And the nominees for countries we most want to travel to after being featured in a film are …
The 98th Academy Awards will broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 16 March 2026. And while the world will be glued to everything from red carpet arrivals to who won what, the 2026 Oscars are making us reflect on all the great travel movies of all time. The scene-stealing movies that have won or been nominated for Oscars (or Golden Raspberries) over the years all have at least one thing in common: they are films that inspire wanderlust. From Castaway to Lost in Translation, to the 2025 Best Animated Feature Film, Flow, here are some of the top films to inspire your next holiday destination.
Flow, 2024
If Flow were to arrive on the red carpet in the signature colours from the movie, it would be all crayon-greens and dragon-green seas. The stunning movie made waves when it took out the 2025 Best Animated Film for its wordless cat parable about climate change. But the shifting landscapes featured in the animated film will also put Latvia in the spotlight as a destination worth exploring. Expect a star turn from Gauga National Park and its soaring sandstone cliffs, stunning forests and historical landmarks.
Dune: Part Two, 2024
Dune: Part Two won the Oscar for Best Sound in 2025. (Image: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)
Dune: Part Two has enough holiday hotspots to inspire a golden gap year. The moonscapes of Wadi Rum, in Jordan, the Old Town in Budapest, the desert sands around Abu Dhabi and a cemetery outside Asolo, in Italy, all deserve nominations for Best Stunt Double in the sequel to the first instalment of the Denis Villeneuve film released in 2021. Dune: Part Two won the Oscar for Best Sound in 2025. The destination-based movie is set to inspire travellers to explore the Oscar-winning film’s locations.
New York shines as bright as the monochromatic buttery-yellow Givenchy suit worn by star Timothée Chalamet at the 2025 Oscars. While not all of the scenes for the Bob Dylan biopic were shot in New York City, we expect a surge of visitors will now be booking a night at room 211 at The Chelsea Hotel, where the troubadour lived between 1961 and 1964. Set-jetters can also follow in the footsteps of the bohemian folk singer (played by Chalamet) around Hoboken, which the set designers converted into a mini Manhattan. Chalamet was nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role category.
The Brutalist, 2024
Brutalist architecture takes centre stage in this period drama. (Image: Universal Pictures)
The structure of Adrian Brody’s cheekbones is as compelling as the film sequences shot in VistaVision for The Brutalist. The film took out the statuette for Best Cinematography at the 2025 Oscars, giving architecture boffins a hit list of Brutalist buildings to admire in New York City. Although most of the scenes are set in the US, there are cameos by Venice and Carrara in Italy as well as Budapest and Tóalmás, Hungary. Brody also won Best Actor for the film about a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor who immigrated to the US.
Barbie, 2023
Stuff your packing cells with Day-Glo hot-pink accessories and take off to Los Angeles. It’s a fact that the city that has doubled as a film set since forever can do with some love after the devastating bushfires. While much of Barbie was filmed at a studio in Hertfordshire, southeast England, the Greta Gerwig movie also presents a sun-drenched postcard from LA. Go rollerblading along its iconic Ocean Front Walk in Venice Beach and visit the 2000 Avenue of the Stars in Century City, where Ken has the revelation that the real world is patriarchal. Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 96th Academy Awards.
No Time to Die, 2021
The sepia-toned city of Matera has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. But it wasn’t until Daniel Craig’s last hurrah as Agent 007 in the film No Time to Die that Matera became a ping on the radar as a lesser-known place to travel to in Italy. The underground city was carved into the limestone hills in Basilicata, and we’re all for wandering around the steep cobblestone streets and subterranean architecture, ticking off each location that made a cameo in the film. Can’t afford the airfare? Pass the popcorn. The town named the European Capital of Culture in 2019 should win Best Supporting Role for featuring Puglia so prominently. The film won Best Original Song in 2022.
Lord of the Rings, 2001-2003
No visit to New Zealand is complete without a tour of the awe-inspiring Hobbiton. (Image: Andres Iga/Unsplash)
Fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy identified New Zealand as a dream destination after TheHobbit trilogy was filmed by James Cameron was released. Hobbiton has become somewhat of a theme park for the blockbuster series and has led to a huge spike in tourism to the lush rolling hills around the town of Matamata near Rotorua. It’s as close as Man and Men can get to Middle-earth, and set tours here are still a thing, some two decades after the last film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, was released. The trilogy won 178 Academy Awards and was akin to a love letter to New Zealand.
Weekly travel news, experiences insider tips, offers, and more.
Lost in Translation, 2003
The film Lost in Translation was influenced by director Sofia Coppola’s experiences in Japan in the 1990s. More than two decades later, the atmospheric and dimly lit lobby of the Park Hyatt Tokyo attracts film buffs drawn to making sense of that feeling of being a foreigner in this neon-lit megacity. While the film is essentially a film about jetlag, it’s also about searching for meaning in a world in which you don’t necessarily feel you belong. Sophia Coppola won an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay at the 2004 Oscars.
