Nothing makes the crew at Urban List want to hop on a plane more than watching beautiful famous people in beautiful exotic locations. So, with summer peeking around the corner and 2024 on the horizon, why not snuggle in for an adventure and let your travel inspiration run amok.
Here are our best travel films to inspire your next trip.
Saltburn (2023)
Watch it on Prime Video
Image credit: Saltburn | Instagram
If there's a movie that will really set you on a wanderlust spiral, it's Emerald Fennell's Saltburn, starring Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan. In what can be likened to a glorious mash-up betweenThe Talented Mr Ripley and Call Me By Your Name, this dark and delicious sexual thriller tales the summer of a working class student who gets to spend an extortionate summer with one of his (very, very rich) classmates.
Set almost entitely on a county estate, Saltburn takes place at Drayton House in Northamptonshire and Oxford. Drayton is a Grade I listed country house that is privately owned and not open to the public so while you may not be able to visit the actual estate, you should definitely visit its surrounds which include the village of Lowick. Alongside this, campus filming at Oxford took place at the historic Radcliffe Square.
Asteroid City (2023)
Watch it on Prime Video
Image credit: Focus Features | Website
If you watched Wes Anderson's whimsical and pastel-inflicted Asteroid City, you may have been fooled into thinking filming only took place somewhere in America's southwest. Turns out, the production team cast their nets far and wide to achieve the arid look of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, lugging their cameras all the way to somewhere between the town of Chinchon and Colmenar de Oreja, in Spain.
Killer Of The Flower Moon (2023)
Watch it on AppleTV+
Image credit: AppleTV+ | Supplied
This fresh Scorsese film has a lot riding on it, taking place in 1920s Oklahoma when oil is discovered and people from the Osage Nation are murdered one by one. Sparing a $200m budget, the production team were able to film on location on Osage County (Oklahoma) in the townships of Bartlesville, Fairfax and Pawkuska.
Aftersun (2022)
Watch it on AppleTV+
Image credit: Mubi | Website
Crafted by first-time director Charlotte Wells, this Oscar-nominated flick starring Paul Mescal will do wonders for your travel dreams. Scenes were filmed in a former fishing village (now a resort town) known as Fethiye, on the southwest coast of Turkey.
If you want to get real nitty gritty on the movie's backdrop, you can also scope out Telmessos Neva Hotel, located in Hisaronu; and the Turk Hotel in Oludeniz.
Roma (2018)
Watch it on Netflix
Image credit: Netflix | Supplied
Sweeping home three gongs at the Academy Awards, Roma was one of the best pictures of 2018. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, the film is set in 1970s Mexico City, and follows the story of an indigenous woman named Cleo in the city’s Colonia Roma neighbourhood. Despite being set half a century ago, and shot entirely in black-in-white, Roma will have you yearning for a trip to Mexico’s bustling capital city, complete with its stunning architecture and vibrant local culture.
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)
Watch it on Disney+
Image credit: Warner Bros | Website
For some true globe-trotting inspiration, look no further. Ben Stiller’s title character embarks on his own voyage around the world, capturing spectacular landscapes along the way. Although the film follows Walter’s adventures across Greenland, Iceland, Yemen, Afghanistan and the Himalayas, most of the filming locations are actually in beautiful Iceland. You’ll want to dust off your hiking boots in no time.
The Lost City Of Z (2016)
Watch it on Binge or Stan
Image credit: Amazon Studios | Website
The Lost City of Z follows the true story of a British explorer’s adventure to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, in search of a mysterious city and a disappeared civilization. While the movie might have you longing for a bucket list trip to the Amazon, the main filming locations were actually slightly further north, in Colombia’s seaside town of Santa Marta, the Tayrona National Park and the small community of Rio Ancho.
Borders (2017)
Watch it on SBS
Image credit: Warner Bros | Website
Borders is a film about four very different women travelling across west Africa’s breathtaking landscapes, from Dakar, Senegal to Lagos, Nigeria. The story sees them support each other as they navigate new risks that come their way, and pays tribute to the bravery of women asserting their independence in a deeply patriarchal society.
Dune (2021)
Watch it on Prime Video
Image credit: Amazon Studios | Website
A vast desert dystopia might not top your list for a relaxing trip away. But after watching the otherworldly vistas in Dune’s desert planet of Arrakis, you might change your mind. The filming location Wadi Rum, also known as the Valley of the Moon, is in southern Jordan, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - with evidence of settlements dating back to prehistoric times and Lawrence of Arabia.
Lion (2016)
Watch it on Prime Video
Image credit: Mubi | Website
If you can wipe away your tears for long enough, you’ll glimpse a whole procession of beautiful scenic views while watching Lion. The true story follows Saroo who accidentally takes a train from Khandwa in the centre of India, to Kolkata in the country’s far west. The young boy is left homeless and is later adopted by an Australian couple, before starting a long online search for his long lost hometown.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Watch it on Netflix, Paramount+, Stan or Prime Video
Image credit: Warner Bros | Website
There’s no better way to preview a trip to Singapore than by watching Crazy Rich Asians. Based on the acclaimed worldwide bestseller, the film sees New Yorker Rachel Chu and her boyfriend head to the Lion City for a wedding. They fall into a world of extravagance via a tour of Singapore’s most famous attractions: Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands’ infinity pool, Chinatown’s iconic storefronts and the city’s infamous hawker street stalls.
Tracks (2013)
Watch it on Netflix
Image credit: Screen Australia | Website
A little closer to home, Tracks tells the true story of Robyn Davidson’s 2700 km trip from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean, via some pretty sensational desert landscapes. With her dog Diggity and four dromedary camels for company, Robyn encounters an indigenous Australian elder named Mr Eddy who eventually becomes her guide around the sacred land.
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016)
Watch it on Prime Video
Image credit: Warner Bros | Website
The Kiwi comedy-drama hit Hunt For The Wilderpeople is about a boy and his foster uncle who become the targets of a manhunt, after running off into the bush. Directed by Oscar-winner Taika Waititi, this family adventure flick is filmed around Auckland and captures some of New Zealand’s unrivalled scenic beauty.
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Image credit: Mubi
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