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Welcome to the Travel Transformation Podcast, the podcast where we talk all things travel and all things transformation. I'm your host, Jessica Grace Coleman – but you can call me Jess – and this is going to be a solo episode on how to create magical movie moments on the road. 

Now, this is a sort of concept I came up with after travelling to lots of places and experiencing lots of things. And obviously, most of the time, it's amazing. Some of the time, it's not. I don't want to paint the picture that it's all perfect all the time, but occasionally something happens that is literally like a scene from a movie.

Maybe this is just me because I have a vivid imagination as a writer, but it's those moments where I can picture it as a scene in a movie. You can picture the soundtrack, you can picture the different shots or the cinematography or the mise-en-scene, all that stuff. And it's just either an uplifting moment or a moment of clarity or just a really cool moment where everything comes together and everything is perfect in that moment and you can be totally present no matter what else is going on.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Basically, I wrote about this in my book. I wrote a whole chapter on it. My book: Intentional Travel Transformation: boost your confidence, conquer your fears, and finally become the person you've always wanted to be. It's out now. You can get it in paperback and in ebook form for the Kindle, for the Nook, for the Kobo, whatever you read on – I'll put the link in the show notes to my books page on my website. 

So I thought I'd just read a little bit from chapter twelve, Creating Magical Movie Moments, because I've already read it and it will stop me from rambling and going off on massive tangents. And, if you enjoy this, then please consider buying the book. It goes through my whole personal travel transformation from springtime 2022 to… well, when I wrote the book at the end of last year. And it's basically my story, but it's also a framework that can help you transform your life through travel as well.

Also, I'm recording this in an apartment in Switzerland, and I've got all the windows open because it's pretty hot. And also there's a cat, Mr B, and I need to make sure he can go out on the balcony when he wants. So if you can hear birds and planes flying over and cars, then I apologise, but hopefully you can still hear everything. Okay. 

All right, so this is from chapter twelve: Creating Magical Movie Moments.

I love movies, and the parts I love the most are those magical movie moments, those memorable scenes that really move you, that make you cry or laugh or just feel something. The ones that make you truly love a film. These scenes are perfect little pockets of movie magic, and even if the rest of the movie isn't that good, one good movie moment can save the entire film. Just like, in real life, one movie moment on the road can save a whole trip. 

The kinds of movie moments you love will depend on your own personality and interests, but for me, they usually involve some or all of the following: The scene is about a group of friends or family connecting on a deep level. The scene delivers an important message or evokes a certain emotion. It's uplifting, inspiring, or simply thought-provoking. And there's usually an awesome song playing that fits the moment perfectly. It doesn't have to be a huge action scene or one filled with a lot of drama either. Often, they're pretty simple.

One of my favourite movie moments – or the first one that springs to mind for me – was from 2000’s Almost Famous. In the film, 15-year-old budding rock journalist William is on a tour bus with his favourite band, Stillwater, along with their groupies – or Band Aids, as they call themselves – somewhere in the States. He was meant to have gone home days before to sit his exams, but Rolling Stone magazine, who don't know William's real age, have insisted he continue with the tour and the piece he's writing about the band. His mom's on his back to come home, his editor's on his back to write the piece, and he's really starting to panic. He keeps telling the band, their manager, and the top Band Sid, who calls herself Penny Lane, that he needs to go.

In the scene, the group have had a really bad night, and the atmosphere on the tour bus is thick with tension. No one's speaking and everyone's annoyed with everyone else. That's when Elton John's Tiny Dancer starts playing over the speakers. Slowly, band members and Band Aids alike start singing along to the music, and soon all bad blood from the night before is forgotten as they all come together to sing one of their favourite songs.

After a few moments, when everyone around them is singing and laughing and having a good time, William turns to Penny and says, “I HAVE to go home.” In response, Penny gestures at the bus and all the amazing people on it and says, “You ARE home.” William sits back in his seat, mind blown, as Penny rests her head on his shoulder and the song continues, the bus heading on to its next destination. There we have it: a magical movie moment.

But why am I blabbering on about this? Well, it's because I believe we should have more movie moments in our lives. As many as we can get, actually. And while they generally happen organically, I believe we can encourage them into being by going out there, meeting new people, trying new things, and seeing where different experiences take us – for instance, when you're travelling solo and meeting up with other solo travellers.

