Summer’s here, and so is the overwhelming urge to abandon all responsibilities, throw a bag in the trunk and hit the road with nothing but snacks, vibes and a playlist that slaps. Whether you’re plotting a full-blown cross-country escape or just need something to stream from your AC-blasted couch, there’s no better way to channel the call of the open road than with a great road trip movie.
The best road trip films do more than show a change of scenery — they capture a shift in perspective. These are stories about people falling apart and coming back together, taking wrong turns and finding the right people, and realizing that sometimes the destination doesn’t matter half as much as who’s in the passenger seat.
So buckle up. Here are five road trip movies that’ll make you want to drop everything and drive — even if it’s just to the nearest Buc-ee’s.
(Editor’s note: A few of these include strong language and mature content. Check ratings before you queue them up.)
5. Wild (2014)
Before “hot girl walks” became a thing, there was Cheryl Strayed. Based on her best-selling memoir, Wild follows a woman (played by Reese Witherspoon) who impulsively hikes the Pacific Crest Trail alone in a desperate attempt to outrun her grief and her past — and ends up walking straight into healing. It’s gritty, raw and beautifully unsanitized.
Why it inspires: Cheryl’s journey isn’t a neat social media caption about self-care — it’s a messy, painful, slow crawl toward redemption. Wild reminds us that nature doesn’t just offer escape. It demands honesty.
Travel takeaway: Go alone. Not forever, but long enough to hear yourself think again. Solitude — especially in the wild — can be brutal, but it can also put you back together.
4. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Ben Stiller plays a shy photo editor who escapes his beige cubicle life with elaborate daydreams — until he has to chase down a missing negative, which takes him from Greenland to the Himalayas and turns his actual life into the kind of epic story he used to only imagine.
Why it inspires: The film is a visual feast, but the real magic is watching Walter shift from observer to participant. It’s a reminder that adventure isn’t just for the bold — it’s for the willing.
Travel takeaway: The world is wider than your comfort zone. Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Just go.
3. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
An absolute indie classic, Little Miss Sunshine follows a deeply dysfunctional family road-tripping to a child beauty pageant in a bright yellow VW bus that breaks down every 20 miles. It’s dark, hilarious and weirdly heartwarming — a comedy about how shared disasters make us human.
Why it inspires: Because life rarely goes according to plan, and that’s OK. The Hoovers aren’t trying to be Instagrammable. They’re just trying to get through the day — and if that’s not relatable, we don’t know what is.
Travel takeaway: Embrace the breakdowns. The best stories come from the detours, not the itinerary.
2. Almost Famous (2000)
This love letter to ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll follows 15-year-old music nerd William Miller (Patrick Fugit) as he lands the freelance gig of a lifetime: touring with a band for Rolling Stone. What follows is a chaotic, beautiful crash course in art, ego and identity.
Why it inspires: Almost Famous nails that feeling of falling in love with something — music, writing, freedom — so hard it changes who you are. It’s about what happens when you say “yes” to the thing that scares you most.
Travel takeaway: Leap first. Figure it out on the way down. Sometimes the best journeys are the ones you’re wildly underqualified for.
1. Crossroads (2002)
Yes, we’re serious. Crossroads — starring Britney Spears in peak early-2000s glory — is an underrated gem about three childhood friends taking a road trip to L.A. in a convertible and figuring out who they are along the way. It’s cheesy, nostalgic and genuinely moving.
Why it inspires: Not every road trip needs to be deep or gritty. Sometimes, it’s about blasting pop songs, ugly crying with your best friends and rewriting your future one state line at a time.
Travel takeaway: Road trips are made for reconnection. There’s something about shared miles and bad gas station food that makes old friendships new again.
Whether you’re filling up the tank or just living vicariously through fiction, these films prove that the road is more than a backdrop — it’s a character, a crucible and, sometimes, a cure. So cue one up, get inspired and start planning your great escape. Just don’t forget the snacks.
