Fifty-three percent of travelers say their appetite for movie-inspired trips grew over the past year. Expedia’s Unpack '26 report, released in October 2025, found that figure, setting the commercial backdrop for a new book hitting shelves this week.
Cathy Whitlock’s "On Location: Cinematic Journeys to the World's Most Iconic Film Locales" came out Oct. 6. The 256-page book pairs behind-the-scenes film history with practical travel guidance and includes more than 200 photographs. Whitlock, a journalist and former movie publicist, traces her love of cinema and travel to 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.
A Market Built on Demand
No one ordered this industry into existence. Expedia identified the set-jetting trend in 2022, four years ago, and consumer demand has done the rest. In the Unpack '26 report, 81% of Millennial and Gen Z travelers said they planned trips inspired by what they'd watched. Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Thailand have drawn fans of "Game of Thrones" and "The White Lotus."
Melanie Fish, Vice President of Global Public Relations at Expedia Group, said set-jetting "has evolved from a niche curiosity into a mainstream way people discover destinations." Streaming, she explained, gives travelers more time with stories and characters they love. They bring that connection into the real world through social conversation, fan communities and trip planning. "Set-Jetting also gives people a ready-made emotional reason to travel," Fish said. "They aren't just visiting a place; they're stepping into a story that already means something to them."
What the Book Covers
Whitlock’s selections stretch across decades. She recounts the production of "Roman Holiday," the 1953 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, including crowds of onlookers and narrow alleys. The crew kept a prank in which Peck pretends to lose his hand to a decorative facial mask at the Mouth of Truth.
The book also takes readers to London locations linked to "Notting Hill," the 1999 film with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Stops include Westbourne Grove, Portobello Road Market and the bookstore that inspired the one in the movie. Whitlock describes how Sofia Coppola and her production and costume designers built the look of "Marie Antoinette," the 2006 film starring Kirsten Dunst. Travelers can visit Versailles and stay at the Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle hotel. Other titles include "Under the Tuscan Sun," "Crazy Rich Asians," "Bridgerton," "Frida" and "When Harry Met Sally..."
Advice for the Consumer
Fish offered practical guidance. Pick the parts of a film or show you want to recreate. Check whether a scene was filmed at a destination or merely set there. "I'd also recommend looking beyond the famous backdrop and building in time to experience the wider destination, support local businesses and discover what makes the place special in its own right," she said.
Book well ahead if a project’s release or the disclosure of a filming location draws attention. Research operating hours and reservation requirements for the sites you want to visit.
Whitlock put her hopes in personal terms. "I just hope it'll make people appreciate traveling more and kind of enlarging their space." In the book, she writes that it is "not only a history of film locations but a love letter to the way cinema and television make us feel – and to the real places that keep those feelings alive."
Why This Matters:
Set-jetting shows what happens when consumer preference, not a government program or tourism mandate, steers where money flows. A streaming hit can send visitors to a Croatian port city or a Thai resort without a single ministry planning it. Local businesses get real revenue from real choices. Fish’s advice to support local businesses and look beyond the famous backdrop suggests how benefits can reach beyond the film site itself. There's a caution, too: demand tied to a screen release can spike fast, and travelers who book early and verify details protect their own money. The trend rewards informed individual decisions and the private companies, from publishers to hotels to travel platforms, that respond to them.