Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world? How would you get there… planes, trains, automobiles, boats, motorcycles, bicycles, buses, or the power of our own two feet? Most of us have been asked these questions at some point in our lives.

It’s a fun scenario that congers up images of dream vacations and things checked off our bucket lists. If you’re like me, any time I hear planes trains, and automobiles in the same sentence, I think of John Candy and Steve Martin. It’s a movie I watch at least once a year.

Why do we choose a certain destination or travel method? What happens when our destination isn’t our choice? Do we rebel, pout, and make everyone around us miserable, or do we embrace a new challenge?

In the spirit of the traveler inside all of us, we’ve selected a combination of ten television shows or films about traveling to a new destination. Some of these films  or shows have been featured in previous issues. Which movies/TV shows top your list?

Streaming information is subject to change at any time. Enjoy!

Northern Exposure – I selected this television show about a young doctor, Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) who graduates from medical school in New York with a mountain of student loan debt. Thinking he’ll end up working at a nice hospital in Anchorage, Joel agrees to serve as a doctor for four years in Alaska in exchange for the state paying off his debt. Thanks to Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin), a retired NASA astronaut turned entrepreneur, Joel ends up in a quirky small town called Cicely taking care of an oddball assortment of townsfolk and Indigenous people. He misses the fast pace of New York and the life he expected to have, but the charm of Cicely and its inhabitants starts to grow on him. It’s a wonderful ensemble cast, and so much fun to watch you can forgive a few clinker episodes in season 6. Available to stream with a subscription to Amazon Prime Video or for a fee on YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple Tv , or Fandango at Home.

800 Words – Erik Thomson, a Scottish born, New Zealand - Australian actor (Packed to the Rafters, The Alice, Aftertaste) stars as George Turner a newspaper columnist and recent widower. After his wife is killed in a hit and run accident he witnesses, Turner’s grief is so deep, he can’t remain in Sydney. He buys a home, sight unseen, in the fictional town of Weld, New Zealand where he vacationed as a child with his parents. Turner moves there with his two teenage children, Shay (Melina Vidler) and Arlo (Benson Jack Anthony). The vacation rental, he remembers so fondly, is actually up the road from the rundown beach house he purchases. It’s a humorous and often touching story about a family healing from a tragedy, starting over, and making new memories. Available to stream for free on Tubi or Peacock, or with a premium subscription to YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, 0r Sling TV.

Roman Holiday –  Anne (Audrey Hepburn) is a princess touring Europe. When her schedule becomes too hectic and the demands of her position overwhelm her, Anne sneaks away for a few hours in Rome. When a sedative she takes from her royal physician kicks in, Anne falls asleep on a park bench. Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) an American reporter finds Anne and takes her back to his apartment fearing for her safety. When Joe discovers her identity the next morning he bets his editor he can get an exclusive with the illusive princess. Joe has every intention of betraying her trust, but he falls in love instead. Hepburn won an Academy Award for her performance. Available to stream for a fee on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.

Easy Rider – This film stars Dennis Hopper (Billy), Peter Fonda (Wyatt), Jack Nicholson (George Hanson), and Karen Black (Karen). After Billy and Wyatt , two bikers, complete a drug deal in Los Angeles, they decide to take a cross-country trip to New Orleans to discover “spiritual truth” and the “real America.” They experience hatred and bigotry in many small towns because they look like hippies. In New Orleans they party unaware of the dangers ahead. No spoilers here. If you haven’t seen the ending, trust me it’s powerful and unexpected. Fonda and Hopper wrote the script with Terry Southern. Fonda acted as producer and Hopper directed the film. Available to stream with a subscription to Amazon Prime Video or a premium subscription to Sling TV. Also available for a fee on YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple Tv, or Fandango at Home.

The Motorcycle Diaries – A life changing trip. Two friends in Buenos Aires, Alberto, a biochemist approaching 30 (Rodrigo de la Serna) and Ernesto “Che” Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal) a medical student about to graduate set out on their motorcycles on an adventure to see the real Latin America. Along the way, their eyes are opened to the oppression, poverty, suffering of the people caused by big business and foreign interests. Guevara is so moved by their suffering that he decides to challenge the endemic economic inequalities facing Latin America. Available to stream for a fee on YouTube, Google Paly Movies & TV, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, or Amazon Prime Video.

Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts) chronicles the collapse and reinvention of her life after a painful divorce. Her journey, both physical and spiritual, takes her to Italy, India, and Bali. Along the way she meets some incredible people including Felipe (Javier Bardem). Available to stream with a subscription to Netflix, or for a fee on YouTube, Google Paly Movies & TV, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.

The Way – Tom (Martin Sheen), a grieving father travels to Frane to retrieve the body of his estranged son, Daniel (Emilio Estevez) who died while on the pilgrimage to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela. Tom decides to make the pilgrimage to try to better understand their relationship. Estevez directs his father in this film. The cinematography is incredible, and Sheen’s performance is flawless. Available to stream. Available to stream for a fee on Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Apple TV.

Into the Wild – This is a controversial pick. Based on the true story of the life and death of Christopher McCandless (Emille Hirsch), the book and film drew criticism from many Alaskans and wilderness survival experts who felt it glamourized McCandless’ death which could have been avoided if he had taken proper precautions before setting out on a solo hiking trip. After McCandless, a recent high honors graduate of Emory University, discovers his father has another family and he and his sister are illegitimate, he severs all ties with his parents, donates all his money to Oxfam, and sets out on a cross-country trip in his Datsun 210 to experience life in the wilderness. McCandless renames himself Alexander Supertramp, works when he needs money, squats in abandoned buildings, hitchhikes after his car is lost in a flash flood, kayaks, hops freight trains, and eventually decides he is ready to face the Alaskan frontier. He’s not. It’s hard not to like McCandless and sympathize with his reaction to a life of deception. He’s kind and vulnerable, but the rigid moral compass he judges his parents by bends whenever his own wants or needs arise. He was an intelligent young man who should have been aware of his own limitations. Available to stream for free on Pluto TV, or for a fee on Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Apple TV.

Wild – Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) is a writer who recounts her true life 1,100-mile trek on the Pacific Coast Crest Trail after the death of her mother. Strayed braves the elements in search of clarity and resolution about her relationship with her mom and her life-choices. Available to stream for a fee on Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Apple TV.

Encounters at the End of the World – Filmmaker Werner Herzog travels to McMurdo Station in Antarctica to film the rarely seen harsh, but beautiful wildness of the far North, investigate the creatures capable of survival in such an inhospitable climate, and the people who choose to work and live there. Available for streaming by renting or purchasing the film on Amazon or Google Play.