In many cases a visit to the cinema is an escape. In others, what you see on the silver screen stays with you long past the final credits.
These are films are definitely the later.
We’ve picked five of our favourite movies that inspire you to travel and see the world.
1. Eat, Pray. Love.
Okay, let me play it out for ya: Girl divorces boy. Girl loses mind. Girl goes travelling for a year to find herself (and her sanity). Girl discovers happiness. Girl unexpectedly falls back in love with a sexy, older Brazilian man.
Proof that travelling does indeed fix everything – even a broken heart.
A must watch for any woman contemplating travelling solo, learning a foreign language, living in Bali…or getting divorced.
2. Slumdog Millionaire
Get a taste for India by watching this incredible story of a poor Mumbai teenager who recalls harrowing personal experiences to answer questions on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’, winning the big money…and the girl of his childhood dreams.
Beautifully shot in Mumbai and featuring an amazingly talented cast, Slumdog Millionaire will open your eyes [and heart] to life in the slums of India and the orphans that call the streets their home.
3. Midnight in Paris
Newly-engaged American writer Gil Pender [sublimely played by Owen Wilson] is visiting Paris with his materialistic fiancé. Feeling creatively stagnant and nostalgic for the artistic revolution of the Lost Generation, Gil finds himself going back in time to glittering 1920’s Paris when the clock strikes midnight. While rubbing shoulders with artistic legends such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso, Gil discovers what he truly wants in life, in love, and in literary success.
Don’t be put off by the fact that this is a Woody Allen movie; it is soooo much more than that. An homage to the inherent romance of The City of Light, Midnight in Paris perfectly captures the beauty of one of the greatest cities in the world.
4. Savages
Okay, so maybe it’s not the most tourist-alluring film, and perhaps the images of cartel beheadings and drug wars are not exactly a poster for a relaxing vacation, but this movie will have you yearning for the beaches of Southern California (and the cute surfers who populate them). Throw in a hefty dose of the gritty streets of Mexico and a bangin’ storyline and you’ve got one helluva’ movie.
Based on Don Winslow’s book of the same name and directed by Oliver Stone, Savages is a must-see for those who like to walk on the wild side.
5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Imagine stepping out of your mundane life –literally – and into the life of your dreams: a non-stop epic adventure that will take you to the very corners of the globe. What if you could become the person you’ve always wished to be? Would you do it? Anonymous daydreamer Walter Mitty does, and thus begins an extraordinary journey of heroism, romance, and self-discovery.
The beauty of this film lies not in the amazing effects (although they are stunning), but rather in its powerfully simplistic message that all travellers will embrace.
Stop dreaming. Start living.
Featured image by Leo Hidalgo