Now, life isn't like a movie, I know, but I believe we can add our very own magical movie moments to inject more meaning, purpose, and adventure into our own stories. And if you're still not sure of the kinds of movie moments you can have through travelling, here are a few more of the ones I've personally experienced over the years:

Heading out on a seemingly endless American highway, me and my friends singing along to our favourite playlist as the Colorado mountains creep ever closer on the horizon. 

Zooming through the Vietnamese countryside on a motorbike, waving and smiling at the local people as they walk through the rice fields or relax in hammocks outside their homes. 

Sitting in a hot tub outside a cabin in the Rocky Mountains, raising a glass of bubbly with my two best friends and feeling utterly content as the snow falls down around us. 

Looking out over the Grand Canyon as an elderly American woman wipes tears from her eyes and tells me and my family, “I never thought I'd get to experience this in my lifetime.”

Chasing the sunset on the back of a scooter on Koh Samui and finding the perfect beach and the perfect cocktail to drink as I watch the sun descend lazily into the Gulf of Thailand with my newfound friend.

Waiting for a bus at the outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado. It's December, and there's a blanket of snow on the ground. There are twinkly Christmas lights everywhere, and from some distant outdoor mall speaker, Christmas songs are playing. There's no one around, and apart from the music, all is silent. That's when a horse and carriage go clip clopping past… the festive cherry on top of this perfect Christmas cake. 

Now, I've also had several movie moments during my last few weeks during my trip to Spain and Switzerland. I talked about one of them in the Spin-off Pop-up Round-up episode, which you can find at number 57, and that was the hashtag #bridgeparty. So, we had an impromptu bridge party on this amazing bridge in the middle of Bilbao at midnight. It was all lit up, we were listening and dancing to music, choreographing our own dance routines, and having complete strangers joining in as they walked past on their way to the pub or on their way home. It was one of those moments that just came out of nowhere and that was really fun and that I'll never forget.

So it's that kind of thing. And I actually started this chapter in the book, chapter twelve, with a little snapshot of a story. I start every chapter with a bit of a personal snapshot of my own story and this one was from last year when I went to the Basque Country pop-up. I did the same this year, so this was from May 2022:

The bright Spanish sun was shining down on the water, making the deep blue waves of the Bay of Biscay sparkle in the midday light. I had my handbag in one hand and a plastic bag full of snacks and booze in the other. I was in the tiny coastal town of Mundaka. I was about to get on a boat with my housemates and head out for a quick whizz around the bay. Life was good. 

On board the small, slightly rickety boat, I headed straight to the front to bag a seat right at the prow. Our captain turned on the music and then took us out of the harbour and into the open waters, a country song our fitting soundtrack as we entered the bay. We hadn't been able to find any plastic glasses at the villa, so along with the cans of beer being consumed on board, we drank wine out of jam jars and plaster sauce containers – such class. 

I'd realised a few years ago that being on or around water soothes me. I don't have to be in it – although swimming relaxes me too – as long as I'm near it: the sea, lakes, rivers, even nice ponds… something about the sounds and sights of the water make me feel content and, if I'm on a boat in the sunshine with a glass or jam jar of wine in hand, even better.

So, as we made our way onto the open water with the country music blaring, the sun shining, the white wine somehow tasting even better coming out of a jam jar, my housemates talking and laughing behind me, the fresh breeze against my cheeks, and the salty spray of the water splashing at my face as the boat picked up speed, I couldn't help but grin like an idiot. 

This was it. This was one of those magical movie moments you sometimes get when travelling, those perfect pockets of time where everything comes together and just works, when you feel utterly relaxed and content, when – just for a moment – you don't have a care in the world. 

I stared out at the water for several more moments, drinking it in, before turning to look at my housemates on the boat. Kaisu and Lu were trying to stand up in the middle of the boat – a hard thing to do when we were going quite fast and the waters were getting pretty choppy – and they were having to hold on to each other to keep themselves steady. This resulted in an impromptu Titanic scene re-enactment of Jack and Rose standing on the bow of the ship. I'm not sure which one was meant to be Jack and which one was Rose, but it was funny either way. 

