Traveling To Popular TV And Movie Locations Is Trending. Here's Where You Should Go

According to Skyscanner, almost one-third of U.S. travelers use film and TV as a source of travel inspiration. Heading into 2024, the company's annual travel trends report identified "main character energy" as one of the vibes fueling people's trips for the year. Per the report, main character energy is when "travelers embrace the cultural zeitgeist, stepping inside the shoes of their favorite on-screen character." This could be a movie or TV character, and it doesn't necessarily need to be one from a recent release, either.

When EduBirdie surveyed 2,000 members of Gen Z, it found that their summer vacations were being inspired by older titles like the 2009 film "The Hangover" and the 2008–13 television series "Breaking Bad." Even "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy, which began in 2001, was still inspiring trips to New Zealand, where you can step inside a real "hobbit" hole. The general impression is that of travelers seeking out destinations based on modern classics that have captured the zeitgeist of the new millennium.

If that sounds like the recipe for a good trip, then pack your bags, and embark on a vicarious vacation with us as we explore five cities with essential movie and TV locations from the 21st century. Your mileage may vary on what constitutes a classic, but with this list, we'll be drawing inspiration from titles with a proven, widespread appeal, backed up by box office numbers and TV ratings. With these places, you can unleash your inner superhero or secret agent while crossing real-world adventures off your bucket list.

"The Hangover" might seem like a random movie to be inspiring travel 15 years after it hit theaters, but in its day, it dethroned "Beverly Hills Cop" as the most lucrative R-rated comedy ever released. Anyone who's thinking of traveling with a group of friends might be able to relate to the plot, which involves four buddies piling into a car and heading to Las Vegas for a wild weekend. Rather than share beds, they opt for the $4,200 villa at Caesars Palace. A one-night stay in The Hangover Suite runs about half that price now, maybe because there's no tiger included.

In business since 1966, Caesars Palace is one of the oldest hotels on the Vegas Strip, and with its pseudo-Roman trappings, it's regarded as the city's first themed casino resort. Bring your antique beeper when you check in, you can try asking the front desk if they have a pay phone you can use. (They probably get that a lot.) We don't recommend sneaking up to the rooftop for a Jaegermeister toast, but you might be able to do one of those at Atomic Liquors, the first free-standing bar in town. The movie staged a car crash outside this local institution, which began operating in the 1950s when patrons could reportedly see nuclear tests from the roof.

Atomic Liquors also popped up in the movie "Casino" and on a live broadcast of Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown Last Bite." In "The Hangover," another Vegas landmark you'll glimpse is the fountains of Bellagio. "Ocean's Eleven" fans should know that this luxury hotel will put you right in your favorite movie setting.

As the home of the world's largest balloon festival, Albuquerque, New Mexico, remains a big tourist draw every October. However, you can take a hot-air balloon ride here year-round. Then, visit locations from the Emmy-winning series, "Breaking Bad," which had one of the most-watched series finales in cable history with over 10 million viewers. Both it and its six-season spin-off, "Better Call Saul," were set and shot in Albuquerque. On Luigi's Breaking Bad Tour, you can see 18 different locations from them around town.

Another option is to do a self-guided tour. Just be respectful of the fact that many locations are private residences and places of business. The people who live in Walter White's house at 3828 Piermont Dr NE had to put up a fence to stop tourists from reenacting the scene where White threw a pizza on the roof. In Albuquerque, you can also visit the Snow Heights location of Mister Car Wash, where White laundered his meth money, along with Java Joe's Cafe, the graffitied building where he blew up the drug lord Tuco's office.

Funnily enough for a series of this nature, the Best Quality Vacuum store — which also appeared in "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie" — is now a cannabis dispensary called La Mota. The character Jessie Pinkman's house is at 322 16th St SW. As for Saul Goodman, his law office is now the Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon. Perhaps the ultimate show-inspired photo op is the Los Pollos Hermanos logo inside the Isleta branch of Twisters, the real-life burger and burrito joint in Albuquerque where Gus Fring's restaurant was filmed.

