15 Travel-related Christmas & Winter Movies to Watch This Holiday Season

As the seasons are changing, so are our movie interests. With the most cheerful holidays just around the corner, it’s only natural to wrap yourself into a warm blanket, indulge in a cup of hot chocolate, and watch some good old Christmas or winter movie.

This year, we’ve gathered 15 adventurous, travel-related films that will lift up your spirits, keep you entertained and make you contemplate the most important things in life. From timeless classics and romantic Christmas comedies to thrilling winterly dramas and even horror stories, these are the movies you should watch this holiday season.

Travel-related Christmas Movies

The Holiday (2006)

One of the audience favorites, The Holiday, follows two women, one American (Cameron Diaz) and one British (Kate Winslet), as they swap homes at Christmas time. Both women are looking to get away from their failed relationships and end up finding new romance with local men (played by Jude Law and Jack Black). Full of laughs and some drama, this feel-good comedy is perfect for the holiday season.

Available on Netflix.

 

Last Holiday (2006)

Last Holiday is a heartfelt comedy-drama starring Queen Latifah as Georgia, a humble department store assistant. After learning that she only has a few months to live, Georgia decides to spend all her savings on a luxury winter holiday in Europe. The movie beautifully shows how a difficult experience can give you total freedom.

Available on Showtime.

 

Holiday in the Wild (2019)

Not a typical Christmas movie, Holiday in the Wild tells a story of a woman (Kristin Davis) who, after being left by her husband, embarks on a solo journey to Zambia. Here she meets an elephant conservationist (Rob Lowe) and ends up staying at an elephant sanctuary where he works. Holiday in the Wild is a beautiful story about finding yourself and finding love.

Available on Netflix.

 

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas (2011)

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas is the third movie of the Harold and Kumar franchise, though you could definitely watch it without seeing the first two. It follows two estranged stoner friends, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) as they reunite in New York to hunt for the perfect Christmas tree and get themselves involved in some crazy adventures. Also starring Neil Patrick Harris, this witty comedy is perfect for a dark winter evening.

Available on Amazon Instant Video and Netflix (only in certain countries).

 

The Night Before (2015)

Another hilarious buddy comedy, The Night Before is about three childhood friends, Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen), and Chris (Anthony Mackie) who have a tradition to reunite every year on Christmas Eve. This year, they learn about the exclusive Nutcracker Ball party that’s happening somewhere in the festive New York City and are determined to find it.

Available on Amazon Instant Video.

 

Tangerine (2015)

A comic drama, Tangerine is a unique independent film that was entirely shot on three iPhone 5S smartphones. It’s a story about Sin-Dee Rella, a transgender sex worker who finishes a 28-day prison sentence on Christmas Eve. After meeting with a friend in Hollywood, Sin-Dee finds out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her and goes out on a mission to find him. The film gives an inside look into the often missed part of Hollywood.

Available on Amazon Prime.

 

A Christmas Prince (2017)

A Christmas Prince follows the story of Amber, an aspiring journalist traveling to a fictional nation of Aldovia to report on a local prince taking the throne after his father’s death. Amber manages to go undercover and get an inside look into the royal intrigues. Taking place around Christmas time and set in the beautiful snowy mountains, this film is a cheerful romantic comedy, perfect for the holiday season. There are also two sequels to the film: A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby.

Available on Netflix.

 

In Bruges / Bons Baisers de Bruges (2008)

In Bruges is a black comedy crime film starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes. After a job gone wrong, two Irish hitmen Ray and Ken, get an order from their boss to travel to Bruges, Belgium, and lay low for a while. In the fairytale-like city just before Christmas, Ray and Ken start dealing with some personal issues, as well as job-related doubts.

Available on Hulu.

 

Travel-related Winter Movies

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

This surreal psychological thriller follows a young woman (Jessie Buckley) as she travels with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) that live in a secluded farm. Trapped at the farm during a snowstorm, she starts questioning everything she thought she knew about her boyfriend, herself, and the world.

Available on Netflix.

 

The Hateful Eight (2015)

A great Western film by Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight is full of tension, action, a lot of blood, and some witty humor. Starring many great actors (Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, to name a few), the movie follows eight strangers who seek refuge from a storm in a remote cabin in the woods. What could possibly go wrong?

Available on Netflix.

 

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, The Mountain Between Us is a thrilling drama that follows two strangers stranded on a remote snow-covered mountain following a plane crash. After realizing that help is not coming, the duo has no choice but to embark on a harrowing journey across the wilderness.

Available on Hulu.

 

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

The Grand Budapest Hotel is not your typical Christmas movie, though it takes place high in the mountains and features some snowy landscapes. Directed by Wes Anderson, this visually stunning film recounts the adventures of Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary European hotel concierge, and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his friend.

Available on Amazon Prime Video.

 

Fargo (1996)

Directed by the Cohen brothers, Fargo is a total winterly classic full of snow-covered landscapes, mysteries, and black humor. William H. Macy plays Jerry, a desperate car salesman who, after facing some financial difficulties, decides to kidnap his wife for ransom. After his plan turns into bloodshed, a pregnant Minnesota police chief (Frances McDormand) starts investigating the murders in her jurisdiction.

Available on Hulu.

 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (2005)

If you’re a fantasy lover, the first movie from The Chronicles of Narnia series is a must-watch. It follows four siblings (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy) who are evacuated during the war from London to the country home of Professor Kirke. One day playing, Lucy hides inside a wardrobe and by chance enters a magical winter world known as Narnia. She later finds out that the White Witch cursed Narnia to eternally experience winter but never Christmas.

Available on Disney+.

 

Where’d You Go, Bernadette (2019)

In this comic drama, Cate Blanchett plays Bernadette Fox, a famous former architect, now settled in Seattle with her husband Elgie and their 15-year-old daughter Bee. To reward Bee for her good grades, the parents promise her a family trip to Antarctica. Suffering from agoraphobia, Bernadette really struggles with the whole plan but eventually overcomes her fears. Both funny and emotional, this film also features some amazing shots of the ice-covered Antarctica.

Available on Hulu.