Set-Jetting: Film-Inspired Travel Trends for 2025

There’s an unmatched thrill in stepping through the silver screen and finding yourself immersed in a world that once lived only in flickering pixels and tantalizing soundtracks. For 2025, set-jetting—traveling to locations immortalized by film and television—has surged beyond niche fandom into a full-blown cultural movement, capturing the imaginations of wanderlust souls everywhere. As someone who has chased stories across continents, tracing footsteps of their cinematic echoes, I invite you into this kaleidoscope of places where storytelling and wanderlust collide.

The Allure of Set-Jetting: More Than a Snapshot

Set-jetting isn’t just about posing beside the iconic statue or snapping a photo of a bustling urban street seen in a blockbuster. It’s a tactile longing to be part of the narrative—walking the same cobbled alleys, breathing in the same salty ocean air, or savoring the same aroma that wove through a pivotal scene. This pursuit transforms travel from passive sightseeing into an immersive dialogue with culture, history, and imagination.

“The magic happens when the scenery stops feeling like a backdrop and starts feeling like a heartbeat.”

Take, for instance, the resurgence of interest in locations featured in period dramas and historical epics. The year 2025 has seen a remarkable uptick in travelers drawn to the haunting beauty of old European estates and rugged coastal villages, reclaimed through the lens of cinematic storytelling. Places like the Scottish Highlands, where sweeping vistas doubled as kingdoms in fantasy epics, and the sun-dappled olive groves of Southern Italy, reimagined through lyrical storytelling, have become pilgrimage sites of the imagination.

Breaking the Mold: Diverse Cinematic Experiences

What makes the current set-jetting trend so vibrant is its eclectic embrace of genres. It’s not only the classic film locations making waves anymore. Indie films, cult classics, and beloved TV series have opened new portals to lesser-known destinations. Recently, a growing number of travelers have sought out the vivid landscapes of New Zealand beyond the famed “The Lord of the Rings” terrains—embarking instead on journeys inspired by smaller, atmospheric productions that speak to the soul in quieter, more intimate ways.

Asia’s cinematic treasures have also cast a mesmerizing spell. The neon-lit streets of Tokyo from an iconic cyberpunk saga or the serene backdrops of Korean historical dramas paint a kaleidoscopic vision of culture and cinema fused into unforgettable explorations. It’s a celebration of both tradition and modernity, viewed through a beautifully cinematic prism.

Tech Meets Nostalgia: Personalized Set-Jetting Adventures

Today’s travelers have a tech-enhanced compass to guide them on this cinematic odyssey. Augmented Reality (AR) apps now let wanderers overlay scenes from their favorite films onto current landscapes, allowing one to revisit a legendary moment without leaving a footprint. Virtual Reality previews fuel anticipation before the plane even leaves the runway—immersing future set-jets in mood, music, and emotion.

In tandem, boutique travel agencies and independent guides specialize in curating deeply personal itineraries that don’t just scratch the surface but invite travelers to engage with local storytellers, filmmakers, and artisans. This lends an intimate layer of meaning to every visit, transforming each destination into an unfolding story rather than a static postcard.

Stories Woven Into the Fabric of Travel

Beyond the glamor and excitement, set-jetting is an ode to storytelling itself. Each journey recalls the invisible threads connecting creativity and culture, imagination and physicality. It speaks to our yearning to become part of something greater—a collective memory, a shared dream played out across sea, stone, and skyline.

For me, chasing these luminous narratives has meant more than marking off places on a map. It has meant deepening my empathy and wonder—for the characters, the cultures, and the creators who breathe life into these worlds. Every step, every sunset glimpsed through a cinematic lens, is a whisper of the stories that shape us and the journeys that remind us that life itself is the greatest story ever told.

Marco Santiago