After taking lots of photos and videos of this perfect Titanic reconstruction, I looked back out at the water and made a mental note: remember this moment. This moment is all we have. Don't get stuck on the past and don't worry about the future. Just enjoy this moment right here, right now. Remember this moment. 

So, I did. Then I filled up my jam jar, took a quick sip, and turned back to my housemates. 

So that was another one of my magical movie moments from last year. And it just goes to show that it doesn't have to be this huge thing; it doesn't have to be climbing to the top of a mountain and coming over the hill to see an amazing view below you, with a beautiful sunset and a band somehow playing amazingly inspirational music, and you collapse to the floor because you're so drained but happy that you made it. It can be that, but it doesn't have to be anywhere near that epic. It can just be you on a boat, in a river, on a lake, with a jam jar of wine, listening to country music and having fun with your friends – or any of the other scenarios I mentioned.

So that's part of the chapter in the book. I then talk about the two types of movie moments, which I won't go into too much – I don't want this podcast episode to go on forever. But, basically, I believe there are two types we can experience.

Number one is the organic, spontaneous movie moments that happen unexpectedly and catch us off guard with our awesomeness. We can't plan for these to happen, but they will happen more and more as we try new things and push ourselves outside our comfort zones. Those are the ones I've been talking about. 

Number two are the self-made movie moments we can actually manufacture for ourselves. We can't plan every aspect of the movie moment, as it usually – and hopefully – will take on a life of its own, but we can point it in the direction that will make it most meaningful to us and the people we're with. 

Some people might say that if you try to manufacture one of these moments, it's not going to be the same… and I agree. It's just not going to be quite as wonderful, quite as memorable, and quite as spontaneous. But I believe we can make it almost as magical. And, actually, by being in charge of the moment, we can make it magical in a different way. It won't be unexpected or spontaneous, but we can manufacture these moments to be more meaningful for us, both as they happen and when we remember them in the future. 

Also, if you're doing this with a group, you can make it meaningful and purposeful to them. And it can seem spontaneous and exciting, like it's come out of nowhere to them, but to you, you've orchestrated the whole thing. You're like an evil mastermind, but not being evil. 

So, I came up, basically, with a plan to help you create your own movie moments. And looking at the chapter, it goes on for quite a while, so I'm just going to pick out the main points for each. Okay, so here are my ten steps to creating magical movie moments while on your next trip. 

If you get the book, then you'll be given a link to go to a free workbook that you can download that you can fill in as you go through the entire book, but also throughout this movie moments section. So, again, I'll put the link to the book in the show notes if you want to follow along, but you can also just write them down on a piece of paper. 

Please note that you'll have to wait to do some of these steps if you aren't currently travelling. Or, alternatively, you could do a test run magical movie moment at home first.

Okay, so number one is to think about – or maybe journal or meditate – on what you want to get out of this movie moment. Do you want to feel content, relaxed? Excited, on top of the world, grateful? Do you simply want to have fun with your friends? Or do you want to create something really meaningful for you and the others who will be there, something you'll all remember for years to come? Write down all your ideas so you can go into the moment with a real solid intention of what you want to achieve. 

Number two: now that you know your intention, make a mind map of how you could generate these feelings and emotions. If you want to use this moment to utterly relax and forget all your worries, make a list of things that help you relax. For me, it's certain types of music, and being around water. If you want to get your adrenaline pumping, make a list of things that do that for you. 

If you want to show your friends how grateful you are for them and the things you've learned from them, how could you do that? A speech, a gratitude circle, a toast? Come up with as many ideas as possible and write them all down. And I didn't put this in the book because I wasn't using it then, but if you're having trouble coming up with ideas, why not ask our new AI friend ChatGPT? 

Number three: now it's time to whittle all your ideas down to one thing. For instance, I feel content when I'm on or around water, so I could suggest going for a boat ride or hiring jet skis, depending on whether I want to relax or get my adrenaline pumping. Or perhaps I want to create a more meaningful moment, so I might decide to cook a meal for my newfound travel buddies and prepare a toast or a speech thanking them and telling them how much they've impacted me. I probably wouldn't do that last one, as a side note, because I'm a terrible cook. But if you're not, go for it. 