New York City has appeared in countless movies and TV shows, so to keep things manageable, we'll focus on two main titles. In "Sex and the City," it provided the backdrop for a TV series with another one of the most-watched finales in cable history. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it's been the home base for Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the top-grossing movie series of all time. Sometimes the two series share filming locations, with both Spidey and Carrie Bradshaw and friends having ridden the Staten Island Ferry.

"Sex and the City" fans will want to visit the original Bleecker Street location of Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes. The address of Doctor Strange's fictional sanctum can be found at 177a Bleecker Street. Attend a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, and you're more likely to catch a foul ball than rebound with an attractive player, though Carrie did both. She almost got married in a real-life Ghostbusters location, the New York Public Library, while her fiancée, Mr. Big, had an engagement party with another woman at the Plaza Hotel. "Home Alone 2" fans will recognize this as the same hotel where young Kevin McCallister stayed.

Brooklyn's own St. Marks Comics showed up in "Sex and the City," while the Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square graced "Captain America: The First Avenger." In the first "Avengers" movie, the Battle of New York digitally incorporated the train hub of Grand Central Terminal and the nearby Chrysler Building (seen also in "Sex and the City" intros). Hit up Washington Square Park and the Queensboro Bridge to experience locations from "Avengers: Infinity War."

Before the Avengers assembled, "The Dark Knight" was the first superhero movie to break a billion dollars at the box office. During its theatrical run, it became one of the highest-grossing movies ever, right up there with the likes of "Titanic." The film was shot mostly in Chicago, with the urban canyon of LaSalle Street appearing in two key scenes. During the daytime, it served as the backdrop for the police commissioner's funeral procession. At night, it was where Batman flipped the Joker's semi-truck.

In the movie, you can spot a "South LaSalle" address on the side of one building. The street dead-ends in the Chicago Board of Trade Building, an Art Deco skyscraper that you'll see on architecture walking tours. Speaking of skyscrapers, if you need a hotel in Chicago, you can see the view from Bruce Wayne's penthouse at the 39-story Royal Sonesta Chicago Downtown (formerly the Wyndham Grand). Batman stood on top of Willis Tower, and the final fight between him and Joker took place in Trump Tower while it was under construction.

One of Chicago's oldest restaurants, Twin Anchors, appeared in "The Dark Knight" as the tavern where Two-Face confronted a corrupt cop and spun a coin to decide his fate. Before the restaurant opened in 1932, the same corner building served as a Prohibition-era speakeasy. Among its famous customers later was Frank Sinatra, who ordered the baby-back ribs. Sinatra performed across town at the Chicago Theatre, a great addition to any music lover's bucket list. In "The Dark Knight," Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes arrived under the theater's glittering marquee to find their ballet performance cancelled.

Released when the James Bond franchise was celebrating its 50th anniversary, "Skyfall" is another billion-dollar movie, the most commercially successful Bond film ever made. As it followed the adventures of the globetrotting spy, 007, it was as much a travelogue as an action flick — inspiring trips to multiple destinations, including one of Nagasaki's top tourist attractions. However, it's the futuristic metropolis of Shanghai, China, that most impressed the filmmakers behind "Skyfall."

In a videoblog on the official James Bond 007 YouTube channel, second unit director Alexander Witt said of Shanghai: "It's an amazing city to see at night. All the high-rises have neon lights, and advertising. It's amazing to the lens." The film's Oscar-nominated cinematography was buoyed by sweeping aerial shots of Pudong's skyscrapers, which introduced the audience to Shanghai, with Oriental Pearl Tower acting as the visual centerpiece. The tower has a glass floor wrapping around one observation level, allowing visitors to take a transparent sky walk 850 feet above the city. Even if you don't have a fear of heights, stepping out on the glass can be dizzying.

Another location featured in "Skyfall" is Ya'nan Elevated Road, where blue-lit overpasses crisscross a nine-dragon pillar, and you can walk across a pedestrian bridge with cars sailing under you. Bond drove under it as he pursued a villain across Shanghai from the airport, which is accessible by a maglev train. Like other cities in Mainland China, Shanghai offers 144-hour visa-free transit for travelers between countries. As of this writing, it's under a travel advisory from the U.S. state department, so it might be best to see it with a group like Ritz Tours.