The Beach, 2000
There’s been a surge in visitor interest in Thailand since Season 3 of TheWhite Lotus dropped. But the backpacker thriller, The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a young American tourist travelling through Thailand, also made Maya Bay and Koh Phi Phi such popular destinations for backpackers in tie-dyed tees that visitor numbers were capped to try and mitigate damage to the environment. The film was not nominated for an Oscar. But DiCaprio did win the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor. Our suggestion: pick up a copy of the cult novel and head to one of Australia’s secret beaches instead.
Cast Away, 2000
Rewind to the year 2000, when Tom Hanks was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work on Cast Away. His straggly beard almost stole the show and could have won an Oscar for Best Supporting Role. But we’re not in pursuit of the hirsute here. We’re about packing our bags and heading to the remote islands of Fiji to try and channel some of those barefoot castaway vibes (minus the starvation and Survivor vibes) on Castaway Island. BYO volleyball. It’s just one of the many Fijian resorts Aussies need to know about.
Want to see more stories from International Traveller in your Google search results?
From sophisticated new sleeper trains and opulent hotel openings to the exploration of new frontiers, we’re now finding ourselves in our own gilded era of travel. These 21st-century travel experiences are leading the way.
If we were to turn back the clock 100 years, there was a real romance to travel – the dawning of a glamour-filled jet age, refined rail sojourns and first-class cruising where the voyage itself trounced the destination.
We’re feeling a similar excitement in the air about travel in 2026. Think state-of-the-art cruise liners allowing access to destinations formerly off-limits, resort launches where avant-garde architecture takes centre stage, and a return to the days of luxury locomotives. This reoccurrence of the advances, adventure and elegance of a bygone era has not only come full circle; it’s now superior.
How? Travel has become more mindful, intentional and accessible. This includes environmental initiatives by operators determined to leave less impact on the planet and a shift towards a deeper cultural exchange with the local communities we visit. Whether it’s exploring previously hard-to-reach cities such as Uzbekistan’s Khiva, staying with a family to experience village life in Nepal or discovering new frontiers in Antarctica, our round-up of ‘new golden age’ travel experiences is a snapshot of how we are travelling today, as well as into promising new horizons.
Exploring the emerging city of Khiva
The walled inner city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. (Credit: Getty/Mlenny Khiva)
Uzbekistan’s Silk Road city of Khiva used to be off the radar for many travellers, but 2026 has changed all that. You can thank a new bullet train service connecting Khiva to Bukhara and Samarkand, slashing the trip from the capital of Tashkent from 15 hours to under eight. Add renovations to Urgench International Airport, and interest in this fascinating city is rapidly on the rise.
Check out Khiva’s preserved inner-walled fortress, the first UNESCO site in Uzbekistan, explore ancient minarets and ornate mausoleums, and try traditional fare at Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant. Looking for fancy digs? The Mercure Khiva is due to swing open its doors later in 2026.
Riding the rails on the Eastern & Oriental Express
Onboard the train, rich fabrics are complemented by elm, cherrywood and teak marquetry. (Credit: Ludovic Balay)
The resurgence of train travel reflects how we are travelling today – slower and with a new appreciation for both scenery and cultural exchange. Include a large dollop of old-world glamour, and the three-night Wild Malaysia tour truly delivers. Winding its way deep into the Malay jungle, the journey makes plenty of pit stops for exploration along the way.
Having been resurrected from a 1970s sleeper, the luxury locomotive now comes replete with plush interiors of hand-cut marquetry dressed in oriental silks and embroidery – there’s even a Dior Spa. Watch the world go by from the Observation Car, indulge in fine wining and dining, kick up your heels in the Piano Bar, then snooze it all off in your sumptuous sleeper car.
Embracing Mother Nature in Peru
Befriend local llamas in Peru.
Travelling to Peru is like stepping into a kaleidoscope of contrasting cultures and landscapes. Whether you’re learning about shamanic natural remedies in the pre-Inca Colca Valley, cruising the wilds of the Amazon on a luxury river ship or discovering firsthand why the contemporary capital of Lima is celebrated for its culinary and artistic scenes, there are myriad reasons why this colourful country is topping wish lists.
One such experience is the Ultimate Peru by River and Rail journey (five days) by Abercrombie & Kent, available in 2026. This incredible river cruise allows you to truly connect with the jungle rhythms of the Amazon via skiff and on foot with in-the-know local guides, and includes nights onboard newly launched luxury riverboat Pure Amazon, an A&K Sanctuary.
Spot exotic creatures such as sloths, macaws, piranhas, and pink dolphins on the daily excursions, before juxtaposing these wild encounters with a return to pure pampering on the boat.
