Traveling Through Films

Traveling through films is an amazing way to experience a place without needing to leave the comfort of your home. Not as a substitute for traveling, but perfect for inspiration, ideas and insights.

When I saw Gorillas in the Mist at 11, Dian Fossey, the scientists who spent nearly two decades studying the mountain gorillas in Africa’s rainforests, fascinated me so much I have wanted to go mountain gorilla tracking in Uganda or Rwanda ever since.

After Thelma & Louise I felt determined to do a road trip across the US some time, preferably from the east to the west coast. And K2, one of my favorite movies as a kid, made me want to start mountain climbing.

At 15, The Beach and the idea of backpacking in Thailand intrigued me. I wanted to begin my journey on Khao San Road in Bangkok and end it a month or so later on Koh Phi Phi Leh.

Another place I feel attracted to because of a film is Alaska. At 10, when I saw A Perfect World, the movie about prisoner Butch (Kevin Costner) who kidnaps a young boy as protection and flees across Texas with plans to go to Alaska, I had never heard about Alaska. I thought “if this man who just escaped from prison chooses to go to Alaska of all the places in the world, it must be a truly special and beautiful place.” Butch’s face expression and the way he spoke about it made me think “some time I will travel there too.” I got the same thought about South America from The Motorcycle Diaries in a half empty cinema in Grenoble in 2004.

Wicker Park and The Weather Man, both shot in a wintry Chicago, make me want to travel to “the windy city”. In Her Shoes and Rocky almost make me fall in love with Philadelphia. After The Big Blue I knew I had to see Amorgos in Greece, Sicily in Italy and Corsica in France. Man on Fire, Amores perros and Babel make me curious about Mexico. Blue Crush captures the surf culture on Hawaii in such a way I want to experience it myself. After Lost in Translation I longed for Tokyo, Park Hyatt Tokyo and Kyoto. And partly because of City of Angels I want to see the LA skyline.

After Imagine Me & You, Notting Hill and Match Point I loved London even more — especially Primrose Hill and Portobello Road. When I miss Paris I watch Amelie or Before Sunset. If I miss Vienna I see Before Sunrise.

I often miss New York. Fortunately, New York is a much-loved destination for movie shoots, so if I wanted to I wouldn’t have to go a day without seeing this great city. Miracle on 34^th Street, West Side Story, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Godfather, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, New York, New York, Saturday Night Fever, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hair, Fame, Wall Street, Big, Cocktail, Working Girl, When Harry Met Sally, Carlito’s Way, Sleepless in Seattle, As Good as it Gets, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, You’ve Got Mail, Rent, Sidewalks of New York, Vanilla Sky, Autumn in New York, Heights, Stepmom, Analyze This, Analyze That, Big Daddy, Eyes Wide Shut, The Thomas Crown Affair, New York Waiting, The Devil Wears Prada, Coyote Ugly, Maid in Manhattan, Shortbus, Anything Else, The Family Man, Finding Forrester, Kate & Leopold, Kissing Jessica Stein, Serendipity, 25^th Hour, Uptown Girls, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, When Will I Be Loved, 13 Going on 30, Alfie, Little Black Book, Hitch, In Good Company, The Interpreter, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Prime, 16 Blocks, Just My Luck, The Nanny Diaries and Rush Hour 3 were all shot in New York City.

Traveling through movies is enjoyable, but the real deal is without a doubt much better.

Traveling through TV-series

If I hadn’t watched Ally McBeal at 13, I would probably not want to visit Boston as much. Too bad they ended the show because it’s one of the best feel-good TV-series ever. The O.C. and Summerland, shot in LA, at Hermosa Beach and in Malibu, make me want to travel to California. As does Entourage.