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Which books and films inspire you to travel?
New poll reveals the films and books that inspire travel, and the feelings we get when we are all about the travel planning.
Media inspired travel
My travel wish list gets longer each time I watch a TV program or film that features a destination I am yet to go to. Recently on watching The Trip starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, I added the Lake District, Lancashire and the Yorkshire Dales to my list. The same happened when watching US TV Show, Hart of Dixie, my guilty pleasure, all of a sudden I was desperate to experience small town Alabama.
And I am not the only one being seduced in this way.
According to recent research by British Airways, more than half of us have been inspired to visit a destination after seeing it in a film. With Lord of the Rings, Mama Mia, The Beach, The Italian Job and Crocodile Dundee coming out as the top five films for encouraging thousands of us to head off on our holidays (to New Zealand, Greece, Thailand, Italy and Australia).
The study also found that women were more likely to have their holiday choices influenced by films with over 60% of females claiming to be inspired by films compared to 46% of men.
Regionally we get our inspiration from different films, with 20% of Welsh respondents being encouraged to travel to Jordan after Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade; compared to only 3% of people in the South East, 18% of whom found themselves dreaming of California after watching Easy Rider.
Travel by the book
And don't get me started on books. Many writers say one of the best ways to develop a writing style is to read lots of books on the subject you want to write about, for me that's travel. For example, travelling around America by train is at the top of my travel wish-list, courtesy of Stranger on a Train by Jenny Diski and Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service by James McCommons.
Once again, research comes to my rescue, proves that the power of the book effects one in five of us, people who have planned a holiday after big screen or novel inspiration.
Topping the list of the most travel-inducing literature was Captain Corelli's Mandolin
(Greek Island of Kefalonia), followed by Memoirs Of A Geisha
(Japan), The Beach
(Thailand), Sex And The City [DVD]
Sex and the City (New York) and Our Man in Havana (Cuba).
Travel planning is good for the soul
When it comes to booking holidays, many compare it to the feeling we get when we hear good news, win money or get a pay rise.
Nearly a quarter of Londoners say the elation of booking a holiday compares to the feeling they get when going on a date!
And with 70% of Brits saying the excitement of counting down is a major part of the travel experience, the research found the most excitement can be achieved by booking and going within 30 days of travel.
The anticipation of a holiday has a hugely positive impact too, with almost a quarter saying it makes them more fun to be around and more than a fifth saying it helps them deal with stress better.
But this differs around the country with nearly one in five (18%) Scots saying they feel more generous before going on their holidays compared to just 2% of the Welsh.
And the mood that booking your holiday puts you in can be affected by how old you are as well as where you live. Almost a quarter (23%) of 25-34 years olds say they are less likely to argue before going on holiday compared to only 11% of over 55s.
So, if you’re in the middle of reading a great book or have just watched an inspiring film, is it tempting you to find out more about the featured location? Have you gone a step further and book a holiday? Either way, what is / was the book and the location? Thinking about the blockbuster films and books of 2012, where do you think are likely to be the big locations for holidays in 2012?
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