Travel and Vacation Ideas from Movies
Looking for some travel inspiration? How about taking a hint from your favorite movie. These nine vacation ideas will take you all over the globe and provide action and adventure straight from the movies.
Trivia Question: Can you name the movie that was filmed at the location in this post’s cover photo? See bottom of post for answer.
Game of Thrones
Visit Winterfell Tours in Northern Ireland where you can dress up like your favorite Stark and shoot a medieval bow and arrow. Or don a medieval cloak, jump on a cruiser bike (sorry, no horses here) and follow your scroll (ok, it’s a map) to 14 GOT filming locations. Maybe axe throwing is more your speed. In full costume, you’ll choose your axe and learn the skill from the Master-at-Arms.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Talk like a Pirate during Pirate Week in the Cayman Islands. This annual two-week event includes a pirate invasion, sporting competitions, traditional food and lots of pirates!
Sail like a Pirate on the Jolly Roger, an all timber-constructed 15th century Spanish galleon replica located at Grand Cayman. Walk the plank, party with pirates and imbibe in rum punch while you sail through the high seas.
Drink like a Pirate along Florida’s Rum Trail. Visit 13 craft rum distilleries as you drive from Northern Florida to Key West. You probably won’t meet any pirates along the trail but you might start talking like one.
Wild
This is an obvious one. Hike the Pacific Coast Trail. Covering 2650 miles from Mexico to Canada, the trail winds through desert, forest and mountainous terrain. Whether you hike the entire route or just a portion, you’re likely to learn a little something about yourself and a lot about the beauty of the Western United States.
Sound of Music
The Sound of Music Trail offers an easily walkable 1 mile trail from Werfen, Austria up to the meadow where Maria Trapp taught the children to sing “Do Re Mi.”
There are numerous companies providing Sound of Music tours. Panorama Tours is one of the original tour companies. During filming, the company provided transportation for the movie stars and staff.
If you’d rather go on your own, GPSMyCity offers a downloadable map of nine filming spots in Salzburg.
Mount Untersberg was the film site for both Maria’s opening scene and the final scene as the Von Trapp family escapes to Switzerland. Although not geographically accurate; Germany, not Switzerland, lies on the other side of Untersberg, the mountain is a great place to soak in the beauty of Austria. Hike one of several trails or take the cable car. Either way, before you go, brush up on the many legends of a sleeping emperor, dwarfs and wizards.
Star Wars
Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada was the filming site for Tatooine in Episode IV and VI. Scenic drives and hikes will take you to several different filming spots.
Other Tatooine shots were filmed in Tunisia in Northern Africa. Several tour companies offer multi-day tours of filming locations.
In Episode V, Hardangerjøkulen Glacier in Finse, Norway is used as the location for the ice planet Hoth. From the Finse train station, it’s a half-day hike to the glacier. Because glacier hikes are inherently dangerous, joining an experienced tour guide is the best option.
Hike through Cheatham Grove in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in California where the speeder bike chase in Return of the Jedi was filmed.
Derwentwater, England was the site for Han Solo’s landing of the Millennium Falcon on Takodana. Derwentwater is part of the Lake District in Cumbria and is an adventurer’s paradise. Hiking, water sports, caving and so much more are available in this beautiful corner of England.
Another stand-in for Takodana was Puzzlewood, England. Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean is a “unique and atmospheric ancient woodland that conjures up thoughts of magic, dragons and unicorns.” Treasure hunts, mazes and forest bathing are just a few activities available.
Jurassic Park
Much of Jurassic Park was filmed in Hawaii. Although you won’t find any dinosaurs, there are lots of other adventures to experience.
The Na Pali Coast on Kauai was used as a stand-in for the fictitious Isla Nubar. Visit the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park to hike, camp, snorkel and kayak among the waterfalls, beaches and cliffs that line this coastline.
The gates which marked the entrance to Jurassic Park were built at the base of Mount Wai’ale’ale in Kauai. Park at the Keahua Arboretum and hike along Waikoko Forest Management Road about 3.5 miles to reach the site. The road can be muddy with several spillway and stream crossings. Do not cross these if the water is flowing heavily. You’ll encounter two concrete poles on either side of the road. The actual gate site is about 300 feet further down the road
If it’s dinosaurs (well, at least their footprints) and not movie locations you are looking for, try these places.
- The Flaming Cliffs in Mongolia
- Dinosaur Footprints in Massachusetts, USA
- Cal Orck’o in Bolivia
- Dinosaur Ridge in Colorado, USA
- The Montana Dinosaur Trail in Montana, USA
- Enciso, La Rioja, Spain
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Several locations in Iceland were used in this film.
The bicycle scene was filmed in Grundarfjörður on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in the west of Iceland. Rent a bike and enjoy your own “secret life” adventure. West Iceland has a lot more to offer including fishing, bird watching, cave exploring, and hiking.
Also in West Iceland, the scene where Walter runs from a bar to a waiting helicopter which is piloted by a drunk karaoke singer was filmed in Stykkishólmur. You may not be jumping into a helicopter, but how about a sea kayak? Hike to Kirkjufell mountain and Kirkjufellsfossar waterfalls
Seyðisfjarðarvegur is the name of the road where Walter longboarded during his search for Sean O’Connell and is located in Seyðisfjörður in the Eastern Region of Iceland. If you aren’t brave enough to longboard, it’s a nice drive in a car. Be sure to stop at Fardagafoss Waterfall along the way. From the parking area, it’s about half an hour walk up to the falls. Legend has it that a wish made in the cave behind the waterfall would come true. The cave has since collapsed and cannot be entered but it might be worth a shot to make a wish as you are standing next to the waterfall.
The scenes of the Himalayas and Afghanistan were also shot in Iceland in and near Vatnajokull National Park. Vatnajökull glacier is the largest glacier in all of Europe covering over 8100 square kilometers and including 30 outlet glaciers. The park also includes glacier rivers and lagoons, ice caves, spectacular canyons and waterfalls. The glacier can be explored on foot and by boat.
Casablanca
The movie version of Rick’s Cafe Americain existed only on a Warner Bros movie lot. Fortunately fans of the movie can actually visit Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca, Morocco. Opened in 2004, the cafe evokes the 1940’s from the decor to the music. If you go, be sure to dress up. The dress code also mimics what it might have been in the 40s, so no flip flops, shorts, or torn jeans.
Gone With The Wind
Follow the Gone With the Wind Trail in and around Atlanta, Georgia for a nostalgic look back at the classic book and film. The trail starts in Marietta, goes through Atlanta, and ends in Jonesboro. Stops along the way include Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum, Margaret Mitchell House, Oakland Cemetery, Fulton County Public Library, and Road to Tara Museum. Drive time along the route is just over an hour but you’ll want to plan in plenty of time at each stop.
What other movie-based adventures have you been on? Let me know in the comments.
Looking for more travel ideas? Get some vacation inspiration from these novels.
Trivia Answer: This was one of the filming location for the movie “I Dreamed of Africa” starring Kim Bassinger. The location is the Zulu Nyala Game Reserve in South Africa.
