7 films for people who love to travel

Some films make you want to buy a ticket. Others do something more interesting: they change how you look at a place. These seven belong to the second group. There are trains, roads and foreign cities, but also silence, missed connections and plans going wrong — just like real travel.

This is not a ranking. Pick the journey you need today.

To walk without rushing: Before Sunrise (1995)

!Poster for Before Sunrise, a 1995 film

Jesse and Céline meet on a train and decide to get off in Vienna. Richard Linklater's film follows them through one night of streets and conversation. Its quietness is the point: a reminder that getting to know a place means having time to be there.

To take the road: The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

!Poster for The Motorcycle Diaries, a 2004 film

Based on the youthful diaries of Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granado, the film follows their journey through South America. The landscapes matter, but the people they meet matter more. They leave with one idea of the world and acquire another along the way.

To travel alone: Into the Wild (2007)

!Poster for Into the Wild, a 2007 film

Christopher McCandless leaves a comfortable life and heads towards Alaska. The images inspire adventure, but the film is no advertisement for escape: it shows both the appeal and the cost of isolation.

To accept improvisation: Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

!Poster for Little Miss Sunshine, a 2006 film

A family crosses the United States in a yellow van to take Olive to a children's pageant. The van breaks, people argue and little goes to plan. Somehow, the journey creates a closeness that may never have appeared at home.

To look at cities more closely: Wings of Desire (1987)

!Poster for Wings of Desire, a 1987 film

In Wim Wenders' film, angels observe Berliners and hear their thoughts. It is a contemplative work about solitude, presence and the desire to join ordinary life. Afterwards, watching strangers in a square may feel less ordinary.

For a sensory journey: Spirited Away (2001)

!Japanese poster for Spirited Away, a 2001 film

Chihiro's move opens a passage into a world of spirits and unfamiliar rules. Hayao Miyazaki understands something every traveller knows: arriving somewhere new means not knowing the codes, then learning by paying attention.

To return changed: Central Station (1998)

!Poster for Central Station, a 1998 film

Dora writes letters for people passing through Rio de Janeiro's Central Station. When she accompanies young Josué in search of his father, she crosses Brazil and reconsiders her relationship with other people. The road does not fix everything; it brings two strangers closer.

A good film does not need to become an itinerary

Films spark curiosity, but no place fits entirely on a screen. Research the city if a story moves you, but do not arrive expecting to recreate its scenes. The best tribute to a travel film is staying open to a different story.

Sources: The Criterion Collection — Before Sunrise, Encyclopaedia Britannica — The Motorcycle Diaries, and the films' Wikipedia pages for poster images.