The All-Time Best Travel Movies
Movies have always been my way of escaping reality if only for a little while. Travel movies especially seem to have the ability to transport you from sitting on the couch to a world of endless possibilities and wild adventure.
Upon returning home from my first trip abroad, I was desperate to find something that would keep my new found passion alive. However, going back to a nine to five job and being completely broke meant that it was going to be quite some time before my next big adventure.
One lazy afternoon perusing through Netflix; I found a travel documentary about a man who was hitchhiking his way through Mexico trying to get down to Patagonia in Chile. That movie was 180° South, and I was hooked. I would spend the next four years soaking in as many new travel movies as I could.
Even though my life now feels like I’m starring in my own travel movie adventure; Trekking to lost cities like Indiana Jones and speeding through strange towns like Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. I still constantly find myself curled up in front of the computer screen.
Speaking of which; here is a list of my all-time favorite travel movies starting with the four I can watch over and over…and over.
Top 4 Travel Movies
When his job along with that of his co-worker are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking
2013 / English
A father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the “El Camino…
2011 / English
In order to save their home from foreclosure, a group of misfits set out to find a pirate’s ancient valuable treasure.
1985 / English
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard…
2010 / English
The Classics
On a trip around the world, every day feels like Saturday. A Map for Saturday reveals a world of long-term, solo
2007 / English
True story of Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai Lama at…
1997 / English
Vice Richard travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumours state…
2000 / English
Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones goes looking for some of the world’s most sought-after…
1980’s / English
The drama of a motorcycle road trip Che Guevara went on in his youth that showed him his life’s calling.
2004 / Spanish
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
2003 / English
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab…
1962 / English
Two counter-culture bikers travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans in hopes to find the true meaning of…
1969 / English
Honorable Mention
In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and…
2016 English
The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous hotel from the fictional Republic of…
2014 English
Young writer Sal Paradise has his life shaken by the arrival of free-spirited Dean Moriarty and his girl, Marylou.
2012 English
A frustrated son (Ewan McGregor) tries to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father’s life.
2003 / English
This movie tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.
2008 English
A chronicle of one woman’s 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent personal tragedy.
2014 English
While traveling abroad, a guy falls for a Romanian beauty whose unreachable heart has its origins in her…
2013 English
Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a…
2015 English
Start Your Own Adventure
Hopefully, by now you’ve watched a few of these inspiring adventure flix and are ready to star in your own travel movie. Your next step will be to get up off the couch and do it. I’ve put together some travel resources to help plan your trip and a backpacking checklist to make sure you leave home with all the necessary gear for any adventure.
What movies have inspired you the most?