Number four: the next thing is to book or organise the thing, but if you're not in a position to do that yet – if, for instance, you haven't yet booked your trip – then just write down exactly what you're going to book or organise. And bonus points if it's something that scares you or pushes you outside your comfort zone, because that's something you'll feel a real sense of achievement for doing. Even if this isn't your sole intention, stepping outside your comfort zone adds a whole new element to the moment and will ensure you remember it for years to come. If it's something you need to book, search online and find the company or person you're going to book with and make a note of the website. Just write down a solid plan. 

Number five is to make sure you ask other people to come along: friends or family, or new people you've met while travelling. It doesn't have to be a huge group; a small, intimate group can work just as well. Now, as you're planning for a future trip – and if you solo travel – you might not know who you're asking along yet, especially if you're hoping to invite travel buddies you've not even met yet. So, just note down who you plan on asking or the types of people you hope you'll be able to ask when the time comes. Or just make a note of the number of people this activity or task would work best with. You can even give these hypothetical people names if you wish!

Number six is: don't tell the others – whoever you've asked or are going to ask – that you're planning on creating a movie moment. Don't add any extra pressure or raise their expectations. Just because it won't be organic for you, it doesn't mean it can't seem organic and wonderfully unexpected for them. Give them the gift of a magical movie moment. 

Number seven is to connect the movie moment with a particular song or playlist, so you can play those tracks in the future and be instantly transported back to the memory. Bonus points if it's your or someone else's favourite band, and if the lyrics somehow connect with what you're doing in your movie moment – or with things you've already experienced on your trip. Even bigger bonus points if you can get everyone singing along to the track. This is a great way to get an instant movie moment. 

At the coliving villa in the Basque Country, we heard various versions of Take On Me wherever we went, so that song will now forever remind me of my time with those awesome people. Get it ready on your phone to play and make sure everyone can hear the music. Again, this could be something that happens organically as you travel, but for now, head to your workbook and make a note of a few songs that would fit well with the movie moment you hope to make happen. 

Number eight: if you can also connect your movie moment to a smell or taste – something that will really affect the senses and help anchor this moment in your memory – even better. Pick out a delicious wine to share with your friends, hand out your favourite snacks, or cook your favourite meal – or even just take along a bunch of amazing-smelling flowers. This can work especially well if the food or drink you consume has a special significance within the group. For instance, my travel buddies and I always drank lemon beer in Spain and we became addicted to the Basque Country cheesecake.

Number nine is for when you actually attempt your magical movie moment. As you step into your movie moment, really make an effort to live in the present and make a mental note of every sight, sound, smell, and taste. Take a quick photo and/or video of the moment so you can share it with your friends later, but don't go overboard with taking loads of pics. You want to be experiencing the moment in real life, not from behind a lens. Enjoy every single second of your magical movie moment.

And, number ten: finally, afterwards, write a diary entry for your movie moment in as much detail as possible, and do it as soon as you can while your memory is still fresh. You could even ask your friends, family, or travel buddies to write their own version or to add a line or two to yours. Getting all the details down on paper will help you remember the moment in years to come, even after your memory of the event has started to get a little fuzzy. 

And that's it – that's the formula for creating your very own magical movie moments! And the great thing is you can create hundreds of different moments and scenarios from these ten steps. But, if you're still stuck for ideas, here are a few more movie moment starting points I've come up with to get your creative juices flowing:

Take some wine-loving friends to a beautiful vineyard and give yourself a moment to sit down and take a breather while discussing your favourite experiences of the trip so far. 

Go on a hike, timing it so you get to the perfect vantage point just as the sun goes down. Pop on your music, pop open some bubbly, and just enjoy the view with others.

Pack a picnic and surprise your friends or travel buddies with a suggestion of a nice walk before sitting down and really enjoying your snacks and drinks. 

Head to the beach at night and talk for hours under the moonlight, preferably next to a fire pit where you can toast marshmallows and make s'mores. 

Make some hot chocolate for everyone, bundle up under some blankets, and do some stargazing.

If you have a campfire, consider telling some spooky stories, or perhaps tell each other your life stories or your deepest, darkest secrets. 

