Take a mini vacation to a new destination with my list of top travel movies.

Movies like these have inspired me to visit new places and try new things — maybe the same will be true for you.

Midnight in Paris

Owen Wilson is an aspiring novelist visiting Paris on business with his finance and friends. In search of inspiration, he decides to take a midnight stroll alone where he unexpectedly travels through different time periods in the city. As he bar hops through the night with Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous writers, he finds himself wishing for this new life rather than his own.

This Best Picture nominee is a beautiful tribute to Paris and all that the city has to offer, as it takes you along The Seine, through Montmartre and Versailles, and other famous landmarks.

The Tourist

In this romantic travel thriller, Frank (Johnny Depp) and Elise (Angelina Jolie) set the scene in Venice, Italy, where Frank is visiting. Unaware that Elise is wrapped up in dangerous business with the mafia and legal agents, she uses him as a decoy, as the duo enter a glamorous chase around Venice.

Chef

When Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) loses his spark for cooking, he hits the road in a food truck to rediscover his passion for food. Traveling cross country from Miami to Los Angeles, and making cubanos and several stops along the way, he reignites a zest for life he thought he’d lost.

This heartwarming adventure will change the way you look at food and the cities they originate in. As Carl, his son, and best friend (John Leguizamo) stop in cities like Austin, where they enjoy barbecue, and New Orleans, where his son has his first beignet, you’ll find yourself wanting to travel via your own food truck.

Mission Impossible - Franchise

The Mission Impossible franchise features Tom Cruise in nonstop action all over the world. From Norway, Prague and Morocco, to Australia, Utah and Shanghai, each film is set in spectacular locations.

I recommend watching all of them, but my favorites (location-wise) are Fallout (Queenstown, London, and Paris) and Ghost Protocol (Czech Republic, Budapest, Mumbai, and Moscow).

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

When Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) loses the negative for the cover of Life magazine’s final issue, he decides to track down the photographer himself – but a travel photographer could be anywhere.

For most of Walter’s life, he lived through daydreams, but now as he’s forced to embark on an epic chase, he finds himself living a life more incredible than any he could have imagined. From playing soccer in the Himalayas, to skateboarding down an Icelandic highway – a breathtaking highlight of the film – his journey will inspire you to create your own.

The Big Year

Wherever you are in the world, the one thing that is consistent is the presence of birds. From China, to Alaska, and everywhere in between, Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson find themselves running into each other as they compete to spot the most birds in a calendar year. This film will expose you to a world you didn’t know you needed to be a part of. Someday, when I’ve retired, I hope to do my own big year.

A Summer in Genoa

Colin Firth plays a grieving widow who moves him and his daughters to Genoa, Italy for the summer, where he will be teaching. This melancholy film will walk you down narrow cobblestone alleys and lie you down on Mediterranean beaches, as it treats you to a slow summer in Northern Italy filled with love, loss, and new beginnings.

Lost in Translation

Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanson are staying at the same hotel in Japan. Both in town for art-related reasons, the lonely pair form a beautiful friendship that takes them all over Tokyo.

Having been almost entirely shot in Tokyo, this film features the hustle of the neon-lit streets at night, karaoke bars, Mount Fuji and a zen temple – all of which gives a nice balanced feel for the city.

Hugo

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Hugo is an orphaned boy with nothing left of his father other than a notebook of drawings. As he now lives in a railway station, in charge of maintaining the station clocks, he makes a new friend (Chloë Grace Moretz). Together, they set out on a quest to solve the meaning behind his father's work.

Although the majority of Hugo takes place in the Gare Montparnasse railway station, the film features sweeping views of 1930s Paris – the visuals, alone, are enough reason to give this one a watch.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

After Peter’s (Jason Segel) actress girlfriend (Kristen Bell) leaves him for her new rockstar boyfriend (Russell Brand), he leaves LA to grieve at a Hawaiian resort. Things immediately go wrong, as he runs into the new couple who are staying at the same resort. Luckily, Peter makes a new friend of the hotel concierge (Mila Kunis) who helps him get away and explore the island.

This goofy rom-com will make you want to jump the next plane to Hawaii, as Segal and Kunis adventure around Oahu Island by surfing, cliff-diving, attending luals, and hanging out on the beaches and resort grounds.

Other things to do at home