Additional plus point – it helped past the time during lockdown for at least one day.

 

So here’s the game – name all the movies you can that feature travel and utilize countries and places around the globe as part of the script

 

So here’s our list:

 

Starting with....

 

The Terminal – Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones

Viktor Navorski gets stranded at an airport when a war rages in his country. He is forced by the officials to stay at the airport until his original identity is confirmed.

 

 

Once upon a time in Hollywood – Set in LA

Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt

Rick, a washed-out actor and Cliff, his stunt double, struggling to recapture fame and success in 1960s Los Angeles. Meanwhile, living next door to Rick is Sharon Tate and her husband Roman Polanski, which became a key storyline in the sordid Charles Manson murders.

 

 

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Set in Germany

Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swindon

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a 2014 comedy-drama film, written and directed by Wes Anderson, which explores tragedy, war, fascism, nostalgia, friendship, and loyalty. Ralph Fiennes leads a seventeen-actor ensemble cast as Monsieur Gustave H, famed concierge of a mountainside resort in the Republic of Zubrowka.

 

Fun fact – When my family and I stayed at Soneva Fushi, Maldives in 2019 – Tilda Swindon was also staying on the island. She introduced a movie on movie night and it was The Grand Budapest Hotel, which she starred in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whhLILy2GZs&feature=youtu.be

 

 

Eat, Pray, Love – Set in Italy, India, Indonesia (Bali)

Julia Roberts

The book-turned-movie Eat Pray Love, ever since it was released, has been inspiring people to travel, and seek a life or career outside the big buzzing cities.

A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey to find herself.

 

 

Thelma and Louise – Set in the Grand Canyon, Utah and California

Geena Davis and Susan Saradon

Two best friends set on an adventure, but it soon turns into a terrifying escape from  the police, as these two girls escape for the crimes they committed.

  

Gorillas in the Mist – Set in Rwanda in the stunning Volcanic Mountains

Sigourney Weaver

 "Gorillas in the Mist" is a story about the world-famous primatologist Dian Fossey, who gave up her work as a physical therapist and for 13 years -- before she was murdered in her sleep in 1985 -- devoted herself to the study of the mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

 

Fun Fact – One of my hotel partners is Bisate, a private luxury 6 rooms hotel on the Volcanic Mountains. The guides will arrange an exclusive hiking trip into the mountains to witness families of Gorillas including the Silver Back, playing together in the wild. http://www.uniquefamilytravels.com/2019/07/12/bisate-lodge/

 

 

Lord of the Rings – Set all over New Zealand

Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Ian Mckellen

This is an epic high fantasy novel written by J.R.R Tolkien which was later filmed as a trilogy. The story began as a sequel to Tolkin’s earlier fantasy book, The Hobbit, and soon became a huge world wide classic.

A young hobbit, Frodo, who has found the One Ring that belongs to the Dark Lord Sauron, begins his journey with eight companions to Mount Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

 

Fun Fact – My husband and I visited Queenstown about 10 years ago during Christmas and new Year. Everywhere you looked there were tours for Lord of the Rings experience and memorabilia.

 

Lawrence of Arabia – Set in Wadi Rum, Jordan and Sahara Desert, Morocco

Peter OToole, Omar Sharif

Lawrence, a lieutenant in the British Army, is asked by Colonel Brighton to moderately assist Faisal, the young Saudi king and their ally. The result is a sweeping Hollywood classic with breathtaking desert landscapes.

 

 

Walter Mitty – Set in Greenland and Iceland

Ben Stiller and Kirsten Wiig

Ben Stiller directs and stars in THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, James Thurber's classic story of a day-dreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. When his job along with that of his co-worker are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined

 

 

Seven Years in Tibet – Set in Tibet, The Himalayas and Argentina

Brad Pitt

Seven Years In Tibet is about an Austrian mountaineer who heads out to conquer a Himalayan mountain in 1939. After getting captured and sent to a prison camp, he ends up breaking out with another man and sneaking into the holy Tibetan city of Lhasa. He befriends the young Dalai Lama just as the Chinese attempt to invade Tibet by force. Both men are from totally different worlds, yet become great friends and learn from each other.

 

 

Under The Tuscan Sun – Set in Cortona in Tuscany

Diane Lane

Frances Mayes, a 35-year-old San Francisco writer, gets a divorce that leaves her with terminal writer's block and depression. Later, she decides to buy a house in Tuscany in order to change her life.

 

 

Amelie – Set in Paris

Audrey Tautou

Despite being caught in her imaginative world, Amelie, a young waitress, decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey where she finds true love.

 

 

Lost in Translation – Set in Shinjuku and Shibuya in Tokyo

Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson

An American actor Bob, lands in Tokyo for an ad film and ends up meeting Charlotte, who's left behind by her photographer husband. Gradually, the two discover a friend within each other.

 

 

Fun Fact – I visited Tokyo and stayed at the Park Hyatt. We had a drink in the roof top bar where some of the famous scenes were shot.

Also we visited the area in Kyoto where the bridge scene was supposedly shot, however rumor has it that the scene was actually built in a Hollywood studio and not shot in Kyoto. http://www.uniquefamilytravels.com/2018/10/14/tokyo/  

 

 

Into The Wild- Set in Alasaka

Kirsten Stewart and Emile Hirsch

Christopher McCandless, a young graduate, decides to renounce all his possessions and hitchhike across America. During his journey, he encounters several situations which change him as a person.

 

The Beach – Set in Thailand

Leonardo DiCaprio

Richard, a young man, travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of an odd map. Rumours state that the map leads to an island paradise. Accompanied by a few friends, he sets out to find it.

 

 

Casablanca – Set in Morocco

Humphrey Bogart

During WWII, Rick, a nightclub owner in Casablanca, agrees to help his former lover Ilsa and her husband. Soon, Ilsa's feelings for Rick resurface and she finds herself renewing her love for him.

 

 

Out of Africa – Set in Kenya

Robert Redford and Meryl Streep

Initially set on being a dairy farmer, the aristocratic Karen Blixen travels to Africa to join her husband, Bror who instead spends their money on a coffee plantation. After discovering Bror is unfaithful, Karen develops feelings for hunter Denys but realizes he prefers a simplistic lifestyle compared to her upper class background. The two continue on until a series of events force Karen to choose between her love and personal growth.

 

 

The Talented Mr Ripley – Set in Italy

Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow

Tom travels to Venice to convince Dickie, a rich man's son, to return to the US. When he gets obsessed with Dickie's lavish lifestyle, he resorts to extreme measures to impersonate him.

 

 

The English Patient – Set in Egypt

Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas

Hana, a nurse, tends to a plane crash victim who is on his deathbed. While doing so, she discovers a way to heal herself.

 

Happy Watching

 

Dani X

 

Netflix Mena - https://www.netflix.com/ae-en/