When watching movies about people giving it all up and going on the trip of a lifetime, it’s impossible not to feel inspired and want to do the same. Whether it’s wanting to trade in city life to move to the countryside or giving in to wanderlust to live out an Italian fantasy, there have been plenty of great movies that explore the wonders of backpacking and travel. As a rite of passage that sees people from all over the world interacting and learning life lessons from one another, travel broadens the mind and feeds the heart.
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Some backpacking movies inspire a sense of grand adventure, while others have a more low-key feel as they showcase lazy days traveling or young people always on the move. There have been some incredible traveling films made by all-time great directors, as everyone from Danny Boyle to Wes Anderson has told stories of itchy feet, wild extended vacations, or venturing into the great unknown.
You are watching: 10 Most Inspirational Backpacking & Traveling Movies
10
Hideous Kinky (1998)
Directed by Gillies MacKinnon
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Hideous Kinky
R
Romance
Drama
Release Date
November 17, 1998
Runtime
98 minutes
Cast
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Kate Winslet
Julia
-
Saïd Taghmaoui
Bilal
-
Bella Riza
Bea
-
Carrie Mullan
Lucy
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While Kate Winslet’s characters may not always have the best luck with traveling, as Rose’s time onboard the Titanic turned into a complete disaster, this wasn’t the case for Julia in Hideous Kinky. Based on an autobiographical novel by Esther Freud, this story of traveling and self-discovery saw Julia, a young English mother, moving to Morocco with her two children during the 1970s. With a desire to see the world, the three scrape by selling hand-sewn dolls.
Hideous Kinky was a fascinating look at the fearlessness of the hippie generation and the naivety that spurred many to the furthest reaches of the world in search of spiritual enlightenment, meaning, and a sense of purpose. As an authentic journey that showcased the good and the bad of this kind of lifestyle, Hideous Kinky purported that what this family lost in stability, they made up for with worldly experience. While a traveler’s lifestyle may not be the most conventional, there was something inspiring about watching Julia dare to be different.
9
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)
Directed by Ben Stiller
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
PG
Adventure
Comedy
Drama
7/10
9/10
Release Date
December 25, 2013
Runtime
114 Minutes
Cast
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Ben Stiller
-
Kristen Wiig
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Like so many others, Walter Mitty daydreams of a life full of excitement while the days turn into weeks and years in his office job. That was until he finally listened to an undeniable call to adventure within his soul and went on an epic journey in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. With Ben Stiller as the title character, this inspiring story told the story of Walter traveling the world on the search for a missing negative photo print and an elusive photojournalist for Life magazine’s final print issue.
As a love letter to the human impulse to break free from the monotony of everyday life, this underrated movie was one of the most wildly ambitious and unique entries in Stiller’s impressive directorial filmography. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was packed with stunning visuals, as the lines between Walter’s daydreaming tendencies and reality started to blur in a grand adventure of epic proportions. With serious emotional depth and feel-good energy, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty will inspire viewers to listen to their own wanderlust.
8
Hector And The Search for Happiness (2014)
Directed by Peter Chelsom
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Hector and the Search for Happiness
R
Adventure
Drama
Comedy
6/10
Release Date
August 14, 2014
Runtime
114 Minutes
Cast
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Simon Pegg
-
Rosamund Pike
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While everyone’s definition of happiness will be different, a psychiatrist by the name of Hector sought to understand its true nature in Hector and the Search for Happiness. This quirky comedy starring Simon Pegg saw Hector traverse the world in a bid to get to the root of what brings people joy. Along the way, Hector is forced to confront his own relationship issues and decide once and for all how he wants his future to look.
From partying in exclusive Shanghai nightclubs to being kidnapped by African drug lords, Hector’s journey was truly an eventful one that highlighted all the things that go right and wrong while traveling. While Hector and the Search for Happiness received some negative reviews upon release for being too schmaltzy, it’s hard not to be won over by Pegg’s natural charisma. This was a feel-good film about discovering what happiness truly means, and it pulled it off wonderfully.