If you're not into camping, why not push yourself outside your comfort zone and go on a short camping trip? Suggest no phones or devices, and really take the time to bond with each other. This will offer plenty of opportunities for magical movie moments. Perhaps you can sing your memorable song together instead of playing it on your phone. 

Go on a road trip adventure with your friends, your favourite playlist, and your favourite road trip snacks. Ditch the GPS and just see where you end up. Singing along together in the car is mandatory. 

If it's the end of your time together, consider doing something a little different and more memorable. On our last night parties in the villa, I read out the poem I'd written for the group, we took part in a gratitude circle, and we really took the time to reflect on our experience and to be thankful for everyone we'd met. Super emotional. 

I then go into yet another example of a personal movie moment of mine in Estes Park, Colorado, when I was there with my friends. Then I talk about another one that happened in Wales last summer. It's just a very brief one:

My friend Vicki and I also had a magical movement moment as I was driving us through the Welsh countryside after our stay in the middle of nowhere. We'd constantly been getting stuck behind tractors, as usually happens in the country, and at one point we got stuck behind one pulling a huge load of hay bales. We happened to be listening to The Chicks – or The Dixie Chicks – singing along to their country classic, Wide Open Spaces, and passing several horses on the side of the road, pegged out by a community of travellers who were passing through. When a huge gust of wind upset the hay bales and thousands of tiny pieces of hay showered down around us, hitting the windscreen of the car and floating in through our open windows like we were in some kind of giant country snow globe. Or, I suppose it would be a hay globe.

The sun was shining, the music was blaring, we were having a great time singing along and watching the beautiful horses, and now we were surrounded by a flurry of freshly harvested hay that danced around us as we drove through the stunning Welsh countryside. It truly was a magical movie moment. 

So, as I say, there's loads more in this chapter – and that’s chapter twelve in my Intentional Travel Transformation book.

I also have a guide on creating magical movie moments, which you can get in my Travel Transformation Academy. You can check that out at traveltransformationcoach.com/academy. You can check out my book at traveltransformationcoach.com/books. I will put that in the show notes as well. 

And yeah, I just wanted to do an episode on this because it's something that occurs to me when I'm travelling and when this kind of thing happens, and I often wonder if other people think the same thing as me or if it's just because I have a stupidly vivid imagination and I think everything should be like it's in a movie. I don't know. I've asked some of my guests about this on the podcast and they've come back with some great ones, so I know other people do think like this. 

If you can think of any movie moments that have happened to you either while travelling or not – anywhere in your life – I would love to hear about them, so I know I'm not alone in thinking like this! You can contact me at info@traveltransformationcoach.com or you can DM me on Instagram @traveltransformationcoach. 

Thanks for listening. I hope the sound was okay. These are the last couple of podcast episodes I'll be recording in Switzerland because I'm just here for another week and I have been working really, really hard. I've been doing so much of my editing work, so much podcast work, so much of my coaching work, all that stuff… for three weeks I've just been going hard at it. So next week I am taking a few days off. Well, not totally off because I'll be taking my laptop with me, because I still have work to do, but I am going on an epic train/road trip that I've just booked all the trains and hotels for. 

So I'm going for three or four days. I'm going from Zurich, which is where I'm near now, and I'm going to go to Bern, then to Interlaken, maybe to Grindelwald, I don't know if I'm saying that right, and some cute places near there – but I might not have time, depends on the workload. Then I am heading to France randomly; there are a couple of places near the border that I can get to quite easily by train. 

I really want to go to Colmar and then Strasbourg, so I'm staying in Colmar for two nights. It looks so ridiculously cute and I know they have Christmas markets and stuff there too, so I'm going to scope it out to see if I want to go at Christmas because I really want to do some European Christmas markets; I've never done that. And then I’m going to Basel on the way back before I come back to Zurich for my last weekend here. My friend Sunny will be coming back again, so I'll see her, hopefully go for some drinks, and do all the packing and all the stuff, and then I'll be heading back to the UK. So there's a lot to do – I thought I'd get these done and out of the way. It's a Sunday evening, and I thought I'd get them done! 

Thank you for listening. I hope you create your own magical movie moments – please let me know about your own – and, until next time, I'll catch you on the flip side, bye! 

Do you want to learn how you can use travel – and travel-related principles – to completely change your life?

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