BY: SAMANTHA TAPP
If the idea of a road trip doesn’t already make you want to drop everything and jump in a car, maybe this will help. Road tripping is a common theme in the movies and it’s for good reason. A road trip is a special type of vacation: there will be definite bumps on the road, but the memories you make and the satisfaction of making it to each stop is undeniable. These movies follow the bumps and bruises, laughter and tears, and the crazy stories of road trippers.
Following these journeys will inspire you to create your own journey. On your next movie night turn on one of these five movies. Warning: they will make you immediately take time off work and hit the road.
These are the 5 best movies that will inspire you to go on a road trip:
1. Thelma & Louise (1991)
If you want to get away with a friend, watch this. Follow these two working women as they ditch men and their everyday lives for a weekend getaway. Thelma and Louise jump behind the wheel in search of an adventure, some freedom and an escape from their mundane lives. Of course, there’s more than a couple bumps on their journey, however, this road trip from America to Mexico in Louise’s 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible is still one of the best road trip movies ever made.
“You’ve always been crazy, this is just the first chance you’ve had to express yourself.”
2. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
If you’re thinking about going on a road trip with your family, but you’re still unsure, watch this. Follow this dysfunctional family as they travel from Albuquerque to Los Angeles in an old, yellow VW Microbus (honestly the road trip car of my dreams). Within the span of 48 hours, this family races west to LA to get their daughter to a beauty pageant. Dealing with a recent suicide attempt by an uncle, a grandpa with a heroin habit, a gloomy teenage brother and the cutest little girl in road trip film history: this film will make you laugh, laugh even more and then stuff your family into a car for your road trip.
“Oh my God, I’m getting pulled over. Everyone, just…pretend to be normal.”
3. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
If you want your road trip to be more of a ‘finding yourself’ experience instead of just a vacation, watch this. Follow the journey of 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara (who is now known as the revolutionary Che Guevara) and his buddy Alberto Granado. The guys travel across South America mainly by motorcycle and their adventure acts as a pursuit of happiness as Ernesto discovers his life’s calling while on the road. This movie will inspire you to test your perspective on life, indulge yourself in society and maybe even start a revolution.
“Wandering around our America has changed me more than I thought. I am not me any more. At least I’m not the same me I was.”
4. Rain Man (1988)
If you have to drive cross-country with less than satisfactory company, watch this. Follow the journey of two estranged brothers who travel across country together. The brothers road trip from Cincinnati to Los Angeles together, during which they learn more about each other and slowly make progress growing closer as the road trip goes on. Not to spoil the ending, but nothing connects people like a good, old fashion road trip. This movie will make you angry, make you happy and make you call up any estranged family members to begin your road trip.
“We’re not in the air, we’re not on the highway, I’m on some shit secondary road.”
5. Into the Wild (2007)
If you want to hit the road by yourself, watch this. Follow the true story of Christopher McCandless as he travels across North America. After he finished university, McCandless sold all of his possessions, donated his savings to charity and decided to live in the wild. He drives and then hitchhikes to get to Alaska, where he plans to live in the wilderness. Along the way he meets several quirky people who shape his journey and teach him about life, love and himself. This film will give you wanderlust, make you grateful for family and friends and will of course, make you want to hit the road.