Calling all armchair travellers! Although we’re practising #stayhome safety, that doesn’t mean we should stop dreaming about this wonderful world. One way to do it? Watch a film that’s set in a faraway place. 

We asked the experts at The Travel Corporation, the parent company of group travel purveyors Luxury Gold, Insight Vacations and Trafalgar, as well as the travel insiders at Exodus Travel, to give us a few of their favourites. It may inspire you to start planning your next big trip when the time is right, as our research shows that many of you take six months to a year to make your travel arrangements. For now, get the popcorn ready and enjoy.

 

The Pegasus fountain, Mirabell Palace and Gardens, Salzburg, where the von Trapp children were spotted playing. Photo: Vivian Vassos

1. The Sound of Music – Germany and Austria

Follow in the footsteps of the von Trapp family through Salzburg, including Mirabell Palace and Gardens and Residenzplatz Square. 

2. Amélie – Paris, France

Filmed in 80 Parisian locations, it captures the charm and mystery of Paris through the eyes of a shy waitress in a Montmartre café. 

The beach at Nusa Dua, Bali. Photo: Vivian Vassos

3. Eat Pray Love – Italy, India and Indonesia

Follow Julia Roberts through Italy, India and Bali as she re-awakens her soul with Italian cuisine, spiritual connection in India and, of course, love in Bali. P.S.: Insight Vacation’s first women-only journey to India – Inspirational India, A Wander Women Journey – currently planned for 2021 will offer you the chance to do some soul-searching next year. 

New Zealand
Emerald Lakes – New Zealand. Photo: Courtesy Exodus Travels

4. Alien: Covenant — New Zealand

Director Ridley Scott chose New Zealand’s landscape to film otherworldly scenes on a remote planet, making it the perfect destination for the hard-core sci-fi fan.

New Zealand is jam-packed with out-of-this-world adventures, from exploring Jurassic-like rain forests, hiking glaciers and climbing up volcanic peaks to slowing down and enjoying fish and chips on the beach. It’s an active adventure of a lifetime, yet there’s no need to be abducted by aliens to discover what makes trekking in New Zealand extraordinary.

Emerald lake
Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park, Canadian Rockies. Photo: Courtesy Exodus Travels

5. War for the Planet of the Apes — British Columbia

Watch as highly intelligent apes avenge their kind in the ancient forests of Tofino and Vancouver.

Once travel is back on the menu, wildlife enthusiasts and thrill seekers can swing to new heights exploring Western Canada’s gems and off-beaten path sites across the Rockies & Vancouver Island. Sightings of bountiful wildlife including black and grizzly bears, deer, moose and coyotes all with responsible tourism in mind are sure to increase travellers’ IQs and gain a whole new connection to Canada’s incredible wilderness.

A version of this story was published on March 30, 2020

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