Movie sequences that inspire us to travel

Cinema has the power to move us from within, and there have been times when travel sequences in movies have inspired us to travel. Travel movies of course keep us hooked for the entire time, and we just get this overpowering feeling to get away from our daily lives. But at times there comes a movie wherein there is this one scene where a character leaves everything behind and goes away into the oblivion. Somehow we all want to be that guy; we aspire to have that kind of inner strength to be able to go on a personal voyage. So, here is a look into travel sequences in movies that have the power to bend you towards a certain travel goal.

Good Will Hunting (1997)
“I had to go see about a girl,” and just like that Will Hunting played by Matt Damon, leaves his life behind in Boston and drives his car cross-country. The scene is accompanied by singer Elliott Smith’s song Miss Misery playing in the background. At that precise moment, as the car moves forward, you fight the urge to move away from your life as you know it, into unchartered territory.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
A masterpiece with Nicholas Cage in the lead, this one is a little depressing, but even then, when the protagonist burns all of his belongings and heads to Las Vegas with the intention of drinking himself to death, you feel a little something. Not saying that calling death before its time is cool, but just imagine being able to leave your life behind, burning it all to the ground, and living a life in oblivion. Of course the story does not end well, but that is some fascinatingly raw experience.

Paris, Texas (1984)

The opening sequence of this Jim Jarmusch classic is dreamy, not to say mysterious. But its element of mystery is best reserved for viewing; however, the protagonist wearing a red cap walking around the endless desert is something extraordinary. You can imagine yourself being in his shoes, just carelessly drifting through the landscape, with a penchant for getting lost. Until of course he is found by his brother, and the story moves forward.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)

Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Turkish masterpiece is a superior drama that is gritty and dark, but not to forget extremely cinematic. The movie follows police officers, a doctor, a prosecutor, grave diggers, gendarmerie forces, and two brothers, homicide suspects, driving through the Turkish city of Anatolia, searching for a buried body. Its brooding intensity is genius filmmaking unlike most other, while it leaves its audience wanting to explore Anatolia in its depth. Most of the scenes where the cars are moving through the city are enticing, so do watch.
Lost in Translation (2003)

The 2003 drama directed by Sofia Coppola is yet another classic that movie aficionados swear by. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of expat lives is rich in intensity, but it is the opening sequence of Bill Murray trying to get a grasp of Tokyo, is what grasps our attention. Of course throughout the film there is a sense of being lost and lonely, which in itself is quite a romantic feeling. That feeling of being miserably happy in a new place, where you don’t know the language, and don’t know what to do, is something quite beautiful. Tokyo is a major character in the film.