Set jetting is taking off in 2023: Films & box sets that inspire wanderlust
If sultry smash hit White Lotus got you yearning for a glamourous Italian jaunt, you’re not alone. Season two of the hugely popular series was filmed along Sicily’s dreamy coastline and has no doubt seen bookings surge. ‘Set-jetting’ is taking off in 2023, with increasing numbers of travellers taking inspiration for their next holiday from their favourite TV shows and films. According to Expedia's 2023 travel trends report, a whopping 39 per cent have booked trips to destinations they've seen on screen. So if you’re after a dose of wanderlust from your next box set, here are five more swoon-worthy movie locations and how to get there…
The Juvet Landscape Hotel where Succession, Series 4 was filmed
Succession: Series 4
Location: Norway
How to visit: It’s no surprise that Norway has long been a film-maker’s favourite. With its pristine wilderness, dramatic scenery and rich culture, it has all the right ingredients for a show-stopping movie backdrop, and luxury travel curators, Up Norway, can curate a memorable journey for you to trace your favourite film locations. Critically acclaimed black comedy and family saga, Succession has taken screens by storm since it launched in 2018. Following the machinations of the Roy family dynasty as they tussle for power, the fourth season of the show airing on 27th March 2023 heads to Norway, with film locations including the jaw-dropping Atlantic Ocean Road (which also features in the Bond film ‘No Time to Die’), Romsdalen Gondola and the luxurious Juvet Landscape Hotel. A masterpiece of sleek, organic design, the Juvet Landscape Hotel is a perfect base for hiking and ski touring, with an outdoor hot tub and steam room for relaxing after a day’s exertions. Up Norway’s ‘Bergen, Alesund & Beyond – Heritage Awakened’ tour includes a stay at Juvet Landscape Hotel. For more details visit: https://upnorway.com/journeys/bergen-alesund-and-beyond.
Exploring the coral at Alphonse
Avatar: The Way of Water
Location: The fictional planet of Pandora
How to visit: Sadly you’ll struggle to book a trip to the translucent CGI seas of Pandora, with their mesmerising but made-up aquatic life. The good news is that there are plenty of dazzling locations on Earth where you can dive among marine creatures so extraordinary they could easily belong on another planet. Reefscape Travel is run by two highly experienced and passionate dive masters (one is a marine biologist) who can bring your Avatar dreams to life. Organising bespoke trips to some of the most spectacular underwater destinations, they recommend the Southern Maldives for mind-boggling megafauna such as oceanic mantas, mola mola, turtles and sharks galore. Or for fans of the weird and wonderful, Dumaguete in the Philippines boasts some of the best muck diving on earth – from blue ring octopuses to neon-hued nudibranchs.
Aerial View of Cynefin Retreats
Sex Education
Location: Herefordshire, UK
How to visit: Much of this hit comedy-drama was filmed in the rolling hills and sun-dappled forests of Herefordshire. Look out for scenes shot at Otis and Jean’s distinctive Scandi-style red and white house next to the winding River Wye at Symonds Yat, and the beautiful Forest of Dean which features during a disastrous camping trip. Base yourself at Cynefin Retreats , a cluster of rustic-luxe lodges & eco pods with all the creature comforts, plus an added dash of cool. Otis and Eric would definitely approve of the sleek décor and open-air hot tubs.
Castara Retreats, Tobago by Alex Treadway
Swiss Family Robinson
Location: Tobago, Caribbean
How to visit: An oldie but a goodie, this classic Disney film was shot entirely on the lush Caribbean island of Tobago. Based on a German book from 1812 about a shipwrecked family who learn to survive on a wild, uninhabited tropical island, it captured the imaginations of children everywhere with its amazing, multi-level thatched treehouse (which was built from scratch just for the film). Dreamy Castara Retreats perfectly captures the castaway vibe of the movie. A cluster of 17 treehouse-style cottages dotted across a lush hillside on Tobago’s sleepy west coast, it overlooks a half-moon bay of golden sand. With a rustic, back-to-nature aesthetic, it’s nevertheless far more luxurious than anything the Robinson family would have dreamed of, with four-poster beds draped in gauzy mosquito netting, wraparound decks with sea views and a breezy, open-sided yoga studio.
The village of Gruissan, a short cycle from Capitoul
Betty Blue
Location: Languedoc, France
How to visit: This 1986 French psychological thriller about a tempestuous love affair is set in Southern France, with scenes shot at the pretty coastal village of Gruissan, with its eye-catching stilted beach cabins. Check in to nearby Château Capitoul , a glorious collaboration of top-class vineyards and luxury accommodation which is an easy cycle ride away from Gruissan. Elegant but unstuffy, the 8 bedroom hotel & villa estate is the epitome of French charm, with a fairytale neo-gothic tower, supremely stylish self-catering villas, sleek infinity pool, two superb restaurants, a working winery and pampering spa set within beautiful Mediterranean gardens.
The inviting pool at Jakes in Jamaica
The Harder They Come
Location: Jamaica
How to visit: Perry Henzell’s iconic 1972 film concerns an aspiring Jamaican reggae singer, who moves to Kingston to try and make it in the music business but becomes an outlaw and anti-hero. Largely accredited with introducing reggae to a global audience, it’s now being turned into a musical, with the stage production of the film scheduled to open in New York in March 2023. Inspired to see where it all began? Head to the home of reggae and book yourself a stay at Jakes, an off-beat but super-hip hideaway which oozes island charm and Jamaican cool .