Last week, I wrote about how travel may help keep our brains healthier as we age. Read that piece here — research continues to suggest that learning new things, navigating unfamiliar places, meeting new people, and stepping outside our routines all help build what’s known as cognitive reserve, one of the factors believed to help protect against dementia.
But what if the first step toward your next trip isn’t booking a flight?
What if it’s simply pressing play?
I Asked My Community a Simple Question
This week I asked my Facebook and Threads communities: “What film inspired you to travel?”
The responses poured in — and they reminded me just how powerful stories can be.
The Obvious Ones
Some answers were exactly what you’d expect. Eat Pray Love made many people dream of Italy, India, and Bali. Under the Tuscan Sun has probably sold more flights to Tuscany than any tourism campaign ever could. Mamma Mia! makes you want to book Greece before the credits finish rolling. Out of Africa has inspired countless safaris, while The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has many travellers looking at India through entirely new eyes.
The Ones That Surprised Me
Several people mentioned The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I had no idea Iceland played such a starring role in that film until now — and as someone who’s just returned from exploring Iceland’s Westfjords myself, it’s firmly on my “must watch” list now.
Films About the Joy of the Journey Itself
The Way reminds us that walking can heal more than our bodies. Before Sunrise, Paris Can Wait, A Room with a View, Lost in Translation, The Darjeeling Limited, French Kiss, Leap Year, The Holiday, The Terminal, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and Around the World in 80 Days all celebrate travel in very different ways.
And then came the wonderfully unexpected: The Durrells, The African Queen, A Good Year, Two for the Road, Sleepless in Seattle, Amélie, Into the Wild, I Dream of Africa, The Beach, Last Stop for Paul, A Map for Saturday, EuroTrip, Smokey and the Bandit, A Little Romance, Only You, Island Hopping, Midnight in Paris — even Shrek, Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings, Anaconda, Deliverance, and Cannonball Run made appearances.
What Every One of Those Answers Has in Common
Travel doesn’t begin at the airport. It begins with imagination.
A film introduces us to a place we’ve never been, a culture we’ve never experienced, or a way of seeing the world we’ve never considered. Our brains start exploring long before our passports are stamped. We become curious. We learn. We imagine ourselves there.
And curiosity is wonderfully good for us.
Whether it’s wandering the streets of Paris after watching Midnight in Paris, dreaming of Santorini after Mamma Mia!, planning an African safari after Out of Africa, or adding Iceland to your bucket list thanks to Walter Mitty, the inspiration itself is part of the journey.
My Suggestion for This Week
Choose a travel film instead of scrolling social media. You may discover your next destination. Or simply give your brain something new to explore.
Either way, that’s a wonderful investment in your Return on Life™.
And if one of these films has you daydreaming about Tuscany, the Greek Isles, an African safari, or Iceland’s otherworldly landscapes — I’d love to help turn that daydream into an itinerary. ❤️
📩 Sheila@LushLife.ca #AskSheila
Sheila Gallant-Halloran Founder, Lush Life Travel Virtuoso Cruise Icon — Three Consecutive Years (2024, 2025, 2026), Top 1% of Cruise Advisors Worldwide Ottawa, Ontario | www.lushlife.ca | 613-837-0699