Expedia’s report found that 53% of travelers said their desire to visit places seen on screen had increased in the previous year, while 81% of Millennial and Gen Z travelers said they planned trips inspired by what they watched. Now, that appetite has a travel-trend label: Expedia promotes destinations, and a new book gives fans a guide to following stories into the real world.
Cathy Whitlock’s book, “On Location: Cinematic Journeys to the World’s Most Iconic Film Locales,” came out Oct. 6. It pairs film and television history with advice for visiting filming locations. The sales pitch is simple: a place familiar from the screen can give someone a reason to book a trip.
Turning stories into destinations
Expedia identified set-jetting in 2022. Melanie Fish, Vice President of Global Public Relations at Expedia Group, said the trend “has evolved from a niche curiosity into a mainstream way people discover destinations.” That’s the company’s account of a business opportunity: turn viewers’ attachments to stories into travel plans.
In an email, Fish said streaming lets travelers spend more time with characters they love, then carry that connection into the real world through “social conversation, fan communities and trip planning.” She added that set-jetting gives people “a ready-made emotional reason to travel.” Feeling becomes a sales route here, even though the places themselves have histories and lives beyond their roles as backdrops.
The article names Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Thailand as destinations that have drawn fans of “Game of Thrones” and “The White Lotus.” Whitlock’s book also leads readers to places tied to “Roman Holiday,” “Notting Hill” and “Marie Antoinette,” among other productions. It includes more than 200 photographs across 256 pages.
The places behind the scenes
Whitlock, a journalist and former movie publicist, said her interest in cinema and travel grew from watching movies at a local theater in her hometown of Nashville. “Locations are all about the character of a place, and I think when we go to movies, we get kind of emotionally attached to the settings – at least I do, anyway,” she told USA TODAY.
Her account of “Roman Holiday,” the 1953 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, describes crowds of onlookers and narrow alleys during production. She also recounts how the crew kept a prank in which Peck pretends to lose his hand to a decorative facial mask at the Mouth of Truth.
For “Notting Hill,” the guide covers Westbourne Grove, Portobello Road Market and the bookstore that inspired the one in the 1999 movie. Whitlock also explains how Sofia Coppola and her production and costume designers shaped the look of “Marie Antoinette,” and how travelers can visit Versailles and stay at the Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle hotel.
Fish advises travelers to look beyond famous backdrops, experience the wider destination and “support local businesses.” She also recommends checking whether a scene was filmed at a destination or only set there. Book ahead when a release or filming-location disclosure draws attention, she says, and research hours and reservation requirements.
Whitlock calls the book “a love letter” to cinema and the real places that keep its feelings alive. She said she hopes it will make people “appreciate traveling more and kind of enlarging their space.” The article doesn’t describe local residents’ views or any self-organized community response; its practical advice focuses on travelers, businesses and places made newly legible through entertainment. It also says the USA Today Network may earn a commission from purchases through its links, and that prices were accurate at publication but may change.