Inspiring Movies that Will Make You Want to Travel

I enjoy a good movie every now and then- who doesn’t right?

Especially one that can awaken emotions and feelings inside me. I’ve put together a list of movies related to traveling that I’ve watched and I feel are definitely worth seeing.

They all left me with something good inside – either the feeling of wanting to go on an adventure and travel, or with the inspiration and motivation to seek out the world and new experiences.

While these movies can be thrilling, and give you inspiration, don’t forget: the most important thing is to go out there afterwards and write your own “movie”!

Life of Pi

After a shipwreck a young Indian boy gets stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean, and is unwittingly thrown into an epic journey of adventure and discovery – along with his only “companion” a Bengal tiger, named Richard Parker.

Life of Pi is a beautiful movie, and as well as a good message and storyline, is absolutely stunning visually.

The ending of the film certainly moved me. (Trailer)

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is an epic adventure that just makes you want to venture out into the world.

Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the films follow the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he and a Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring, and thus ensure the destruction of its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron. Filmed entirely in New Zealand, the stunning scenery almost steals the show, and will leave you breathless at times.

If you are anything like me, watching these movies will just make you want to pack your bags and go on an epic adventure yourself – maybe without the orcs! One of my all-time favorite trilogies. (Trailer)

Into The Wild

Into the Wild is a true story about Christopher McCandless, who, after graduating from Emory University abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and starts on a journey to Alaska to live in the wilderness.

Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life, changing it and him forever. (Trailer)

Eurotrip

EuroTrip will leave you with that feeling of wanting to go on a crazy trip around Europe yourself.

After a recent break up with his girlfriend, Scott Thomas decides to go on an adventure with his friends around Europe, to find his German pen pal, Mieke. Scott’s quest to find Mieke takes him to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Berlin, and Rome, encountering awkward and embarrassing situations along the way. (Trailer)

Wild

To travel is to take a journey into yourself.

The movie Wild captures that. With the death of her mother and coming out of a divorce, Cheryl Strayed leaves everything behind to hike more than a thousand miles along the Pacific Cres trail – alone.

Along her journey, she rediscovers herself and ultimately heals the broken parts inside her. (Trailer)

Up

I’ve got to say it: I love Disney movies, they deal with some very real feelings.

Up is an inspiring, funny and moving Disney movie with a very touching ending. In his younger years Carl Fredrickson dreamt, along with his wife Ellie of adventure.

But after 70 years of never having taking any action, Ellie dies. Carl remembers the promise he made to her and sets out on a journey to fulfill it. (Trailer)

Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy

After being approached out of nowhere by a wizard named Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves to reclaim their mountain home – and the gold within it.

Bilbo leaves his comfortable life and embarks on an epic adventure. Just as in the Lord of The Rings, this movie will leave you with the thrilling feeling of wanting to go on an adventure yourself. (Trailer)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty represents a feeling that many people go through in their daily lives: dreaming of wanting to be somewhere else – dreaming of adventure.

The movie shows perfectly what actually happens, when you do take action.

Walter Mitty lives a pretty boring life, the only exciting parts of it happen when he is daydreaming.

When his job is threatened, Walter starts to take action in the real world, leading him on a global journey that turns into an adventure that will change him completely. (Trailer)

The Bucket List

My favourite travel movie of all time. This movie deals with the idea of “what if you knew how long left you had on this planet” so, so, well.

A Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and a working class mechanic Carter Chambers are both diagnosed with cancer, and end up sharing the same room in hospital.

When they both hear that they only have a few more months to live, they decide to leave everything and do all the things they’ve ever wanted to do in life before they die. (Trailer)

What are some of your favorite travel movies?
Let us know in the comment section below!

Jellis Vaes

Founder/CEO at The IPS Project

Therapist, adventurer, and founder/CEO of The IPS Project, the educational platform on life.

Inspiring Movies that Will Make You Want to Travel