3 MOVIES TO WATCH BETWEEN TRIPS

As a lover and maker of cinema, nothing gets me itchier to travel than films featuring strong female leads and far-off lands. Here are three of the movies I watch between trips to keep that travel fever burning strong…

1.) HOLIDAY (1938)

“The world’s changing out there, there’s a lot of new and exciting ideas running around. Some of them might be right and some of them might be cock-eyed but they’re affecting all our lives. I want to know where I stand, how I fit into the picture, what it’s all going to mean to me. I can’t find that out sitting behind some desk in an office.”

This movie centers around Johnny Case (Cary Grant) and his “unusual” desire to take, what we in today’s world would call, a “gap year”. Throughout the film, he must defend his plans again and again to friends, family, and even his fiance until he’s forced to choose between two great loves.

This movie convinced me that the need to travel has always been inherent in some people. It’s 80 years old, but anyone with a traveler’s spirit will relate to Case’s heartfelt speeches about the necessity of seeing the world before settling down.

I will warn you, practically the whole film takes place in a stuffy, old mansion, not — as the poster would suggest — galavanting from across the globe. But it features a cast of delightful characters and lots of laughs that do not disappoint. This movie will be particularly inspiring to people who are stuck at home, trying to save up enough cash to get out and see the world.

2.) SABRINA (1995)

“For eight months– no, more than that– a year… I sat in a cafe, I drank coffee… and I wrote nonsense in a journal. And then, somehow… it was not nonsense. I went for long walks… and I met myself in Paris. You seem embarrassed by loneliness– by being alone. It’s only a place to start.”

Sabrina is the story of a hopeless girl who learns how to love herself while wandering the daydreamy streets of Paris. Watching Sabrina’s transformation from awkward teenager to a confident woman (with great hair) inspired me to seek out Paris for myself. It took a few years of traveling, though, to understand that the magic of Sabrina’s Paris is not actually in the city, itself.

Of course, I love the city of Paris (the art, the architecture, the bread) but other places I’ve visited have had a much bigger impact in forming the person I am today. Those are the places that I’d call my “Paris’s” by Sabrina’s definition.

We don’t get to choose which city, town or wilderness will bond with our souls, but when it happens, it’s an incredibly powerful experience. Now, when I watch this film, I relate to Sabrina’s longing for the place that changed her and I spend some time being thankful for the places that have changed me.

3.) MONTE CARLO (2011)

“Honey, it’s not magic. It’s not going to turn you into a whole different person.”

MAJOR GUILTY PLEASURE ALERT HERE!

Don’t judge me on this one. This cheesy, teenage comedy of sightseeing and mistaken identity is unquantifiably delightful.

In it, the main character, Grace (played by Selena Gomez), goes to Paris in hope of being transformed by the city but comes to realize she, alone, has the power to change herself. Perhaps I’m so attached to it because it appeals to the spirit of my teenage self. But this movie is actually filled with a lot of heart… It’s a good reminder that you can’t expect a simple change of scenery to change you.

The same message can be found in all three of these films. Their characters are not better at the end because they traveled to far off lands, but because they overcame the challenges that came with their journey. Growth doesn’t come from a plane ticket to a foreign country, it comes from within… and you can find it anywhere.