Planning Your First Movie-Themed Vacation

If you are a huge movie geek, you might have thought about a movie-themed vacation. Or dreamed of visiting the settings of your favorite TV shows. You might have looked at trips to New Zealand, and pictured yourself wandering through the Shire. You may have looked at flights to London to see the Harry Potter Studio Tour, or to check out many of the other London sites that featured in the Harry Potter films. Some of us think of going to Orlando, to take in everything that the studios have to offer. Or, you might have looked at visiting the Scottish Highlands, where some of the best period dramas have been based. But, a movie-themed vacation takes some careful planning and consideration. The last thing that you want is to find that you’ve got it wrong and you’re staying nowhere near any of your favorite sets. So, here are some tips to help you plan your first movie-themed vacation. 

Choose Your Location

Some movies, like Lord of the Rings, have obvious locations. Other locations, like Rome, must have played home to movie productions at some point, even if you don’t know what they are. If you want to go on a movie-themed trip, choose your destination carefully and do some research. If your favorite film is a popular one, you might already know all about the locations, if it’s not, look at the movie credits, or on IMDB for filming information. Don’t just assume that a film was shot in the place it was set. This isn’t always the case. 

Take the Right Companion

When it comes to a movie-themed vacation, you don’t want to take the wrong companion. Take someone that isn’t interested, or hasn’t even seen the film, and they’ll quickly lose interest. If you want to share your experience, try to take a fellow fan or at least someone willing to throw themselves into the experience and geek out with you. 

Plan Your Days

On a movie-themed vacation, there might be plenty that you want to fit in. You might want to see studios, specific locations, and buildings, and they might not all be close together. Plan your days before you leave home, to make sure you can fit in as much as possible, and choose relatively central accommodation. 

Plan Travel

If you’re going to have to travel between stops, plan this too. Take some books, puzzles and look at a word unscrambler to keep you occupied on the route. Then look online to see if a travel pass would save you money. 

Book Tours Online

If your vacation is to a popular tourist attraction and the site of a well-known movie, there might be special tours and days out. Try to book these online in advance to help you plan, save money, and save time. 

Get in the Mood

When your vacation approaches, start getting in the mood. Watch the film, read books, look at trivia online, and shop for accessories. 

Get Some Behind the Scenes Info

Instead of just focusing on well-known sites, look online for behind the scenes info. You might be able to visit places that the cast and crew enjoyed during their time there.