Seeking sustainable community experiences in Nepal
Tharu woman and master weaver Parbati Chaudhary in Bhada Village. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)
While Nepal has traditionally attracted visitors to traverse its majestic mountains – Everest and Annapurna in particular – travel experiences in this beautiful Himalayan nation are expanding.
Home stays, where you reside with Nepali families and take an active part in their daily lives, are a growing attraction. It’s a win:win for local youths – who took their country back after bloody protests in 2025 – wanting to stay in Nepal rather than moving abroad for work, as well as foreigners seeking a deeper cultural experience. Nepali women, Indigenous people and marginalised castes are also benefitting from home stays, upping the feel-good factor even further.
Leading the charge is Community Home Stay Network, which links travellers to local-family hosts. Travel off-the-beaten path to homes in areas including Tharu in the south, learn how to cook Nepali style, and take part in traditions such as making moonshine, dancing and weaving straw handicrafts.
Exploring new frontiers in Antarctica
A breathtaking ice window captured at Wilhelmina Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula. (Credit: Renato Granieri)
Gone are the days when a trip to Antarctica meant a perilous voyage through the Drake Passage on a vessel holding the mere essentials. Innovative cruise ships now offer a smooth and sophisticated passage to the White Continent, as well as experiences formerly off-limits.
Abercrombie & Kent’s 19-day Antarctica, South Georgia and Falklands: Holiday Voyage captures it all. Spot breaching whales and gracefully gliding albatrosses from the deck, before stepping onto this Narnia-like landscape with daily Zodiac excursions. Observe adorable penguin and fur seal colonies, visit Antarctic communities that were previously too remote, and get so close to colossal icebergs that you’ll feel humbled by their scale.
Silversea‘s Antarctica Fly Cruise voyages will soon include a stay at The Cormorant at 55 South, the southernmost hotel on Earth purpose-built to bring uncompromised comfort to guests travelling to Antarctica.
When it comes to protecting this fragile eco-system, the future is also looking bright: HX Expeditions has partnered with the University of Tasmania to create a world-first educational course allowing cruise guests to dive into Antarctic science and sustainability, while A&K pours funds into conservation efforts and uses energy-efficient hybrid ships – all in trademark luxury, of course.
Indulging in New Zealand’s exceptional dining
The Ayrburn precinct serves up delicate dishes.
By welcoming the Michelin Guide to sample Aotearoa/New Zealand’s finest gastronomy for the first time, our cousins across the ditch have now become serious players on the world culinary scene.
And there’s never been a better time to experience NZ’s greatest gastronomy with the inaugural guide currently going to press. Sample haute cuisine in Queenstown with a side serving of theatrics by culinary director Paul Froggatt at Essence in the new ROKI Collection hotel, and pull up a chair at Amisfield for its delicious degustation experience under new chef Sung Peng, with the world-renowned restaurant slated to reopen in July.
And it’s not just Queenstown holding all the culinary cards. The Michelin inspectors travelled to rate the best epicurean artistry in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Te Whanganui a Tara/Wellington and Ōtautahi/Christchurch against the world’s most renowned restaurateurs (bring loose pants).
Bedding down at design-led hotels and farm stays
A woodfired sauna deepens the meditative state at Azuma Farm Koiwai. (Credit: Azuma Farm Koiwai)
New grand dames on the global hotel stage are receiving a standing ovation for their triumphant 2026 openings.
Return to old-world elegance at the Orient Express Venezia, a reimagined former 15th-century royal residence set in Venice’s Palazzo Dona Giovannellii. It certainly makes for a regal stay, with grand Neo-Gothic windows and restored Baroque splendour blending seamlessly with modern luxury flourishes. Also bringing the fantasy factor is France’s Zannier Île de Bendor on a petite private island off the Provençal coast. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea – and with three luxe, design-led accommodation concepts to choose from – this resort exudes golden-era glamour.
In a breath of fresh air, we’ve also seen an uptick in farm stays. Trade the urban rush for a rambling rural retreat at Sibbjäns, Sweden’s first boutique farm stay, or opt for horseback riding followed by woodfired saunas on the sprawling eight-hectare Azuma Farm Koiwai in Japan.
Cruising the Danube on a festive Eastern Euro adventure
The magical Pécs Christmas Market in Hungary. (Credit: Emily Murphy)
Dreaming of a white Christmas? While floating past snow-dusted, fairytale cities on a river ship in Eastern Europe makes for an amazing voyage, when you add the magic of Christmas the whole experience becomes, well, more magical.
From twinkling trees and tinsel to red-nosed reindeer and wreath decorations, the festivities greet you the moment you step aboard AmaMagna by AmaWaterways. The ship then spirits you away along the Lower Danube for a seven-night Gems of Southeast Europe adventure from Romania to Hungary.
