5 Movies to Inspire Wanderlust

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

This feel-good movie follows a group of seven retirees who decide to outsource their retirement to seemingly exotic India, with the hope to escape the realities of their lives in Britain.

Enticed by (somewhat gratuitous) advertisements and visions of leisurely twilight years, the group arrives at the dilapidated Marigold Hotel. Through a cleverly divined series of events, guests find themselves questioning what they really want in life and making up for lost time.

Why see it? For many, adventure equals escapism. Forever transformed by their shared experiences, the characters in this movie prove that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past and embrace the unknown.

The Motorcycle Diaries

Based on the personal journals of Che Guevara, this movie follows the adventure of two medical students, Ernesto “Fuser” Guevara and Alberto Granado, as they journey across South America.

Riding La Poderosa (“The Mighty One”), Granado’s battered Norton 500 motorcycle, the men are bound for a leper colony in Peru where they intend to volunteer, but decide to see as much of Latin America as they can, court women and generally live free en route. As their journey progresses, however, they are faced with the burgeoning disparity between the haves and the have-nots. It is this social injustice that gives rise to the anti-authority impulses of the soon-to-be Che Guevara.

Why see it? “Every generation needs a journey story; every generation needs a story about what it is to be transformed by geography, what it is to be transformed by encounters with cultures and people that are alien from yourself…”

– Jose Rivera in Thirty Years After His Death, Che Guevara Still an Icon by NPR 2004.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Nothing awkward and introverted Walter Mitty had lived in his overactive imagination could possibly have prepared him for the real-life journey ahead…

A photo editor at LIFE Magazine, Walter imagines amazing scenarios to escape the banality of this everyday life… Until the adventure-of-a-lifetime calls where he has to search for his hero to save his career.

From Iceland to Afghanistan, from sharks to snow leopards, Walter is forced to face his fears in the most humorous, heart-warming and inspiring ways.

Why see it? Aside from the incredible visual scenery, throughout the movie Walter teaches us that when opportunities present themselves (albeit ones he doesn’t want to take), we must make the most of them. Every step on your journey is a memory, an experience and a lesson that will shape the rest of your life.

UP

Having spent his life dreaming of wild and wonderful adventures with his wife, Carl Fredricksen wakes up one day as an old man, his wife having passed away and their adventures together never realised.

When young Wilderness Explorer, Russell, knocks on his door, a grumpy Carl is forcibly taken on a sky-high adventure and eventually realises his life so far has been a wonderful adventure in itself.

Why see it? This animated movie is not just for children. It awakens the spirit of anyone who has ever dreamt of travel and adventure and emboldens them to turn their dreams into reality, no matter how impossible it may seem. Life is too short to make lists, make memories instead!

Seven Years in Tibet

With the summit of Nanga Parbet in the Himalayas in his sights, Austrian mountaineer, Heinrich Harrer is forced to abandon his gruelling expedition when an avalanche strikes.

Upon reaching base camp, he and his expedition group are arrested by British Indian authorities and transferred to Dehradun prison camp in response to Britain’s declaration of war on Germany.

Eventually escaping, the group go their separate ways, Harrer heading for the foothills of the Himalayas. Joining pilgrims on their way to Lhasa, Harrer soon finds himself tutoring the Dalai Lama in world geography and heavily involved in the fight to prevent the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet.

Why see it? This movie shows the incredible power of change. While Harrer begins as unlikable, his experiences in a foreign land broaden his consciousness and slowly change his outlook on life.