7
The Way (2010)
Directed by Emilio Estevez
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The Way
PG-13
Adventure
Comedy
Drama
Release Date
September 10, 2010
Runtime
128 minutes
Cast
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Emilio Estevez
Daniel
-
Martin Sheen
Tom
-
Deborah Kara Unger
Sarah
-
Yorick van Wageningen
Joost
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There’s an earnest sentimentality that means it’s impossible not to be won over by Emilio Estevez’s beautiful drama The Way. With Estevez’s own father, Martin Sheen, in the leading role as Dr. Thomas Avery, The Way explored a father’s desire to walk the Camino de Santiago after his son died in a storm while taking part in the pilgrimage route through France, Portugal, and Spain. With a slowly paced screenplay that takes its time introducing audiences to all the various characters Avery meets along the way, this was a highly emotive, sentimental journey.
The Way also featured Estevez in flashbacks as the late son Daniel Avery, which adds a special family connection to the film that makes its narrative all the more poignant. Featuring beautiful shots of the European countryside, The Way captured the backpacking experience as Avery met and connected with various walkers, all looking to find greater meaning in their lives. More so than anything, this was a film about how travel broadens the mind, and like in all great adventures, it’s about the journey and not the destination.
6
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Directed by Wes Anderson
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The Darjeeling Limited
R
Adventure
Comedy
Drama
8/10
Release Date
September 29, 2007
Runtime
91 minutes
Cast
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-
Owen Wilson
-
Adrien Brody
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Wes Anderson brought his unique filmmaking sensibility to the world of traveling and backpacker movies with his fascinating exploration of sibling relationships, The Darjeeling Limited. This comedy-drama saw three brothers, played by Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson, who agreed to meet in India and go on a spiritual journey one year after their father’s funeral. As the trio travels on ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ train across India, they are forced to confront their old grievances in the hope that this enclosed adventure will bring them closer together.
With an impressive soundtrack that features classical music, traditional Indian songs, and pop music from bands such as The Kinks, The Darjeeling Limited was one of Anderson’s most emotionally rewarding movies. With three exceptionally talented actors at the helm, the amount of emotional baggage these brothers possessed was appropriate, considering it’s a movie about traveling. While viewers likely wouldn’t want to join the Whitman brothers on their trip, The Darjeeling Limited showcased how traveling can force people to confront their suppressed issues.
5
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Directed by Ryan Murphy
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Eat, Pray, Love
pg-13
Romance
Drama
Release Date
August 13, 2010
Runtime
133minutes
Cast
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Julia Roberts
-
James Franco
-
Richard Jenkins
-
Javier Bardem
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The term Eat Pray Love has become synonymous with the idea of a woman traveling the world in an effort to find herself. This was for good reason, as Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir of the same name and Ryan Murphy’s film adaptation captured the transformative power of travel and opening oneself up to new opportunities. With Julia Roberts perfectly cast in the role of Liz Gilbert, Eat Pray Love saw the author leave her seemingly stable life in an unfulfilled marriage to embark on a transformative journey through Italy, India, and Bali.
With visually stunning scenery and a luminous performance from Roberts, it’s impossible not to be swept away by the dreamy appeal of Eat Pray Love. As a depiction of pure wish fulfillment, Gilbert’s trip encapsulates everything a traveler could hope for from the adventure of a lifetime as she dines on delicious food, finds excitement through romance, and taps into her spiritual side. Eat Pray Love highlighted that when life starts to feel boring, there’s always the opportunity to just shake things up.
4
Before Sunrise (1995)
Directed by Richard Linklater
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Before Sunrise
R
Drama
Romance
9/10
Release Date
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January 27, 1995
Runtime
101 minutes
Cast
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-
Ethan Hawke
-
Julie Delpy
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One of the most exciting things about traveling as a young, single person is that it’s impossible for backpackers to know who they will meet along the way or what connections might be formed. This idea served as the basis for Richard Linklater’s romantic triumph Before Sunrise. With Ethan Hawke as a young American on a train to Vienna and Julie Delpy as the introspective French girl with whom he strikes up a conversation, the two disembark on the train together as romance strikes hot and fast.
