25 Best Travel Movies of All Time

This iconic 1991 American road film directed by Ridley Scott stars Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise. To take a break from their dreary routines in Arkansas, the two friends go on what later turns out to be a thrilling road trip with unexpected consequences.

In this 2012 American survival drama, a young man named Pi, who survives a disaster at sea, experiences a journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with a fearsome Bengal tiger.

Directed by Danny Boyle, The Beach is a 2000 American adventure drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a twenty-something who travels to Thailand and ends up with a strange map that supposedly leads to a solitary beach paradise. Excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it.

An adaptation of Robyn Davidson’s famous memoir of the same name, Tracks is a 2013 Australian drama about a young woman who, accompanied only by four camels and her dog, travels through the inhospitable Australian desert to the Indian Ocean.

After his son dies while traveling the “El Camino de Santiago,” a father ends up overseas taking the pilgrimage himself. During the journey, he meets people from all walks of life and changes his own beliefs. This 2010 American drama is directed by Emilio Estevez.

An adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s 1957 iconic novel of the same name, On the Road is a 2012 adventure drama film directed by Walter Salles. The story is based on the years in the late 1940’s Kerouac spent travelling the US  with his friend Neal Cassady.

In, this 2013 American adventure comedy-drama, Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller), a dreamer and employee of the longtime magazine Life, goes on an adventurous journey in search of the lost photo of the final printed magazine cover.

Under the Tuscan Sun is a 2003 American romantic comedy drama starring Diane Lane as the American writer Frances Mayes who, after a heart-breaking divorce, impulsively buys a villa in Tuscany in order to change her life.

The Bucket List is a 2007 American comedy-drama directed by Rob Reiner. This film tells the story of two terminally ill men (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) who escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.

Directed by Jeff Schaffer, EuroTrip is a 2004 American-European teen comedy about a group of American teenagers who travel across Europe. During the trip, the teens visit London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Berlin, and Rome, while encountering awkward and embarrassing situations along the way.

An adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction book of the same name, Into the Wild is a 2007 American biographical drama survival film about young Christopher McCandless who, after graduating from school, abandons his possessions, gives his savings to charity, and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness.

Also known as The Colony, Colonia is a 2015 historical romantic thriller directed by Florian Gallenberger. It tells the story of a young woman (Emma Watson) who searches for her abducted boyfriend (Daniel Bruhl). The film is set during the 1973 Chilean military coup and the real “Colonia Dignidad,” a notorious cult in the South of Chile.

The Motorcycle Diaries is a 2004 film about the journey and written memoir of young Ernesto Guevara, who would later become internationally known as the iconic Marxist guerrilla commander and revolutionary Che Guevara. The movie describes a motorcycle road trip he went on in his youth that showed him his life’s calling.

Based on Cheryl Strayed’s 2012 memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail,” Wild is a 2014 American biographical survival drama film about a woman (Reese Witherspoon) who sets out alone on an extremely dangerous 1,100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail to recover from a recent personal tragedy.

Based on Isak Dinesen’s book of the same name, Out of Africa is a 1985 American epic romantic drama directed by Sydney Pollack. Set in 20th-century colonial Kenya, the film is about a Danish baroness/plantation owner (Meryl Streep) who has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter (Robert Redford).

A 2008 Canadian drama film directed by Michael McGowan, One Week tells of the motorcycle trip of a young man called Ben Tyler who was diagnosed with cancer. During the ride from Toronto to Tofino, Ben stops at landmarks that have personal value on his quest to find meaning in his life.

A 2006 British-American romantic comedy-drama directed and produced by Ridley Scott, A Good Year describes the story of a British investment broker (Russell Crow) who inherits his uncle’s chateau and vineyard in Provence, France, where he discovers a new laid-back lifestyle.

Everest is a 2015 mountain adventure film based on the real events of the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster, where eight people died in a severe blizzard. The movie shows the survival attempts of two groups of climbers in what is still considered one of the deadliest disasters in the mountaineering history.

Director and narrator of this 1966 well-known surf movie, Bruce Brown follows two young surfers (Mike Hynson and Robert August) around the world in search of the perfect wave. They travel to many exotic countries such as Australia, Tahiti, Senegal, and South Africa.

Based on François Lelord’s novel of the same name, Hector and the Search for Happiness is a 2014 German-British-Canadian comedy-drama directed by Peter Chelsom. It tells the story of a quirky psychiatrist (Simon Pegg) who decided to travel around the world to find the secret of happiness.

Into the Cold: A Journey of the Soul is a documentary film written and directed by Sebastian Copeland that follows two men’s journey to the North Pole in 2009. The film shows the training and two-month expedition of Copeland and his partner, Keith Heger, as they cover more than 400 miles on foot in temperatures below zero.

An adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name written by Walter Kirn, Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama directed by Jason Reitman. The story is centered on corporate “downsizer” Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) and his travels. The film follows his isolated life and philosophies and the people he meets along the way.

Directed by Ruba Nadda, Cairo Time is a 2009 Canadian romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair. The film describes the story of the magazine editor Juliette who comes to Cairo for a vacation and quickly falls in love with the city and a local man called Tareq.

Encounters at the End of the World is a 2007 American documentary film by Werner Herzog who travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent’s beauty and investigate the characters living there.

Directed by Thomas Whelan, The Art of Travel is a 2008 drama about a young man (Christopher Masterson) who leaves everything behind and sets out for an adventurous trip to Central and South America that will help him find his true identity and master his need to explore.