Traveling keeps us mentally and physically fit. It’s a source of knowledge that gives us a broader view of life and sparks inspiration. Here are the 15 best travel movies of all time for your wanderlust soul.
15. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
If you’re an aspiring photographer with a passion for traveling you will connect with this movie.
Walter Mitty is a photo developer at Life Magazine. But his life isn’t as exciting as the photos he develops. So he develops a habit of daydreaming romantic and action-filled scenarios to escape his dull routine.
When Walter misplaces an important negative for the magazine’s final print edition his job is at stake. So he sets out on a real romantic and adventurous journey to find the negative print.
14. Into the Wild (2007)
Are you tired of the noisy and rush life of the city? Want to escape the capitalistic society and become closer to nature? Here’s an inspiration for you.
Christopher McCandless is the son of wealthy parents. When he graduates from a prestigious university as a top student and athlete, a promising career awaits him. But he chooses to renounce all his possessions and savings and set out on a journey across America.
The journey changes Christopher as a person. But will the wilderness be as gracious as he thought? This one has an ending you wouldn’t expect.
13. The Terminal (2004)
Nope, the protagonist isn’t terminally ill in this one, he’s stateless.
Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), an Eastern European tourist arrives at JFK airport in New York. War breaks rages in his country. The officials at the Airport and the Department of Homeland Security let him enter or exit the US. He is stranded at JFK indefinitely until his original identity is confirmed.
He endures many hardships while living at the airport. He even falls in love with a flight attendant who might also be interested. But what good is love if he can’t leave the terminal?
12. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Travel helps us understand different cultures and living conditions, totally changing our view of the world. This is what happened to Che and his friend Alberto.
Before his last semester starts Che decides to travel with his friend Alberto on a motorcycle from Brazil to Peru. During their travel, they are shocked by the disparities in South America. They witness the exploitation of labor by powerful industrialists. Che decides to forget his comfort and sides with the weak and oppressed.
11. The Bucket List (2007)
This movie is so awesome that it comes up in multiple lists on Chillopedia. A must-watch for those who’ve made a bucket list but it’s collecting dust in their drawer.
Two terminally ill old men with totally different personalities have six months to live. They decide to make a bucket list that states all the things they have never tried before. An adventure comedy that’ll give you a whole new meaning to life and ignite your inner travel animal.
10. Everest (2015)
Yeah, most of us travel enthusiasts have dreamt of summiting Everest. Well, this is the story of those who climbed Everest. Two expeditions ascended the final stage of ascending towards the summit of Everest. But a violent blizzard strikes the mountain without warning. The two groups must fight for survival through the blistering winds and freezing temperatures.
Out of the 8 who started ascending towards the Everest summit on May 10, 1996, not all came back. Travel can be fatal sometimes.
9. 127 hours (2010)
Speaking of surviving against impossible odds, this one is a story of an extraordinary situation for survival.
Aron Ralston (James Franco), a mountaineer gets stuck in a remote canyon when a boulder falls on his arm. Over the next five days, he survives with the little food and water he is carrying in his bag. He analyses his situation leading him to a painful choice: amputate his arm and free himself or remain stuck between the canyon wall and the boulder and likely die.
Are you having second thoughts about your solo hitchhike plan? So are we.
8. Interstellar (2014)
“I want to be an astronaut” is what a lot of children say. Well show this to your kids or if you don’t have any, show this to your inner child.
In Earth’s future, it becomes uninhabitable. Professor Brand, a brilliant NASA physicist plans on saving mankind by sending them to a new home via a wormhole. He sends Former NASA pilot Cooper and a team of researchers across the galaxy through the wormhole. Their mission: to find out which of the three planets that Prof. Brand has identified could be humans’ new home.
A great movie for adventure and sci-fi fans.
7. 7 Years in Tibet (1997)
When an Austrian mountain climber is attempting to scale a Himalayan peak World War II breaks out. He is arrested by authorities on suspicion of being an enemy alien.
He breaks out of prison and travels to the holy city of Lhasa. There he is employed by the 14th Dalai Lama as his instructor. He befriends the Dalai Lama and gains Maturity and Humility in the process. However, times don’t remain the same. He sees many adventures afterward.
A great travel movie that will give you insights into the Tibetan Buddhist way of life.
6. Lion (2016)
Some people travel to find themselves, others are lost during travel. Saroo’s story has both of these aspects.
Saroo gets separated from his family at a railway station in India. He was adopted by an Australian couple and has lived there for 25 years. However, an epiphany forces him to return to India in search of his birth parents. The journey not only helps him find his past identity but also develops him as a person.
It’s important to travel and explore the world, but we should never forget our roots.
5. The Lost City of Z (2016)
Traveling with your family can be a great way of strengthening your bond but it can be boring sometimes. Not for this family.
British explorer Percy Fawcett finds evidence of an advanced civilization that may have lived in the Amazon. He is ridiculed by his scientific peers but Percy is determined to prove them wrong. So he journeys to the Amazon with his wife, son, and friend to find The Lost City of Z.
It’s a movie worth watching over a family movie night.
4. Wild (2014)
After the loss of her mother and a divorce, Cheryl is driven to the edge by self-destructive behavior. To her mind and life back together she decides to hike along the 1100 mile-long Pacific Crest Trail.
With little to no outdoor experience a heavy backpack and her sheer will, she sets out alone to hike the trail. What follows is an adventure that helps Cheryl discover herself.
It’s a great movie to brighten up a bad day.
3. In Bruges (2008)
Ray and Ken get stuck in Burges after a difficult job. While Ray hates the medieval city, Ken finds it enchanting.
Their stay becomes quite interesting as they encounter tourists, locals, and a peculiar American Dwarf. Ray even finds a potential romance. Things become complicated when their boss asks Ken to kill Ray. So what will he do? You’ll have to be In Burges to find out.
2. The Way (2010)
An American father travels to France to collect the remains of his son who dies on a pilgrimage. He decides to walk in his son’s footsteps towards Spain’s Santiago de Compostela. The journey helps him understand both himself and his son. He makes new friends on the way and discovers a whole new meaning in life.
An inspiring movie that will ignite your wanderlust and also make you ponder on the meaning of life.
1. The Way Back (2010)
Sometimes travel is a way of escape. Yeah, we mean it in a literal way when referring to “The Way Back”.
An army officer escapes a Siberian prison, where he is sentenced to 20 years. Accompanied by a few other inmates he travels in the dead of winter. They travel 4000 miles on foot across Magnolia and the Gobi desert finally reaching free India.
A great movie for army and survival enthusiasts.
Honorable Mentions
- The Beach (2000)
- The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
- Midnight in Paris (2011)
Drop movies in the comments that ignite your inner traveler. Also, vote for the best travel movie from our list by commenting “#1 (movie name)”.
