaking making you want to visit ASAP without the getting lost part of course.
Conclusion
This Travel Movies list has a good variety of movie genres. From drama and romance to comedy and thrillers, all of them revolving around one thing, traveling.
Some of these stories are more fun and romantic. Others are a little darker and raw, those are the ones based on true stories.
In all of these movies, you’ll see beautiful landscapes and experience different countries’ cultures. You’ll also learn about some of the dangers of traveling and things you need to prepare before a journey.
Hope you enjoy this list, let me know if there is a movie you think I should add.
Crossbordering South East Asia.