Five Films to Inspire Travel

Whether you are an adventurous world traveler or a homebody, there are always films that will leave you with the travel bug. With dozens of new movies released every year there is always somewhere new to experience vicariously through the cinema. Whether you're looking to travel to Europe, Asia or a Latin American island, this list has something that will leave you with inspiration to travel.

1. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
This 2008 Golden Globe Award winner, directed by Woody Allen, will motivate even the most timid traveler to pack their bags and head for Barcelona. Who would not love to spend the summer wining, dining and experiencing Spain? This dark comedy takes you with its characters, Americans Vicky and Cristina, as they immerse themselves in the Catalan culture as well as a few passionate experiences. Though you may want to skip the love triangle with the insane Penelope Cruz, the artwork, artchitecture, city streets and wine will surely leave you enamored with Barcelona. How can you beat a place that combines the mountains, the beach and a metropolitcan city?

2. Mama Mia
This 2008 film, with an all star cast, is full of Greek Islands, clear water, beautiful weather and show tunes that make you want to hop on a plane and then a boat. The rickety hotel is the epitome of a Greek Island resort and, while in reality the Greek do not communicate with Abba songs, they are a warm and friendly crowd. A mother/daughter duo planning a wedding, while daughter plays investigator trying to figure out which of three men is her father, is humorously entertaining. The backdrop, however, is what really makes you want to head to Greece. The sunshiny 70's pop soundtrack elicits a happy go-lucky feeling which may leave you wanting to jump into the Medeterranean Sea fully-clothed.

3. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
Though hardly a cinematic masterpiece, this 2004 movie has quite the romantic effect. The film is neither a prequel or a sequel to the 1987 film starring Patrick Swayze. It is actually a charming remake with a Latin twist. Despite the fact that the movie was filmed in Puerto Rico (for obvious reasons), the Cuban culture is captured and romanticized through music and dance. A forbidden romance between an American girl and a Cuban boy blossoms with the Cuban Revolution as a backdrop, leaving the audience enchanted with the island and its music.

4.The Beach
This story of a crew of twenty-somethings who end up in a paradise inhabited by drug dealers while traveling Thailand, leaves something to be desired. If you remove the gun-toting drug-dealers from the picture, the location of this film, released in 2000, will leave you desiring an exotic escape. While the plot of the movie is mostly drama and island politics, the remote Thailand beach scenery is to die for. The film and the novel that precedes it have served as inspiration for backpackers across Asia since the release of the film. It's been found to be such an inspiration for travelers looking for paradise that you'll often find it playing in hostels across Thailand.

5. The Motorcycle Diaries
This 2004 film is full of excitement and ethnic flavor. Following Che Guevara, before he was a famous revolutionary, on his motorcycle road trip through Argentina, Columbia, Venezuela, Peru and Chile leaves you filled with a sense of adventure. The thrill of an an improvised voyage of a biochemist and a medical student dancing and romancing across South America, makes the trials and tribulations of the road seem like merely minor setbacks. While Guevara's trip was hardly a luxurious vacation,this film is full of incredible landscapes accompanied by life lessons. It is a true demonstration of how traveling can open your eyes to the beautiful and yet terrible world around us.

Whether you are prepping for a major vacation or just wishing you were on vacation, any of these movies are sure to get you in a traveling mood. If you're feeling particularly cultural, pair a movie with some foreign snacks and let yourself be taken to another place for the evening. Regardless of how you choose to take in these foreign paradises, you are sure to feel the travel bug bite.