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04/13/11
By Maureen Jenkins /

'Travel Sense' Tip: Let a trip to the movies--or Netflix--inspire your next getaway

While I don't get to the movies nearly as often as I'd like, some of my favorite films are essentially travelogues with a Hollywood storyline and international locations. And if you're trying to envision your next trip but can't think of a single place to go, perhaps the trip you need to take is to the nearest cinema--or your very own Netflix queue.

"Under the Tuscan Sun" not only is one of my all-time favorite flicks, but the gorgeous Italian scenery--both of the landscape and well-dressed male variety--not only encouraged me to visit this beautiful corner of the world but helped inspire my move to Florence seven years ago. Last spring's "Letters to Juliet" made me long for a weeks-long vacation in storybook-perfect Verona, Italy, a city to which I paid an all-too-brief visit four years ago.

Paris' stunning streets, cozy cafes and the picturesque River Seine served as the backdrops to 2004's sepia-toned "Before Sunset," the follow-up to another of my best-loved films that took place largely on a European train and in Vienna, "Before Sunrise."

And last fall's "Cairo Time," which hit American cinemas many months before that Egyptian city's recent civil uprising," had me all ready to plan a trip to this legendary locale. Even I've traveled countless times to Europe, I have yet to set foot on the African continent. And while South Africa and Senegal also are on my visit-Africa "wish list," Egypt's always been at the top.

Notice how my favorite films always seem to be romantic tales starring fine foreign men (Alexander Siddig in this case)? If I were Patricia Clarkson's "Cairo Time" character, I wouldn't have wanted to leave Egypt, either!

Just last week, as I encouraged a friend who's never traveled abroad to borrow my well-watched DVD of "Under the Tuscan Sun." And as I told her, if watching THIS gorgeous film didn't inspire her to immediately apply for a passport, nothing would!

For so many of us, movies inspire fantasy, to escape from whatever we're thinking about or dealing with in real life--at least for 90 minutes. It's probably why travel promoters jumped on last summer's "Eat Pray Love" bandwagon, creating female-friendly tours based on actress Julia Roberts' Italy-India-Bali globetrotting (and author Elizabeth Gilbert's actual trips). And while I couldn't get through the book version--I made it through the "Eat" section because of my obsession with all things Italian--I must say the film's gorgeous scenery at least made me consider taking off for the East.

Is there a film that's inspired you to travel, either far, far away from home or perhaps just to the next U.S. state? Maybe you'll agree that traveling abroad through film is the next best thing to being there!


Maureen Jenkins s a food/travel writer and communications professional who's visited more than 30 countries and territories, lived in Florence, Italy -- and is spending the year in Samois-sur-Seine, a charming village near Paris, France. The self-proclaimed “urban travel girl” talks travel, food and wine – abroad and in Chicago – in “TCW Travel Connection.” Read more of her thoughts on living globally at UrbanTravelGirl.com.

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