I’ve noticed quite a few blogs and a bit of forum discussion about traveling to find film locations. I’ve gotten quite curious about it. Is this a new phenomenon? I realize that people obsessed with rock music have been making pilgrimages to places like Graceland, Jimi Hendrix’s grave and Haight-Ashbury for years now, but I think movie tourism is something new.
With recent blockbusters like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, the revival of Star Wars and more, people are flocking to Tunisia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to catch a glimpse of familiar terrain from their favourite movies.
Normally, I try not to touch such insanity with a 10 foot pole.
But personally, I’ve gotten caught up with such fandom, on a recent trip to Halifax. One of my best friends since kindergarten convinced me to visit the set of the television series, The Trailerpark Boys. It wasn’t very exciting to me, but it meant a whole lot to her. It’s one of her favourite television shows, and she’s been a fan for years. (She also successfully convinced me to go eat at the restaurant opened by “Bubbles”, one of the characters on the show). Yeah, I know I’m a pushover.
This is very interesting to me, and it made me think there must be lots of strange reasons people travel. It’s not always to go visit friends and family, to find solitude or see the famous sites. Sometimes it’s just a carnal need to satisfy your kitten-like curiosity. Sometimes you just have to walk in the footsteps of your favourite actors and rockstars.
(Travelpodder Samkirsop in Hobbiton)
Just tromping around in the same shire as Elijah Wood did fulfills a very strong need for diehard fans. I remember feeling the same exhilaration on a grade 9 trip to Chicago, where just walking down the same streets as Billy Corgan and the rest of the Smashing Pumpkins used to walk down was a thrill.
So my question is this:
Have you ever traveled somewhere to satisfy some kind of obsessive curiosity?
Let me know in the TravelPod travel forums!
Louise Brown
TravelPod Community Manager
Tags: Harry Potter, Hobbiton, hobbits, Lord of the Rings, New Zealand, Star Wars, Trailerpark Boys, Tunisia
