5 Travel Movies You Probably Missed but Should Watch Right Now Posted on February 3, 2017November 16, 2025 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... I love finding new travel-inspired movies. There are quite a few low budget and non-A-list movies that are pretty good. A good travel movie has to include a moral undertone. Illustrated by some unfinished business or something we need to learn about ourselves and the greater world we inhabit. Here are 5 travel movies you may have missed. This post is sponsored and/or contains affiliate links, from which I earn a commission at no extra cost to the reader. I appreciate your support and know that all the views expressed are my own. 5 Travel Movies You May Have Missed There are a few travel movies you can watch over and over again. Therefore you never get sick of them. I love the Bucket List, Up, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Similarly, nothing gets me more excited to travel than a good travel flick. Hence it gives me the inspiration and the motivation to explore new destinations. But a really good travel movie has more than beautiful panoramas and delicious foods. 1. The Way (2010) THE WAY stars Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez as a father and son who had grown apart over the years. Sheen, an entomologist does not understand why Estevez decided to drop out of his Ph.D. program to travel the world and walk the El Camino de Santiago in Spain. Sadly Estevez has a tragic accident before he really gets started and Sheen embarks on the adventure started by his son. It turns out father and son have more in common than they both realized. This is one of my favorite travel movies. I am a contributor to KoreabyMe, an online magazine for expats living abroad in South Korea. Check it out here. 2. Chef (2014) I loved CHEF which stars Jon Favreau as a talented Brentwood chef who feels suffocated by his current restaurant job. He goes on a trip to Miami and decides to purchase a food truck, road trip back to California while mending the relationship with his young son, and rekindling his passion for cooking while stirring up enthusiasm for a new restaurant in LA. The food and scenes in Miami and New Orleans are rich and aromatic and make you wanna pause the movie and get a Cuban or a po-boy right now. 3. Hector and the Search For Happiness (2014) In HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS, a British psychiatrist searches the globe to find the secret of happiness. Disillusioned with the boredom of his own existence, Hector (Simon Pegg) confesses to his girlfriend (Rosamund Pike) that he needs to embark on an international quest that will take him to China, Africa, and America to try to understand what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve it. He starts an entertaining written and illustrated journal of his findings that if you like nothing else is worth watching this film. What follows is a series of run-ins with colorful personalities, some serious misadventures, a life-affirming conversation, and the closure of a past relationship that all culminate in his own self-discovery of true happiness. You can watch the entire movie here. 4. A Map For Saturdays (2007) When you are traveling, you often lose track of the days and every day feels like Saturday. Brook Silva-Braga quit his job at HBO and took a year off to travel four continents alone. A MAP FOR SATURDAY is fun to watch. It reveals a world of long-term, solo travel through the stories of trekkers from all around the world. The documentary is honest, leaving you with a thoughtful glimpse into a world most of us will never experience. You ‘ll see backpackers helping tsunami victims in Thailand, avoiding crime in Brazil, discussing hostel life. Learn how they deal with money and finding love, friendships, and themselves on the road. And you can do it without leaving your cozy sofa. 5. One Week (2009) Unlike all the other travel movies on this list, I’d only watch THE WEEK once, THE WEEK stars Joshua Jackson as a young teacher and wannabe writer. He has unrealized goals and ambitions but was just diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Blowing off the immediate treatment, he buys a motorcycle and decides to ride across Canada. After a few near-death experiences and some stunning Canadian landscapes, you begin to see things aren’t going to work out well. My favorite part of the movie is an unexpected ending. It’s a small kind of personal triumph. I love sharing stories, lessons from abroad, and tips for curious travelers. If my work has inspired you or made you smile, please buy me a coffee. Your support helps me keep the blog running—at no cost to you. My articles are available as mobile apps for offline reading and GPS-assisted directions. Download my articles on GPSMyCity. This post contains sponsored and/or affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission. WELLNESS ON THE ROAD
Vietnam: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmvDMIsptaiGdAWZXGLqqIuS_et8qFbg2 Think theres nothing to do on Halong Bay, think again. Cruise with duffelbagspouse on Signature Cruises for 2 days. Reply
Its a good movie you will definitely enjoy it especially if you love good food and a great road trip across America. Reply
I love this list of movies that you have here! Whenever we’re not traveling, I love watching movies that will take me to places! Reply
Me too. I saw so many lists that had the same movies on them. Movies we had all seen AND LOVED, so I wanted to see if I could find a handful that were good, but less well-know. I like all these, but really loved 4 of them. I will keep looking out for sleepers in the future. Reply
Oooh thank you for this list! Every night when the hubs turns on Kodi, he literally sits there and flips for an hour looking for a movie or show to watch. I’m gonna give him this list so I don’t have to listen to that stupid “tick” has he flips thru the screens! Reply
Oh my goodness, I have the same problem. He will let his food turn ice cold looking for a movie, drives me crazy. Reply
I love watching movies. These are certainly ones that I had not heard about and will add them to my to watch list. Reply
I hadn’t heard of ‘A map for Saturdays’ but I’m definitely going to look it up. Sounds brilliant. Reply
I think you’ll like it if you’ve ever wondered what traveling around the world for a year on a budget was like. Reply
5 Travel movies that went under the radar. Movies with moral themes that are just as impactful and inspirational as The Bucket List, Up and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. See https://duffelbagspouse.com/travel-tips-blog/#gs.X1xr5Wk Reply
I’ve only seen Chef among the list and I really enjoyed the movie! I hope to see the others. Travel movies are always so nice to watch! Reply
i haven’t watch those movies yet, but I def need to watch the one with sofia vergara! shes so hilarious with her accent. Reply
Thanks for sharing! Is it bad that I haven’t watched any of the ones listed. But now I MUST give a few a try as I am already interested in a few. Reply
Chef is literally one of my favorite movies. I was a chef on a food truck for a few years and it feels like it describes my time on the truck! Reply
That’s awesome. Its a great movie and theme and I love all the places they travel to. Who doesn’t love a great road trip. Reply
Chef is a great movie! I am definitely going to check out those other films you mentioned, they all sound amazing. http://prettyfitfoodie.com/2017/02/01/valentines-day-dresses-under-100/ Reply
I thought so too. I love to see new places when I watch a movie, butchers something comforting and nostalgic to see places you’ve already gone as well. Reply
I was shocked I’d never seen any of those! Next snow storm and I’m stuck inside I’ve got a big list to watch now! Thanks Reply
I agree. I feel that way about “second hand lions” there are very few with food morals and good laughs. Reply
Love the WAY & the Chef! Great choices with those two…I had never heard of Hector or 1 Week so I am going to search Netflix for them! I love Simon Pegg! Thanks, for this! Reply
I have only watched “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” out of all the movies you mentioned. Funny enough, that movie was the inspiration for my wife and I to pack our bags and go to Iceland!! Can’t wait to watch the rest of the travel movies and be inspired again! Reply
I love that one too. It inspired me to stop waiting and get out there. There is that scene when Sean Penn doesn’t take tge picture even though thats what he’s up in the Afghani mountains and decides to go play football with the locals. Thats life. Reply
I love that you mentioned The Bucket List here. I know it’s cheesy, but it really made such an impression on me when I first saw it, and I’ve seen it many times since. I think I’d like Chef, too – I’ll have to check it out. Reply
Hey I love cheese. Its got a very familiar moral. Life is short, don’t waste it or the time you have with people you love and don’t sweat the small stuff… and a lot of what happens to us is small stuff!! Reply
I really need to re-watch CHEF. I remember when I ‘watched’ it – I didn’t really pay attention but I know it’s a good movie and hear that from everyone, so I need to change this! Reply