Getting away from it all is a treat, but sometimes you just want a little mini mental vacation—you know, the kind where you can sit back, relax, and picture yourself somewhere else (usually warmer and more tropical).
Well grab a bottle of self-tanner, your TDS TV+ remote, and pull up one or more of these shows or movies for a little virtual escape.
Vacation Home Dreaming
There are lots of house-related shows set in warm, beachy locations that allow you to live vicariously in other locales. The first two are home reno shows, so you get the satisfying before and after, plus lots of palm trees and lush tropical greenery.
- Renovation Aloha (HGTV, Max, Discovery+)
A husband and wife team take on house-flipping projects on Oahu, Hawaii. The homes are ROUGH when they buy them for jaw-dropping prices and then you get to watch them transform the spaces into something amazing (and sell at even higher prices). Beyond the setting, the added bonus is that it might make you feel better about what you spend on housing each month 😉. - Betting on Paradise (HGTV, Hulu, Prime Video)
The series follows a Canadian couple who packed up their family and bought a run-down hotel in Costa Rica. Each episode follows their work to restore/rebuild the place and make it shine—battling the elements, budgets, and creative challenges along the way.
But wait, there’s more. You know what they say about real estate: location, location, location. There are multiple series that follow people who are shopping for homes in places with ocean breezes. Pull up:
- Hawaii Life (TDS TV+ On Demand, Prime Video)
- Mexico Life (HGTV, Prime Video)
- Caribbean Life (Max, Prime Video)
- Beachfront Bargain Hunt (Destination America, Max, Prime Video)
If you don’t care whether the island is in a warm locale, pull up Island Life (Max) where people are looking to purchase an entire island, not just a home.
Scripted TV escapes
Beyond reality TV, let’s get into scripted escapes.
- White Lotus (Max)
Each season of this show is set at a different location of the very exclusive (and made-up) White Lotus resort. Season one followed guests and staff in Hawaii. Season two was set in Italy. Season three just started and is set in Thailand. This series is very much rated R, but with lots of awards and nominations, it might be worth checking out (or checking in, as the case may be 😊).
- Bridgerton and/or Queen Charlotte (Netflix)
Surely not much explanation is required here. This show (and its “prequel”, Queen Charlotte) has taken the world by storm. It’s an escape into a different time and place…and romance.
Movie Escapes
The Family Plan (Apple TV, Prime Video), PG-13
You want a fluff travel/road trip movie with some action thrown in? This could be for you. Mark Wahlberg plays a family man with a past—one that leads him to dragging his family on a cross-country minivan trip to Vegas. Critics don’t like it, but audiences (including this author’s family) enjoyed!
Under the Tuscan Sun (Rentable on Prime, Apple TV, and more), PG-13
When a woman’s life is turned upside down by her cheating husband, she takes a trip to Italy and impulsively decides to buy a Tuscan villa. Italy is a major character in this gorgeous movie that gets solid reviews all the way around.
National Lampoon’s Vacation (Sling, or rent), R
If for some reason you’ve never seen this 1983 classic and you want a vacation comedy, this is your sign you should finally watch it. From the family truckster to Wally World, there are so many gags and bits, it’s kind of undeniable.
Castaway (Hulu, Disney+), PG-13
A FedEx executive’s plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean during a storm and, as a sole survivor, learns how to fend for himself while also trying to find a way to get off the island. A man vs. nature story, it’s quite an epic drama. If you haven’t watched it before, you might want to—if just to understand the many references to Wilson that are still around 25 years later.
Out of Africa, (Netflix and rentable on many platforms), PG
This won Best Picture, Best Director, Original Score, Best Writing, and more in 1985. Meryl Streep and Robert Redford star in this romantic drama set, you guessed it, in Africa between 1913 and 1931. If you weren’t around in 1985, you might not understand just how much of “a thing” this movie was!
Mama Mia (Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Sling, The Roku Channel, and more), PG-13
Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried and many more stars round out the cast of this fun ABBA musical set in Greece. The location is stunning and you get to see all kinds of lovely scenery as characters arrive for a wedding.
Other ideas? Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Rentable on Prime Video, Apple TV, and more), South Pacific (Peacock), and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Starz, Hulu, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, and more).
Family Friendly Escapes
If you have littles, then you might be looking for something a bit more tame than some of the options above. If you’re not traveling, why not set up a series of movies you can all watch together? Sure, there’s Encanto, Moana, and Lilo & Stitch, but have you seen these?
Nim’s Island (Fandango at home), PG
Nim lives on an island paradise with her scientist father who goes missing, so she reaches out to her book hero, Alex Rover, for help—only Alex isn’t real and is the figment of a slightly agoraphobic recluse named Alexandra. Alexandra puts herself outside of her comfort zone to help. It’s a fun, light escape staring Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, and Gerard Butler.
The Secret of Kells (Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV), Not Rated
This might be an animated movie you haven’t seen, and it’s gorgeous with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 90%. It’s a fantasy drama about a young boy who is secretly an apprentice to the fort’s calligrapher. He’s tasked with completing some magical tasks before the Vikings attack. This isn’t your typical escape movie, but it’s calm and enchanting.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Disney+ and rentable elsewhere), PG
We’re digging deep into the Disney catalog, but it might mean your kids haven’t seen this one that Gen Z kids watched and enjoyed. A young (amateur) explorer (voiced by Michael J. Fox) sets out to complete the quest started by his grandfather to find Atlantis.
Ponyo (Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and more), G
Directed by an uber-famous Japanese director, this beautiful film is about a goldfish princess who wishes to become human. She encounters a young boy who names her Ponyo and their friendship grows as quickly as she does. The voice actors include Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Betty White, and even Tina Fey.
