While I spend most of my time indoors, I’ve experienced the world through an extensive collection of travel and road trip films.
A road trip film is a subgenre that uses travel as both a
plot device
and a thematic framework. These movies follow characters as they journey from one location to another, typically by car, with the journey serving as a metaphor for personal transformation or self-discovery.
To me, they’ve always been meditative. Sometimes, they inspire our own adventures, giving us that little nudge to take the road less traveled. At other times, they unlock memories of the adventures we’ve already embarked on. Whether it’s a tale of self-discovery, a quest for connection, or simply a love letter to the open road, the best travel and road trip movies can resonate with wide audiences.
In this article, we’ve compiled nine of the best travel and road trip movies, perfect for those moments when you crave adventure but can’t leave home.
The 9 Best Travel and Road Trip Movies of All Time
1. Thelma & Louise
(1991)
Directed by Ridley Scott,
Thelma & Louise
is a celebration of sisterhood and a reflection on the systemic oppression of women in society. It tells the epic story of two best friends, Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon), who run away from their mundane, exhausting lives.
However, the trip turns into a disaster when Louise kills an assailant to save Thelma, putting them both on the run from police.
During a time when road trip movies were often associated with masculinity, Scott subverted the stereotype typically linked to this genre by casting female characters in traditionally male roles, demonstrating that genres and stories can transcend gender.
2.
Rain Man
(1988)
If you’re only familiar with the
Mission: Impossible
side of Tom Cruise, you’re in for a surprise and delight with
Rain Man
.
Directed by Barry Levinson, the narrative follows a selfish used car dealer, Charlie Babbitt (Cruise). Charlie travels to Cincinnati, Ohio, to settle his father’s estate, and discovers brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) at a mental institution there. Their father’s will leaves his entire fortune of $3 million to the treatment facility where Raymond lives.
Determined to retrieve his fair share of the inheritance, Charlie checks Raymond out of his living facility to take him to meet his attorneys back in LA. Due to Raymond’s fear of flying, the two set out from Ohio to LA by road. As the two get to know each other, Charlie evolves into a different man.
Rain Man
focuses on authentic
character development
rather than manipulative emotional beats. The film earned praise for avoiding easy sentimental solutions while exploring the relationship between the brothers through their cross-country journey.
3.
Little Miss Sunshine
(2006)
If you love dysfunctional families, you will love the Hoovers. Constantly laughing, crying, yelling, and bickering, they are still hell-bent on helping young Olive (Abigail Breslin) reach and win the finals of the pageant “
Little Miss Sunshine
.”
But even with all their best intentions, their dysfunction creates constant obstacles as they undertake the cross-country trip to California in their VW bus.
Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris,
Little Miss Sunshine
employs costume design and camera work alongside witty dialogue to develop its ensemble of dysfunctional family members.
4.
The Darjeeling Limited
(2007)
Directed by Wes Anderson,
The Darjeeling Limited
follows three estranged brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody), and Jack (Jason Schwartzman), on a trip across India to visit their mother in a Himalayan convent.
The Darjeeling Limited
employs a seamless fusion of highly stylized visuals and authentic locations to tap into universal themes of brotherhood, reconciliation, cultural dislocation, unresolved pain, and self-discovery.
5. The Straight Story
(1999)
David Lynch’s
The Straight Story
follows an old man’s quest to reconcile with his distant brother. After learning that his brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton) may not recover from his stroke, Alvin (Richard Farnsworth), a 70-year-old farmer, sets out from Iowa to Wisconsin on his lawnmower. Unable to drive a car due to his age and health, Alvin chooses this unconventional mode of transport.
Lynch
allows the camera to linger often, as the scenes unfold in real time, elevating the viewer’s intimacy with the character and allowing them to inhabit Alvin’s world and pace.
6.
Sideways
(2004)
Alexander Payne’s
Sideways
features strong performances. Two friends, Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church), take a trip to wine country for Jack’s bachelor party, where they meet two women, Stephanie (Sandra Oh) and Maya (Virginia Madsen), and become romantically involved with them.
However, when the ladies learn that Jack is engaged and getting married soon, the trip erupts into chaos.
Sideways
showcases
Payne’s subtle filmmaking style
, using unassuming cinematography and naturalistic mise-en-scène to develop its characters through behavior and dialogue rather than heavy-handed exposition.
7.
Into the Wild
(2007)
A poignant tale of self-discovery and the balance between human connection and individual freedom,
Into the Wild
is based on a true story. The narrative follows Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a top student and athlete, as he embarks on a wilderness quest, hitchhiking to Alaska and abandoning all his worldly possessions.
Into the Wild
demonstrates impressive
non-linear storytelling
, backed by flashbacks and voiceover, to effortlessly weave McCandless’ journey with his memories and the perspectives of those he encountered along the way.
By employing a lyrical and naturalistic style, director Sean Penn turns this personal odyssey into a universal meditation on freedom and connection.
8.
Nomadland
(2020)
Following the van-life of a woman in her 60s through the American West after she lost everything in the Great Recession,
Nomadland
won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and
Chloé Zhao
won for Best Director.
Zhao employs impressionistic, free-flowing editing, often foregoing strict continuity, inspired by
documentary-style filmmaking
to create an authentic atmosphere. Paired with natural lighting and handheld camera movements, the visual language focuses on unfolding moments both organically and intentionally.
9.
Mississippi Grind
(2015)
Ana Boden and Ryan Fleck’s homage to ‘70s American road movies,
Mississippi Grind
follows gambling addict Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) and his newfound friend and good luck charm, Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), on their road trip to a high-stakes poker game in New Orleans, where they hope to turn their lives around forever.
The film’s edit is reflective of the unpredictable rhythms of gambling and life on the road, favoring a loose, meandering structure that also mirrors the characters’ emotional states.
Mississippi Grind
demonstrates how authentic settings and organic performances are crucial to such free-flowing narratives.
Which of these movies have you watched already? Let us know if we missed any.
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