It’s the eleven o’clock hour for your spring break trip, friends. Time is running out to get out of town. But that doesn’t mean you should just panic and just go to Florida, projecting your childhood fantasies of Disney wonder onto your adult self. No, you don’t want some conventional trip, the kind of thing that would be advertised in your small Missouri town on three billboards! Outside Ebbing, Missouri, there’s a whole world to see. A world filled with beauty. And the beast within — that demonic doubting voice — might tell you that going far away this year is too hard. Or that a vacation won’t sit well with your boss.
Baby, you don’t have to sell yourself short! (We know each other pretty well, can I call you baby?)
Drive or fly somewhere special this spring. Now is the time to book a ticket to one of the big, sick places you’ve seen us rave about here. Whom among us doesn’t want to head off to Rome and Israel? Esquire articles may try to tell you about all the coolest, conventional places in the world. But we, at Uproxx, think we can do a better job of curating a vacation that’s more than sitting on a beach popping mollys. Game the system, get creative.
The shape of what our entire years will look like depends on starting March off with a great trip. One that isn’t a total disaster.
Artistically speaking, a good trip should be a mix of historical sites and lush scenery. Luxury without spending all the money in the world. So here’s what we suggest: The Oscars are this weekend, why not plan your trip around the amazing locations they take place in? Because, hello, gandering the spots where your favorite movies took place is the ultimate slam dunk. Irked by nothing, the stress of work will melt away when you go to where movies and traveling meet. Where you can pretend you’re the blade runner.
Twenty, forty-nine, or a hundred, there’s no age that’s not perfect for a movie adventure. The post you write on Instagram will make everyone jealous. And to help you out, here are the 2018 Oscar-nominated movie themed vacations you should book tickets to immediately:
Moscazzano, Italy — Call Me By Your Name
Want to lounge around an Italian Villa (which by the way you can own if you have $2.7 mil lying around?), stroll down picturesque streets, and sun yourself by a crystal blue, dreamy lake? Then you should base your vacation around Call Me By Your Name.
The movie was filmed around Crema, Italy in Lombardy, and so much of the local scenery was featured in the film that it will feel like you stepped through the screen as you wander around the region. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, it’s a pretty stunning vacation spot.
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Fairhope, United States — Get Out
While Get Out is set in upstate New York, most of the filming was done in Fairhope, Alabama. So if you’re in love with the thick trees, lush green grass, and cozy atmosphere of the film (minus all of the, you know, kidnap and murder stuff), you’ll have to head home to where the skies are so blue.
The town has all of that old southern charm — sprawling gothic mansions, quaint storefronts, and a waterfront that will make you ache to get on a boat.
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Toronto, Canada — The Shape of Water
Toronto is a fantastic city and a lovely “stand in” for a historic Baltimore in The Shape of Water. Even though it’s a very modern place, it retains much of the charm of yesteryear. Making it the perfect place to imagine you’re back in the 60’s.
You can see Massey Hall which was the exterior of Elisa’s apartment, tour the lovely Elgin Theater which served at the downstairs movie theater’s interior, and go down to the water to make love to whatever may live within its depths. Love is complicated, you know? And so is vacation.
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Malo-Les-Bains, France — Dunkirk
Look, we don’t think you should necessarily enjoy living out the events of Dunkirk. It’s a movie about the largest evacuation effort in history during WWII. This is not fun like “sea creature sex.” However, it is located in a cool place to visit where French row houses line up neatly along a beach.
And for the history buff (especially if you’re super into WWII), this is an important spot where you can fit in reverent learning with some time on the beach. The miracle at Dunkirk is truly a fascinating story and the museums in the area will keep you busy for hours.
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Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia — Star Wars: The Last Jedi
This is genuinely a trip of a lifetime. The surreal salt flats immortalized in The Last Jedi feel like you’ve stepped into a Magritte painting. People look like they’re hovering in the sky, land and clouds are indistinguishable from one another, and it completely messes with your perspective.
Plus, Bolivia is one of the most underrated countries in South America. With its volcanos, gorgeous lakes, rain forest, amazing food, history (it’s the birthplace of the Incas!), and affordability, Bolivia should be at the top of your travel list.
Glen Affric, Scotland — Victoria and Abdul
Feel like actual royalty by traversing Glen Affric in Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands. The variety and beauty of this area of the Highlands is insane. And while you’re there, you might as well head to a few whisky distilleries.
You’ve made it all the way to the Highlands, right? You deserve a drink while you think (and feel bad) about colonialism.
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Guanajuato, Mexico — Coco
Animated or not, Coco truly works to represent the beauty of the streets of Mexico in a way, rarely seen on screen. Hilly Guanajuato feels like a more colorful Santorini, it’s just so charming and lovely. It’s been said that Coco is a love letter to Mexico and Mexican culture, and visiting Guanajuato will certainly deepen that feeling.
The Pixar creators spent nearly two years traveling around to capture a true sense of the places they immortalized on screen. Visiting this amazing place, after seeing the film, will feel like a visit with all your fictional movie friends. And truly, the Day of the Dead celebrations here are not to be missed.
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Kissimmee, United States — The Florida Project
At the end of the day, there’s nothing wrong with going to Disney World. Especially if you can spring for one of those massive turkey legs.
This movie that shows the ability of children to see beauty in the most unlikely places will have you viewing every aspect of the park and the world around you with new eyes.
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