Before Sunrise was a deeply moving exploration of young love and the flurry of excitement that comes with getting to know somebody. Like two ships crossing paths in the night, Jesse (Hawke) and Céline (Delpy) know their relationship likely can’t last, but they will want to savor every moment they can together. As the first in Linklater’s Before trilogy, Before Sunrise was a beautiful depiction of young love in the midst of travel.
3
Into The Wild (2007)
Directed by Sean Penn
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Into the Wild
R
Adventure
Biography
Drama
Release Date
October 19, 2007
Runtime
150 minutes
Cast
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-
Emile Hirsch
-
Marcia Gay Harden
-
William Hurt
-
Jena Malone
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The true story of Christopher McCandless, also known as Alexander Supertramp, was told in Sean Penn’s extraordinary biographical drama Into the Wild. Based on the non-fiction book by Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild explored how the promising young student donated thousands of dollars in college savings and embarked on wilderness hikes across America. In an extraordinary wild journey that sadly ended in tragedy in the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless’s uncompromising way of living was inspiring.
Into the Wild worked well as a character study of a man who actively chose to live on the fringes of society. By showing his interactions with people he met along the way, McCandless’s life was presented as one full of adventure and excitement but also guided by an insatiable need to always strive for something more. While McCandless’s death at just 24 was a cautionary tale for any would-be explorers, Into the Wild also represented the beauty of a life not held back by societal expectations.
2
Wild (2014)
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
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Wild
R
Drama
Release Date
December 3, 2014
Runtime
115 Minutes
Cast
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-
Reese Witherspoon
Cheryl Strayed
-
Laura Dern
Bobbi Grey
-
Keene McRae
Leif
-
Gaby Hoffmann
Aimee
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Wild was an extraordinary biographical drama based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir of adventure, grief, and recovery as she embarked on a 1,100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. With Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl, this story of overcoming personal problems and a longing search for meaning following her mother’s death captured the rejuvenating qualities of travel. While Cheryl initially tried to numb the pain with heroin and mindless sex, a renewed determination saw her strap a backpack across her shoulders and rise above her issues one step at a time.
As an insightful journey into Cheryl’s life-changing experiences, Wild highlighted how she had to summon every ounce of strength she had in order to complete this exhausting and dangerous trail. With beautiful scenery shot in a natural setting, Wild showcased the beauty of the American landscape and was bolstered by an excellent screenplay from the author Nick Hornby.
1
The Beach (2000)
Directed by Danny Boyle
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The Beach
R
Drama
Adventure
Romance
Thriller
Release Date
February 3, 2000
Runtime
119 Minutes
Cast
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Leonardo DiCaprio
-
Virginie Ledoyen
-
Guillaume Canet
-
Tilda Swinton
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Out of all the movies that deal with the topic of backpacking and travel, Danny Boyle’s The Beach was an absolute must-watch. Adapted from the original novel by future Ex Machina filmmaker Alex Garland, The Beach starred Leonardo DiCaprio as a young backpacker seeking adventure in Thailand who learns of the existence of a pristine, uninhabited island with a secretive hidden beach that represents pure paradise. After making his way to the island, DiCaprio finds a small community of likeminded travelers and together they enjoy this beautiful wonder of nature.
The Beach was an exciting representation of the unexpected beauty that can be found traveling, but also the dangers as a secret cannabis crop on the island causes trouble for expat inhabitants. With beautiful cinematography that represents the absolute pinnacle of Thailand’s spectacular landscape, The Beach showcased the adventurous spirit within every backpacker’s heart. As one of the most interesting movies in the early part of DiCaprio’s filmography, The Beach has a special energy that will appeal to anyone feeling wanderlust.
Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment