The Wind Will Carry Us (1999)
Guide: Abbas Kiarostami
Destination: Iran







The Sheltering Sky (1990)
Guide - Bernardo Bertolucci
Destination - North Africa

 

For me, these work best for inspiration and building up courage. My favourite travel/adventure documentaries:

Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
Guide: Werner Herzog
Destination: McMurdo, Antarctica



Meru (2015)
Guides: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi 
Destination: Meru Peak, Himalayas, India




180° South (2010)
Guide: Chris Malloy 
Destination: Patagonia






Baraka (1992)
Guide: Ron Fricke




Samsara (2011)
Guide: Ron Fricke





The Salt of the Earth (2014)
Guide: Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Inspired by the nomadic people I've met lately, my wanderlust has been severely and maybe irrevocably awaken, culminating in a trip soon to be taken. But the hunger hasn't been satisfied with some foreseeable future travel, so I had to feed it something more consistent, like movies: adventure, travel and road movies I love or those which got away for some reason and were seen for the first time. The longing has been under control for ... who knows how long? So here is a list of my favourite films in the genre:


Into the Wild (2007)
Guide: Sean Penn
Destination: Alaska

because there's an Alexander Supertramp in all of us: the person who wants to throw everything he owns away, return to the roots and leave the organised community living for good. it's in our genes, we inherited it and sometimes, when the man-made values of our society get - if only briefly - detached from the forged wiring of our every-day problems: we may come close, but few actually do it. although leading up to a tragic ending, I am re-watching this thing over and over again with never-wearying enthusiasm. his journey touches something archetypal and primordial, resonating with so many people.



The Beach (2000)
Guide: Danny Boyle
Destination: Thailand


because it's a fantasy... a perfect beach. an isolated, open-minded, but exclusive society you are part of. pretty French girl who, against odds, ends up kissing you in the ocean, among waves of glowing plankton, under the moonlight... the beach has it all, from romance to fields of the good stuff guarded by monkeys and gunned men with bandannas to shark attacks to madness of the recluse.
sounds cheesy when resumed - to say the least - still so very enjoyable when watched.




Lost in Translation (2003)
Guide: Sofia Coppola
Destination: Tokyo

because it's so pretty to look at, while not much happening (although not exactly a travel movie). the plot is almost non-existent, yet you can't help but fall in love with the main characters. haven't seen Scarlett so beautiful or such a surprisingly charming Bill Murray, since. it's strange Tokyo, with extra small showers, karaoke bars, weird TV shows and a memorably hilarious whiskey commercial shooting. all in all it comes off as a delicate bouquet of impressions and feelings...


The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Guide: Wes Anderson
Destination: India

because Wes Anderson is funny and peculiar even in India.





 


The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)  
Guide: Anthony Minghella 
Destination: Italy
 
because of the breathtaking Italian scenery and one rather fascinating psychopath played by Matt Damon. there are good times and there are really awkward times, the movie is in-between a relaxing summer vacation - sunbathing on the beach and frequenting smoky jazz bars  - and an appalling, twisted story going on in the background.



Wild (2014)
Guide: Jean-Marc Vallée
Destination: Pacific Crest Trail, from California to Canada

because I can relate so much to this woman who, with no hiking experience, embarks on a 1,100 mile journey all alone. her real story is the story of many: people at a low point in their lives decide that some answers may come only from solitude on a foreign land. another biography :)



Tracks (2013)
Guide: John Curran 
Destination: Australia 

because Robyn Davidson is great inspiration: yet another brave woman going on a nine months track with four camels and a dog, in the deserts of Western Australia. Her trip was documented in writing by herself and in pictures by Rick Smolan, National Geographic Magazine photographer. The results are still stunning.