I often write about how books have inspired me to visit certain destinations, however films can also be a huge inspirational medium. Here are 12 films that will inspire you to travel the world.

12 Films That Will Inspire You to Travel

Wild (2014)

After years of reckless behaviour, a heroin addiction and the destruction of her marriage, Cheryl Strayed makes a rash decision. Haunted by memories of her mother Bobbi and with absolutely no experience, she sets out to hike more than a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail all on her own.

WILD powerfully reveals her terrors and pleasures – as she forges ahead on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her.

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The Beach (2000)

Twenty-something Richard travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumours state that it leads to a solitary beach paradise, a tropical bliss – excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it.

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Forrest Gump (1994)

In this Oscar-winning picture, Forrest Gump, a gentle soul born in a small Alabama town, happens into one memorable experience after another through a panorama of American history from the 1950s to the present.

Throughout his life, he is supported by his love for Jenny, his childhood friend with whom he shares his lifelong memories. Based on the novel by Winston Groom.

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Roman Holiday (1953)

An adventure-seeking princess on an official visit to Rome slips away from her chaperones to explore the city with a brash newspaper man, then falls in love with him. The winner of 3 Academy Awards including Best Actress.

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Lost in Translation (2004)

Featuring superior performances from Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson as Bob and Charlotte, two Americans in Tokyo. Bob is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial, while Charlotte is a young wife tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband.

Through their respective insomnias, the two cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar and strike up a surprisingly intimate friendship. As the unlikely pair venture through Tokyo together, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, they ultimately discover a new belief in life’s possibilities.

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Eat, Pray, Love (2011)

Believing there’s more to life than a husband, house and career, Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) finds herself with a new appetite for life in this inspiring true story, based on the best-selling book.

She leaves New York and embarks on a yearlong journey – traveling to Italy, India and Bali – seeking self-discovery through good food, meditation and the prospect of finding true love.

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The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a British-German comedy-drama film written and directed by Wes Anderson and tells the story of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between WW1 and WW2 and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his most trusted protégé. 

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

A young New York writer sponsored by a wealthy woman falls in love with the charming, impulsive and eccentric call girl that lives next door. Based on a story by Truman Capote. 

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The Holiday (2006)

These two women (played by Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) couldn’t be more different – one lives in a cosy English cottage, the other in a swanky Hollywood estate – but they are alike in their mutual bad luck with men.

In desperate need of an escape, they meet online and impulsively switch homes. Both find the last thing either wants or expects – a new romance – and discover that a change of address really can change your life.

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Thelma and Louise (1991)

Thelma and Louise is as extraordinary and admirable a film in retrospect as it was when it was first shown.

Nothing has dated about its tale of two waitresses who decide that being outlaws and eventual death on their own terms is better than putting up with any more nonsense from husbands, boyfriends, rapists and offensive strangers.

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Memoirs of a Geisha (2006)

In 1929 an impoverished nine-year-old named Chiyo from a fishing village is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto’s Gion district and subjected to cruel treatment from the owners and the head geisha Hatsumomo. Her stunning beauty attracts the vindictive jealousy of Hatsumomo, until she is rescued by and taken under the wing of Hatsumomo’s bitter rival, Mameha. Under Mameha’s mentorship, Chiyo becomes the geisha named Sayuri, trained in all the artistic and social skills a geisha must master in order to survive in her society.

As a renowned geisha she enters a society of wealth, privilege, and political intrigue. As World War II looms Japan and the geisha’s world are forever changed by the onslaught of history.

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Midnight in Paris

Even for people who have never been to Paris, the name of the city is more than a metaphor for magic.

Certainly there’s no better place on earth that Woody Allen could have chosen for his critically-acclaimed romantic comedy featuring an all-star cast led by Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen and Marion Cotillard.

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What films inspire you to travel the world?

Let me know in the comments.