Solo traveling can be daunting, especially when you're a female traveling alone, but with the right inspiration and planning it can be fun and even transformational. Solo female traveling is trending right now and the travel industry is taking notice. It raises the question, why do women venture out on their own to travel? Is it for soul-searching reflection, adventure, or to experience new places and cultures?
If you’re trying to decide where to take your next solo trip, a great way to experience a destination is to watch a movie that takes place there. The best travel films give you an inside guide to the beauty and the culture of a location as well as tell a riveting story. These five solo female travel stories have protagonists that are faced with the ever- present question, does travel turn us into a better version of ourselves? Most of these films are based on a true story, all of them take place in breathtaking locations with motivational female travelers. Have a movie night and get inspiration for your next solo adventure from these five female -driven films.
Tracks and a trek across the breathtaking vistas of the Australian desert is the perfect movie to start our solo women’s trip. Tracks, starring Mia Wasikowska, is based on the true story of Robyn Davidson’s solo adventure. In the film, Davidson left the “self-indulgent” city life to walk 1,700 miles to the west coast. She traveled from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean with just her dog and 4 camels. Davidson had spent months at a camel farm learning how to train camels before her trip and became known as "the camel lady". Braving the harsh elements and remote territory, Davidson set off on this personal solo journey to do something challenging and to prove that we are all capable of anything.
“Like any journey, it’s not what you carry, but what you leave behind.” ~Robyn Davidson
Why watch this movie?: Tracks is a well-written movie of one woman’s solo journey. Watch it for the beautiful Australian desert sunsets, riveting story, cultural encounters with the aboriginal people in the outback and the depiction of life of on a camel farm.
Wild, is based on the true story of Cheryl Strayed's (Reese Witherspoon) 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed hiked from the Mojave Desert to Washington State. In a quest to heal from a recent painful loss and to escape the personal failures of her life; she started the hike with no experience or training, In her self-determination to conquer one of the hardest trails in the country, she discovers how travel can transform you.
“Lost in the wilderness of her grief, she found her own way out of the woods."
Why watch this movie? If you love adventure travel and climbing mountains then watch this Pacific Crest Trail trek through varying landscape; from the arid desert to snow-capped mountains. As you watch the fog over the meadow and the sun reflecting on the river valley you can’t help but dust off your hiking shoes. The Pacific Crest Trail runs from Mexico to Canada, but the movie was filmed mostly in Oregon (Crater Lake National Park, Ashland, and Bend) as well as in Vancouver, and Washington.
Eat Pray Love is the ultimate solo female travel quest for self-discovery. Based on a true story starring Julia Roberts. After a discomforting divorce, Elizabeth Gilbert spends a magical year traveling to Italy, India, and Bali seeking transformation. Gilbert captures the impact that travel has on us when you embrace the people and culture of a new place. Eat Pray Love shows how when we are challenged in travel to go outside our comfort zones, we can live the Italian way of life, dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing.
“At some point, you gotta let go, and still allow contentment to come to you.” ~Elizabeth Gilbert
Why watch this movie? Eat Pray Love is a travel movie for foodies and cultural enthusiasts that will take you on a truth-seeking journey through some of the most beautiful places in the world. The history and Italian delicacies of Rome and Naples, the discipline and spiritual culture of an ashram in India and the breathtaking lush landscapes of Bali are the stops you will make along the way.
In Under the Tuscan Sun starring Diane Lane as Frances Mayes, a writer looking to make a change in her life after divorce purchases a villa in Tuscany. She discovers family and happiness in the people she meets.
“Always keep your childish innocence, it's the most important thing.”
Why watch this movie?
In Under the Tuscan Sun, travel the rolling pastures of Tuscany and settle in the quaint village of Cortona. The movie was filmed in multiple locations throughout Italy on location in Tuscany, Florence, Arezzo, and Siena — as well as Rome and Positano.
We end our solo women’s trip with the documentary Maidentrip. In this film, 14-year-old Laura Dekker sets off to be the youngest to ever sail solo around the world. In 2010 Laura set sail alone from Holland, doing all the filming herself, she traveled 27,000 nautical miles in 519 days. Laura makes stops along the way to learn about the culture and people as she explores the world. This film documents her strength and courage in pursuing this daunting adventure across the biggest oceans of the world the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and South Atlantic Oceans. Her only goal is to know that she can do it. She discovers her life has no boundaries.
“Freedom is when you’re not attached to anything.”~Laura Dekker
Why watch this film? Let a 14-year-old inspire you to travel boldly and pursue your travel dreams. Maidentrip is a compelling coming of age story, and footage from the documentary includes breathtaking vistas of the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia, Australia and South Africa.
After a night of popcorn and one of these movies, I am ready for my next solo trip. Great character-driven stories like the ones depicted in these five movies have inspired me to travel. I’ve done a lot of solo traveling in my lifetime but the trips that stand out to me the most are the ones where I've experienced an emotional or spiritual transformation.
“Some nomads are at home everywhere.”~Robyn Davidson