A source of inspiration for our travel ideas come from cinema. Hollywood and beyond have made an industry of making road movies that inspire us to travel. Here are my top 5.

5. Lost in Translation (2003): Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson

            Sofia Coppola’s critically acclaimed movie follows the path of an aging actor (Bill Murray) who has been contracted to star in adverts for Suntory, a Japanese drinks company. In Japan, the actor crosses paths with a bored wife (Scarlett Johansson) whose is in Tokyo because her husband is working as a photographer. Key sights in the film: Tokyo, Daikanyama, Shinjuku Park Tower, Grand Hyatt Tokyo.

4. Easy Rider (1969): Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson

            This road movie sees two bikers drive across the U.S. from Los Angeles to New Orleans. The film’s true star is the desert landscapes and towns the pair (Hopper and Fonda) ride through on a drug-fuelled hippie trip across America.

3. Lost Horizon (1937): Ronald Coleman, Jane Wyatt

            Lost Horizon is the film adaptation of Jame’s Hilton’s 1933 novel about a group of plane crash survivors who landed in the mythical valley of Shangri-La, a valley deep in the Himalayan mountain range. The key sights in this film are the Gilgit and Skardu regions of Pakistan.

2. The Darjeeling Limited (2007): Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody

            One year after their father’s death, three brothers unite to take a train trip across India to try and re-established their tattered relationship. The film takes the viewer across India on a fantastical journey through barren landscapes and mountain regions. The film takes the viewer through Jodhpur and the Himalayas.

1. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004): Gael Garcia Bernal

            I have written about this movies previously. The film is two types of road trip: a literal one across South America and a figurative one as Che Guevara begins to form the foundation of his transformation from middle class citizen to revolutionary. The sights on display in this film include the Andes, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Machu Picchu, and the Atacama desert.