Explore Bulgaria’s medieval city of Veliko Tarnovo, glide into the dramatic Iron Gates crossing into Serbia; and sip on fine wines at Croatia’s Kast Winery (one variety made famous by Queen Elizabeth II). The highlight? For many it’s wandering the shimmering Christmas markets in Hungary’s Pécs. Peruse stalls selling unique handicrafts, try the traditional treat of kürtőskalács (chimney cake), and warm your cockles with a cup of mulled wine.
Delving into the buzzing city of Beijing
Calm and chaos at Lama Temple in Beijing. (Credit: Natasha Bazika)
Walking the line between its imperial past and a frenetic, futuristic present – Beijing is an exciting city to dive into.
If you want to be centrally located, the palatial Peninsula Beijing is hard to beat. From here, strap in at street level for a stroll among the city’s famed hutongs (ancient alleyways), pausing to taste traditional delicacies such as jianbing (savoury breakfast crepe) and dumpling soup. Then scope out the narrow lanes dotted with siheyuan courtyard homes (there are only 1000 left), and if you love to shop, head to Taikoo Li Sanlitun for a mix of luxury brands and local labels.
And it wouldn’t be a well-rounded trip to this history-rich city without experiencing its highlights reel. Admire golden-topped architecture in the Forbidden City, take a hike on the Great Wall of China and pay a visit to Tiananmen Square for both remembrance and observation on how it operates today.
Embarking on a round-the-world cruise
Sitting pretty in a Queen Anne cabin.
Can’t decide where to go on a cruise? On a round-the-world voyage you can live out all your dreams at sea.
It’s not a new idea – the first world cruise occurred more than a century ago on Cunard’s RMS Laconia in 1922 – but a reimagining. If you don’t have a spare year up your sleeve, you can now join for specific legs of the journey (unlike the 1922 trip), and ships have been modernised with sustainability measures, contemporary designs and a less formal feel.
Queen Anne, also by Cunard, cruised the world in 2026 with guests joining at handpicked ports, including in Central America for the extraordinary experience of crossing the Panama Canal. If you want the full adventure by circumnavigating the globe, Queen Anne will set sail on another world voyage in 2028.
Discovering the joys of small-group travel in Spain
Sample organic wine and olive oil on a tasting tour in Molino El Vínculo in Grazalema with Intrepid Travel. (Credit: Intrepid Travel/Tim Luck)
Small-group touring is a travel trend currently soaring, with many embracing it as an authentic, intimate and insightful way to visit a country – with VIP benefits to boot.
The small-group format, typically capped at five to 15 guests, is now accounting for around 62 per cent of group travel worldwide. And operators such as Intrepid Travel, APT Luxury Travel and Janesco Travel are among the frontrunners in this space, handling all navigation and insider experiences within an intimate group led by expert guides.
Seeking a Spanish sojourn? Small-group journeys to the vibrant southern Andalusia region are now topping bucket lists. Be mesmerised by flamenco dancers from a professional dance school (rather than touristy versions), learn how to make authentic sangria with a private class, skip queues at the Real Alcázar of Seville royal palace, and score a seat at the best Andalusian restaurants, sans waitlist.
Learning from the past in Japan
The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum presents a sobering dive into the nuclear event. (Credit: Eleanor Edström)
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to experience a war-time atomic bomb, hopefully the closest any of us will ever get is a visit to Nagasaki.
While on a cruise excursion to the Japanese city aboard the Diamond Princess, you can visit the fascinating hypocentre of the Second World War bomb dropped to widespread annihilation in 1945. While there is no doubt this is heavy material to digest on a tour, it comes with a message of hope – that the horror of a nuclear war should never happen again.
There is also much more to this 11-day Japan Explorer Cherry Blossoms with Princess Cruises voyage. Witness the world’s most active volcano in Kagoshima, join a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto and marvel at Mt Fuji in Shimizu. Also don’t miss the onsen experiences onboard the ship or its many mouth-watering local culinary offerings. Next departure is March 2027.
Supporting a typhoon-ravaged community in Vietnam
Time to kick back at Zannier Bãi San Hô. (Credit: Amber Hunter)
When typhoon Typhoon Kalmaegi ripped through Vietnam’s south-central coast in November 2025, it left a devastating trail of destruction.
And Zannier Bãi San Hô, an expansive 98-hectare beachfront resort, took a direct hit. An incredible five-month clean-up and restoration has now seen the Green Globe-certified retreat reopen, thanks in large part to the local community who rallied to help rebuild it. The support goes both ways; the 180-strong resort staff is made up of 177 locals – their livelihoods dependent on it.
You can help by simply booking a stay here. It’s hardly a punish, when you consider the beauty and luxury of this place; picture private pool villas and powder-white beaches. Take to the sapphire waters for water sports, visit local fishing villages and sweat it out at the onsite fitness centre. Or, if relaxing’s more your jam, simply loll by the pool with a good book.
