Top 10 Travel Films

Vacations are off the cards for the time being as we all do our part to #stayathome during lockdown. Whilst sipping your cocktail from the confines of your garden may not be the same as getting served pool-side, it is still possible to enjoy the wonders of the world from the comfort of your own home. We’ve compiled our top 10 travel films to keep you dreaming during quarantine and ignite your wanderlust when the sun goes down.

1. The Beach (2000)

Don’t pretend like you didn’t know Leo would be top of the film list – playing a young shirtless man called Richard, who is desperately seeking to find himself by island hopping in Thailand. On his travels he discovers a treasure map where “X” marks the location of a beach described as true paradise – white sands and crystal-clear waters, where very few travellers have been to and he is sworn to keep its location a secret. Richard embarks on a dangerous adventure where paradise ultimately turns sour as the small community’s disturbing life and its events are revealed. Set in the gorgeous Maya Bay of Koh Phi Phi Lee, it became so popular due to the films success that it has ultimately had to close to let nature restore itself.

2. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

A black comedy that narrates the adventures of a very dedicated concierge Gustave H within a grand and highly successful fictional hotel. We follow Gustave H’s wild adventures of runaway, jail time, jail break and ultimately his journey back to his marvellous and familiar hotel. Directed by Wes Anderson, it is a multidimensional masterpiece that provides an overview of the glory days in Europe between two bloody wars, a truly picturesque tale crowded with rowdy characters and a tribute to the healing power of stories.

4.Eat Pray Love (2010)

Now this film is our guilty pleasure, based on Elizabeth Gilberts best-selling novel about a woman who leaves her unsatisfactory marriage to start a literal and spiritual journey of self-discovery. Beginning her travels in Italy she learns the sweetness of doing nothing, to then go on to pray in India and possibly find true love (hello Javier Bardem) in Bali. A film that is quite fitting for the current situation, it attempts to inspire the audience to focus on what really matters – yourself. The belief that happiness and fulfilment comes from within exudes throughout this film so it may be a tear-jerker (Kleenex at the ready) for some and for the rest? Just a little bit of escapism.

4.The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)

Matt Damon eerily plays a sneaky and murderous Tom Ripley in the film adaptation of the thriller novel written by Patricia Highsmiths. A chillingly perverse story is turned into an attractive and unsettling crime travelogue as Tom is sucked into a luxuriously comfortable lifestyle (with Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow) and savagely kills to maintain it by stealing another mans identity. From the pristine beaches in Lazio to the lavish hotels in Venice it is quite possibly one of the most beautiful depictions of Italy to be captured on screen.

 5. Lost in Translation (2003)

A surprising friendship is formed when two American’s (Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson) cross paths one night in a luxury hotel bar in Tokyo. From the lavish Park Hyatt Hotel to the neon-filled karaoke bars and streets, the unlikely pair explore the city hovering somewhere between friendship and romance. They’re driven together by the films underlying portrayal of loneliness and alienation in the disorientating culture of Tokyo, heightened with the obvious language barrier - proving that you can still feel alone in a city filled with millions of people.

6. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

This highly humorous indie movie crams a rude elderly grandpa, overachieving dad, suicidal uncle, stressed out mum, voluntarily mute son and a quirky daughter all into a doddery yellow VW for a chaotic road trip across the country in a united effort to help fulfil the daughters aspiring beauty queen dreams. A hilarious, touching, and entrancing film with a plot as old as their motor, it quickly becomes apparent that the story has plenty of mileage as it perfectly balances humour and nostalgia.

7. Up in the Air (2009)

A sharp film that finds a hero in the most unlikely people: Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney) who’s a professional corporate downsizer that turns air travel and firing into an art, finds himself feeling outdated by newer technology and a new young upstart (Anna Kendrick). This charming and off beat film is captivating from the get-go as we watch Ryan learn some life lessons and realize that his simple and satisfying life can be just as fragile as his personal life that he’d rather leave on the ground.

 8. Up (2009)

A digital creation from Disney’s Pixar, Up can be easily perceived as another “cartoon”, but it is far from kid’s movie. A visually breath-taking film – it is a lighter-than-air daydream about the adventure of a cranky old man, Carl and a little chubby cub-scout boy, Russel and their journey to South America in Carl’s house-turned-blimp (yes, you read that correctly). It is a cross-generational tale of love, loss, friendship with surreal animated comedy which should be watched with someone you really care about.

9. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Steven Spielberg tells the real life 1960’s story of Frank Abagnale (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), one of the most famous con-artists in history who manages to avoid the feds while faking over eight identities and several professions (including a Pan Am air pilot) whilst cashing in on over $2.5 million of forged checks. FBI agent Carl Hanratty (superbly played by Tom Hanks) spends years on the trail but always seems to be one step behind. A snappy film filled with wit, accuracy and excitement.

1. One Upon A Time…In Hollywood

Cult director Quentin Tarantino’s ninth, and supposedly penultimate film is based in the swinging 60’s of Hollywood, at a time where the “Golden Age” was abruptly about to come to an end (thanks to the Manson Family). This nostalgic film follows two separate story lines with an all-star cast (including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie) with beautiful filmography (which you’d expect from a Tarantino film) including slow pans across Hollywood Boulevard, along with scenes set at the Westwood Village to give us a fantastical sense of Los Angeles’ Tinseltown in the 1960’s.