Watch these for Wanderlust!

Is running related to travel? Not inherently, but they both instill similar emotions.  The need to overcome obstacles, to do something that feels like a new experience to you, and to get out and see things you never thought possible.  Its your trip, your race, your adventure.  You may feel like if you just do one more big race, or travel to one more destination, you will feel complete; but often upon returning you are even hungrier for more.

"Wanderlust" has been kind of a buzzword lately, and essentially just means that you have a strong desire to travel.  I think running addicts have something similar.

The following 10 unordered movies are tops on my list in terms of giving me that urge to go out and explore.

Lost in Translation

A lonely, aging movie star named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a conflicted newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), meet in Tokyo. Bob is there to film a Japanese whiskey commercial; Charlotte is accompanying her celebrity-photographer husband. Strangers in a foreign land, the two form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in a hotel bar.

7 Years in Tibet

The true story of Heinrich Harrer (played by Brad Pitt), an egocentric Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai Lama at the time of China's takeover of Tibet.  After a failed mountain climbing attempt and a brief stint in a British Indian POW camp, he gradually learns selflessness from the young Dalai Lama.

Into the Wild

After graduating from Emory University, northern Virginia native Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

The Motorcycle Diaries

On a break before his last semester of medical school, Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Gael García Bernal) travels with his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) from Brazil to Peru by motorcycle. The two men soon witness the great disparities in South America, encountering poor peasants and observing the exploitation of labor by wealthy industrialists.

Y Tu Mamá También

The lives of Julio and Tenoch, like those of 17-year old boys everywhere, are ruled by raging hormones, intense friendships, and a headlong rush into adulthood. Over the course of a summer, the two best friends, while living out a carefree cross-country escapade with a gorgeous older woman, also find connection with each other, themselves and the world around them.

Up in the Air

With a job traveling around the country firing people, Ryan Bingham enjoys his life living out of a suitcase, but finds that lifestyle threatened by the presence of a new hire and a potential love interest.  He soon begins to realize that a transient lifestyle may not be as rewarding as it had once appeared.

In Bruges

After a difficult job in London, a 2 person hit-man team is ordered by their boss Harry to cool their heels in Bruges, Belgium. Very much out of their comfort zones, the men find themselves drawn into increasingly dangerous entanglements.  Soon their perspectives on life and death are violently skewed in this dark comedy.

Wild

Based on the 2012 memoir by American author Cheryl Strayed, describing her 1,100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995 as a journey of self-discovery.  We experience the natural beauty and challenges of her journey, along with memories of her past life.


Almost Famous

Set in the 70s, its the coming of age story of 15 year old William, a fan of rock music inspired to write for Rolling Stone. When his love of music lands him an assignment from the famous magazine to interview the [fictional] band "Stillwater", William embarks on an eye-opening journey with the band's tour, despite the objections of his protective mother.


The Beach

Twenty-something Richard travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumors state that it leads to a solitary beach paradise, a tropical bliss - excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it. He is joined by 2 fellow travelers on an adventure to "The Beach," a mystical paradise. However, this paradise is less than perfect.

Descriptions paraphrased partly from IMDB.