Reel to Reality: films that inspire us to travel
There are so many things that inspire us to travel, but it’s often a film that plants the first seed.
There are so many things that inspire us to travel, but it’s often a film that plants the first seed.
1. Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
Our clients are always making enquiries based on this film – and no wonder, with three totally contrasting locations to feed your wanderlust.
Eat, Pray, Love follows Julia Roberts’ character post-divorce on a soul-searching journey. Gastronomic pleasures in Rome and Naples spiritually in remote Kerala, and finally romance amidst the rice terraces of Bali.
Make it a reality by… Staying at the Hanging Gardens of Ubud in Bali.
2. The Descendants (2011)
George Clooney could frankly make Cleethorpes look like a holiday hot-spot, but he’s not solely responsible for our hankering for Hawaii in The Descendants.
In this funny yet poignant drama, workaholic tycoon (Clooney) tries to bond with his daughters after his wife is left in a coma following a boating accident. A shattering twist emerges, set against an idyllic Hawaiian backdrop of surfing, Mai Tais and slack-key guitar.
Make it a reality by… Staying at the classic Hawaiian hideaway, Four Seasons Maui.
3. Sideways (2004)
We’re suckers for any film that involves sun-soaked vineyards and “the good life”, but for a variation on the classic A Good Year, check out Sideways which is set in California’s wine country.
The characters are having a bit of a mid-life crisis, and so decide to take a road-trip. One suffering from writer’s block, and the other a failed actor, the pair drown their sorrows and look for casual flings along the Big Sur and in beautiful Santa Barbara.
Make it a reality by… Taking a road-trip along the Big Sur ocean road and staying at the luxury Napa winery Calistoga Ranch.
4. The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)
By now a classic, The Talented Mr Ripley radiates old-school glamour and is responsible for many a client’s yearning to visit the Amalfi Coast.
In the slick thriller, Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is mistaken for a college friend of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) and is sent to coax him back from his playboy lifestyle. Not only does Mr Ripley fail in his guest, he becomes insanely jealous of Dickie’s lifestyle – and who can blame him with the speedboats, palazzos and chic little jaunts to Rome.
Make it a reality by… Living La Dolce Vita on the Amalfi Coast and stay at Le Sirenuse.
5. Life of Pi (2012)
Life of Pi is pure escapism: something we’re all seeking on our travels.
Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel survives a shipwreck on route to Canada, before being plunged into a surreal and beautiful adventure: on board a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific with a Bengal tiger. At one point in the film Pi encounters a mesmerizing phosphorescent whale, and whilst you probably won’t find that on holiday, you can experience something pretty close in the Maldives.
Make it a reality by… Staying at a fantasy over-water villa at Six Senses Laamu and going paddle-boarding amongst real bioluminescent plankton.
6. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Films like this inspire a once in a lifetime adventure that makes you see the world differently.
The Motorcycle Diaries is based on the legendary motorbike trip that Ernesto “Che” Guevara took across Latin America in the 50s, and which shaped his radical outlook on the world. But rather than being overtly politicised, the film lets the stunning landscape and unique character of the settings do the talking – in Buenos Aires, Machu Picchu, the Atacama Desert and beyond.
Make it a reality by… Following Che’s route on a motorbike and staying at the stunning Tierra Atacama in northern Chile.
7. Don’t Look Now (1973)
Eerie and atmospheric, Don’t Look Now steers you away from romantic Venice clichés and makes you see the city completely differently.
A couple played by Donald Sutherland an Julie Christie are grieving their daughter who drowned in a pond, and are haunted by her amongst the labyrinthine streets and murky canals.
Make it reality by… Staying at the most exquisite and atmospheric hotel in Venice, Aman Canal Grande.
8. Nim’s Island (2008)
Set in the middle of the South Pacific, and filmed on Hitchinbrook Island off the coast of Australia, this film makes us long for rugged beaches, mountains and wildlife.
Nim’s Island stars Jodie Foster, Gerald Butler and Abigal Breslin, plus a group of animal stars including Sea Lion, Turtle and Pelican. Breslin’s character, Nim, sets out on a adventure after her father goes missing at sea, and fiction meets fact as she seeks the help from the author of her favourite adventure novels.
Make it a reality by… Kicking off a once in a lifetime Australian adventure with a stay at Capella Lodge, Lord Howe Island.