10 Movies to Inspire Creative Travel
Do you miss travel?
2020 has been tough for all of us. Here are 10 movies to inspire wanderlust and creative travel while you’re stuck at home.
Midnight in Paris (2011)
While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée’s family, a nostalgic screenwriter has taken to exploring the city at night and finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight. Throughout his time jump adventures, he meets cultural heroes of art and literature and discusses creativity and life. The more time he spends with these creative minds, the more dissatisfied he becomes with the present.
Creative Lessons
Prioritize your passions.
- “The artist’s job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.”
Surround yourself with people who inspire you, but be creative for yourself.
- Gil: Would you read it?
- Ernest Hemingway: Your novel?
- Gil: Yeah, it’s about 400 pages long, and I’m just looking for an opinion.
- Ernest Hemingway: My opinion is I hate it.
- Gil: Well, you haven’t even read it yet.
- Ernest Hemingway: If it’s bad, I’ll hate it because I hate bad writing, and if it’s good, I’ll be envious and hate all the more. You don’t want the opinion of another writer.
There’s always wishful nostalgia. Don’t focus on the past or the future, but live in the present.
- “That’s what the present is. It’s a little unsatisfying because life is unsatisfying.”
When in doubt and need ideas, take a shower.
- “You know how I think better in the shower, get all those positive ions flowing.”
If you’re planning a trip to Paris, don’t forget to stop at the famous cafe for creatives, La Rotonde.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
When both he and a colleague are about to lose their job, Walter takes action by embarking on an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.
Creative Lessons
Life is for living, not dreaming.
- “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”
Get outside your comfort zone.
- Cheryl Melhoff: Life is about courage and going into the unknown.
Live in the present moment.
- Walter Mitty: When are you going to take it?
- Sean O’Connell: Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.
- Walter Mitty: Stay in it?
- Sean O’Connell: Yeah. Right there. Right here.
You already have everything you seek. Look inwards.
It’s never too late to follow your dreams and be who you want to be.
It takes courage to be happy.
Into The Wild (2007)
Based on the book by the same name, after graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity, and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
Creative Lessons
Get out of your comfort zone.
- “The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences.”
Go into nature.
Families and people are flawed.
- “When you forgive, you love. And when you love, god’s light shines upon you.”
Community is important.
- “Happiness is only real when shared.”
The Way (2010)
A father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the “El Camino de Santiago,” and decides to take the pilgrimage himself.
Creative Lessons
“You don’t choose a life. You live one.”
Time in nature is healing.
- “You walk the way for yourself, only for yourself.”
Journeys are a time for self-discovery.
- “People walk the Camino for various reasons. The physical challenge, cultural immersion, spiritual exploration, or journey to repentance—all have been reasons for people to walk the Camino for over 1000 years.”
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
A writer impulsively buys a villa in Tuscany in order to change her life.
Creative Lessons
Fear holds you back from living and creating.
- Frances: (to herself) “You are so stupid to buy a house for a life you don’t even have.”
- Senior Martini: “Why did you do it then?”
- Frances: “Because I’m sick of being afraid all the time and because I still want things.”
Have faith and let go of regrets.
- “Regrets are a waste of time. They’re past crippling you in the present.
Rest is important.
- “When I was a little girl, I used to spend hours looking for ladybugs. Finally, I just gave up and fall asleep in the grass. When I woke up, they were crawling all over me.”
Find happiness in grief.
Let life surprise you.
- “Unthinkably good things can happen even late in the game. It’s such a surprise.”
Eat Pray Love (2010)
A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey to “find herself”.
Creative Lessons
It is never too late to find yourself, or reinvent yourself.
- “Maybe my life hasn’t been so chaotic. It’s just the world that is and the only real trap is getting attached to any of it. Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation.”
Life is about pleasure.
Happiness is a state-of-mind.
Master your thoughts.
- “At some point, you gotta let go, and sit still, and allow contentment to come to you.”
Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
The dramatization of a motorcycle road trip Che Guevara went on in his youth that showed him his life’s calling.
Creative Lessons
Culture can create social change.
Explore to learn.
Life is pain.
Travel changes you.
- “Wandering around our America has changed me more than I thought. I am not me anymore. At least I’m not the same me I was.”
- “What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land.”
Travel to find problems that need creative solutions.
The Bucket List (2007)
Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.
Creative Lessons
Find the joy and make it contagious.
- “You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions. Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. ‘Have you found joy in your life?’ ‘Has your life brought joy to others?'”
Don’t let fear stop you from following your dreams.
Be grateful for what you have.
It’s never too late to start living.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
A year after their father’s funeral, three brothers travel across India by train in an attempt to bond with each other.
Creative Lessons
Materialism distracts you from living in the present moment.
Spiritual awakenings are different for everyone and come from within.
Healing takes time.
Lost in Translation (2003)
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
Creative Lessons
Travel with purpose and make it soulful.
- “The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you.”
Avoid numbness and stagnation.
Work through the obstacles in your life.
Zach is an international writer, photographer, filmmaker, martial artist, and creator of Creative Enso, the Zen art of creative living. His goal is to empower and inspire creatives to live healthier, happier, and more creative lifestyles.
