In honor of the recently released 2014 Oscar nominations, the SPI Study Abroad team has decided to compile a list of our absolute favorite movies that inspire travel and study abroad! Some are classics, some are offbeat choices, but all have one thing in common: upon viewing each of these films, you’re likely to come away with a sense of wanderlust bigger than the size of Texas.

1) Los Diarios de Motocicleta (2004). Los Diarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries) is the classic travel movie of our generation, and for good reason: the postcard-perfect shots of South America, as experienced by the young, motorcycle-bound Che Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal) and friend Alberto Granado (Rodrgio de la Serna), will have you running for the nearest computer to check flights to Argentina and Peru. The glorious shots of Machu Picchu alone are worth watching this film.

2) In Another Country (2012). This charming little South Korean film is based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway (so, you know this travel tale is going to be a good one!), and tells the story of a woman named Anne (Isabelle Huppert), within three different contexts. You’ll instantly fall in love with this film’s quirky storytelling techniques and hilarious humor, and the small Korean resort town portrayed is to die for.

3) The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). The creepy tale of Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a loner who meets and becomes obsessed with a couple traveling in Europe (Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law), is enticing enough — but The Talented Mr. Ripley will mostly just have you fantasizing about zipping around on a scooter through the cobblestone streets of 1960’s Italy.

4) L’Auberge Espagnole (2002). Back from a life-changing study abroad experience and feeling some pretty serious reverse culture shock? Don’t worry — your new pal Xavier (Romain Duris) and the awesome friends he meets while studying abroad in Barcelona know exactly how you’re feeling. L’Auberge Espagnole is to be appreciated best by those who know firsthand the ins and outs of the post-transformative travel funk.

5) Julie & Julia (2009). Based on the book of the same name, Julie & Julia is the cutesy tale of a blogger-turned-writer obsessed with famed chef Julia Child. Shots of modern New York City are dreamily interspersed with 1950’s France, most notably Paris. You won’t know whether to salivate more over the beautifully-prepared boeuf bourguignon or the glamour and glitz of old-school Paris.

6) The Darjeeling Limited (2007). Train travel in India has never looked so good (or sweat-free). Three brothers (Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody) hoping to reconnect with each other, their mother, and their spiritual well-being decide to make a long trek across the northwest corner of India, in Rajasthan. Cue Wes Anderson’s zany, colorful cinematography, and some of the most awesome travel montages to be captured on film yet!