10 summer movies to feed into your wanderlust

Time and/or money limitations holding you back from taking your dream vacation? Live vicariously through the travels of film characters. Reminisce about carefree summers with classic childhood movies. Host an outdoor movie night, curl up under the stars with these movies, and remember that your next adventure is just a choice away.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Barcelona, Spain

All the anticipation of a romance without the melodrama. Cristina travels to Barcelona with her straight-edge, engaged friend Vicky for a little excitement. They meet a sexy and allegedly tortured artist Juan Antonio. This is when the love triangle/square begins. Add some humor and a dose of irony, and you have the recipe for grown-up summer love.

 

Paris Je T’aime | Paris, France

A lovely reminder that every city is full of a million stories at every corner; you simply have to open your eyes or ask. This collection of short films highlights the City of Lights on a more personal and approachable level beyond the glitz and glam of the Tour Eiffel and the Champs Elysees.

 

L’Auberge Espagnole | Barcelona, Spain

If you are a product of study abroad, you will feel melancholy after watching this charming coming-of-age tale. French citizen Xavier heads to Barcelona for an academic program and ends up living in an apartment with roommates from all corners of Europe. Planning to take a government job upon his return to France, Xavier’s time at the Spanish apartment brings life experience that challenges everything he’s worked toward.

 

Roman Holiday | Rome, Italy

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck star in the original fairy tale escapade. Princess Ann stops in Rome during her European tour and, bored with her life of obligation, escapes for a day to experience life as a common person. An American news reporter discovers her unexpectedly and takes her on a jaunt around the Eternal City.

 

Life of Pi | Pondicherry, India to Canada

This movie will have you seeking out a spiritual journey, a daring adventure… and better storytelling skills. Pi Patel looks back at his childhood that leads to an epic fantasy across the Pacific Ocean. Mystical and visually stimulating, Life of Pi inspires purpose and pondering.

 

Holiday In the Sun | Bahamas

The quintessential beach vacation for the Millennial sector; who didn’t want to go to the Atlantis Resort after this movie? Follow the twins as they ditch spring break with friends for a family vacation in the Caribbean. No MKA movie is complete without love, a mean girl (here, a pre-Transformers Megan Fox), and a noteworthy quest to save the day.

 

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 | Santorini, Greece

While we wait on confirmation regarding plans for the third Sisterhood movie, revisit New York, Alabama, Vermont, and Greece with the fantastic four and their magical pair of jeans. You may start looking for a way to take a summer sabbatical to make up for your ordinary college vacations.

 

The Italian Job | Venice, Italy

What’s summer without a little action and a full-blown heist? The film put Mini Coopers on the map; follow the gang around the world for thrills, revenge, and high-speed chases by way of land and sea.

 

The Sandlot | Smalltown, USA

Breaking out this classic is one of the best parts of summer. What’s more American than running around your neighborhood with your childhood gang, afternoons at the neighborhood pool, and the pure game of baseball? Set in a small American town in the 1960s, The Sandlot is a beautiful reminder of innocence and the importance of dreaming big.

 

Now & Then | Shelby, Indiana

Travel back to Shelby with Samantha, Roberta, Chrissy, and Teeny in their mission to buy a tree house and solve the mystery of Dear Johnny’s cracked tombstone. It’s a summer of firsts—first kisses, first cigarettes, first “road trips”—and “lasts” as the girls transition into adolescence. They discover the meaning of true friendship and growing up.

 

What summer movies are you reaching for?

 

Catherine Abalos is founder and editor of The Single Diaries.

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