Need some inspiration or just a movie to get you in the travel mood? Here are 5 movies that will help inspire you to travel and to learn more about what it means to travel. They are slightly unusual, but remember there is more to traveling than just the destination.
1. Up
Up tells the story of an elderly man named Carl Fredricksen and a young boy named Russell as they travel to South America by balloon-floating house. On the journey, they meet lots of interesting characters like a talking dog and a former explorer turned bird hunter. The colorful scenes and lively animations are beautiful to witness. Up is the story of friendship, courage, and finding the explorer in everyone.
Although the movie Up is animated, it can help you become an explorer again. It helps you to remember how easy it is to get up and travel somewhere. Now, maybe you will take a plane instead of a balloon-lifted house, but Up inspires you to think beyond your daily life.
Also based on a best selling book, Julie and Julia is the tale of Julia Child and Julie Powell. Julie Powell lives in the 2000s as a struggling young writer. She decides to start blogging and challenges herself to cook through Julia Child's cookbook within one year. Intertwined is Julia Child's story, an American housewife turned French chef. After living in Paris in the 1950s, she becomes an author of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." It becomes one of the most famous cookbooks and an inspiration for the future Julie Powell.
This movie is unusual for a list like this, but Julie and Julia makes you fall in love with food again. Seeing Julia Child taste the exotic French cuisine, while Julie struggles to cook it in her Queen's apartment years later helps you remember all the joy that eating abroad brings.
Directed by Sean Penn, the movie Into the Wild follows the travels of Christopher McCandless. It was based on the nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer. Christopher McCandless, an average college graduate, was looking for a way out of his life and decided to leave everything behind to travel to Alaska. The movie is the story of his adventures and how he learned to live in the moment.
On this journey, Christopher McCandless travels with just a backpack and a will to be free. This movie is worth watching if you need some perspective in your life. It will remind you that it is not always about where you go, but the experience you have while getting there.
The movie Beyond Borders is a powerful romantic drama starring Angelina Jolie, that takes you through three counties during turmoil. It tells the story of Sarah Jordan, an American expat living in London, and her journey from art gallery worker to aid worker. Overtime, she visits Ethiopia, Cambodia, and Chechnya, as she falls in love with a doctor, who would do anything to save the innocent civilians caught in the crossfires of their countries' on going struggles.
This movie was not successful at the box office, but it does show you the work that aid workers do around the world. It also shows you how countries are torn apart by violence. Beyond Borders will remind you to do your research before you leave to make sure you are aware of the country's history and cultural climate.
5. The Terminal
Starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Terminal is the story of a Krakozhian named Viktor Navorski who gets stuck in New York at the JFK International Airport. While in flight, his home country has a revolution and is no longer considered legitimate. Therefore, he is not allowed to leave the airport because the U.S. does not recognize his passport, but he also cannot go home because there are no flights back. This movie is Viktor's journey of living in the airport for 9 months, while trying to get home.
Why does this movie matter for travelers? Well, first of all, it gives you a look at the inside life at an airport. You may use airports and think they are just places to leave from, but they do have their own culture inside of them. The Terminal is a great movie to remind you about all the people who help you get to your destination.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
