Look: I’m not one to brag, but sometimes a girl just has to talk about how awesomely her life is going. No shame in that, right? That being said, my life is pretty sweet at the moment. Why? Well, I have this fantastic job here at College Fashion, I’m going to start college in the fall, and oh yeah…this week I will be leaving for Europe!
As super excited, slightly nervous, and all-around thrilled I am to be seeing the Old Continent for the first time, I am already thinking about other trips I want to take in the future. What? I like to plan ahead!
Still, though, I know that no matter how fun, relaxing, and/or flat-out amazing my travels will be, no trip will ever top the outrageous, over-the-top, and/or downright impossible vacays shown in movies or on TV. I mean, getting mistaken for a British heiress? Flying a house to South America? Fighting dinosaurs with Chris Pratt? Why does Hollywood keep insisting on giving me #travelgoals that I can never accomplish?
Oh well, it’s still fun to pretend. So, without further ado, here are my top 5 fictional vacations from movies!
5. Jurassic World, Isla Nublar
From: Jurassic World
As cool as it would be to go to a theme park with actual, living, breathing dinosaurs on display– can you imagine taking a selfie with one of the raptors behind you?!- there would also be some not-so-cool elements to it. Namely, that the dinos have a pesky habit of escaping their cages and terrorizing visitors. Um, yikes.
But hey, at least you get to see the adorable Chris Pratt be even more adorable with animals! And if worse comes to worse and the park gets shut down once again, you can always hit the beach. I’m sure the shores of Isla Nublar are just lovely.
4. Los Angeles, California or Surrey, England
From: The Holiday
In this classic Christmas chick flick (or Chris-flick, if you will) Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet decide to do an impromptu house-swap, which leads the two of them to have two very different getaways. One of which, I believe, is immensely better than the other.
Sure, Kate Winslet gets a huge Hollywood mansion complete with a pool and the biggest collection of DVDs I’ve ever seen, but does she just keep to herself and indulge in this posh palace like a normal person? Nope! She hangs out with an old guy and falls in love with Jack Black, of all people. Cool, but personally not my ideal trip.
Across the pond, however, Cameron Diaz gets to spend her holiday in a quaint, quiet, cute-as-a-button English cottage- not as swanky, I’ll admit, but so, so charming. As for her love interest? It’s Jude Law, and he has two sweet, cute little daughters. Now that’s more like it.
3. Monte Carlo, Monaco
From: Monte Carlo
I know that no matter what happens, my European vacation is going to be fun, exciting, and memorable…but I’d also really appreciate it if my life could go ahead and turn into this movie while I’m abroad. After all, going to Paris in itself is good enough, but going to Paris and being mistaken for an heiress, then shipped off with said heiress’s luggage to Monte Carlo for the most chic makeover since Cinderella herself? That’s even better.
Plus, the eye candy in this flick is beyond plentiful. We’re talking hot European guys, Australian backpackers, even princes. Princes, people. As for the clothes?
Goodbye, I’m dead.
2. Kellerman’s Resort, The Catskills
From: Dirty Dancing
Notice how I didn’t even bother to include a photo of this location, unlike the others on this list, and you know well enough why: because you’re not going to Kellerman’s for Kellerman’s. No one goes to Kellerman’s for Kellerman’s. It seems like a perfectly nice resort, but no one familiar with Dirty Dancing, which I hope at this point would be everyone, would go just for the resort.
Nope, you would go to have the time of your life, by which I mean, get dance lessons from a hunky resort employee and then stick it to your over-protective dad by showing off you and your hunk’s moves in front of everyone. That’s why you’d go to Kellerman’s: to have the romance of a lifetime.
1. Paradise Falls, South America
From: Up
Okay, sure, Paradise Falls may not have great WiFi reception or fancy boutique hotels, and is probably about as far from civilization as you can get, but that’s not what matters here, because Paradise Falls has what other vacation locales don’t have: meaning.
At least, it had meaning to Carl and Ellie, the latter of whom sadly passed before she could ever make it to her dream destination. That’s why Carl, her husband, is so determined to make it there himself, and once there, he discovers a whole lot more than the fact that South America is like America, but south. He finds out a lot about life as well as himself, and that, I believe, is something you can only do on the best vacations.
What do you think?
How right was I? Do you agree with my ranking of these 5 iconic cinematic vacations, and do you have any favorites of your own that I should’ve added? What about vacations from books or TV? Let me know in the comments below!
Until then, I’m Europe-bound! Adios, au revoir, and ciao for now!
