In the days of yore when passports were rubber-stamped at the airport, few people could boast such an eclectic collection of foreign ambassadorial imprints as James Bond, secret agent, cocktail connoisseur and amasser of innumerable air miles. A recent study concluded that since 1962, Bond had visited 49 countries, several of them repeat visits.
When the series first began with Dr. No in the early sixties, the vast majority of the cinemagoers in the audience could scarcely dream of such widespread globetrotting. In the pre-package holidays era, the idea of jetting off to Japan and stopping off at Morocco on the way home, via Paris was pure fantasy unless you were either a multi-millionaire or Alan Whicker.
The glamorous travelogue aspect of the Bond films were an intrinsic part of its appeal. Even now, despite the comparatively inexpensive nature of world travel, a Bond movie is always a determinedly international affair. Often, the foreign location is the defining characteristic that stays in the memory, as with Octopussy (the one set in India) or On Her Majestys Secret Service (the one in the Alps with the St. Bernard dog).
For decades, Bond fans have spent small fortunes following in their heros elegant footsteps. Its actually possible to take a much cheaper tour around the slightly less glamorous locations in the UK that the Bond producers managed to dress up as far flung countries. Want to see where Daniel Craig crashed his Aston in Montenegro? Head to Bedforshire. Fancy going to Azerbaijan like Pierce Brosnan did in The World Is Not Enough? Sorry, that was Hankley Common in Surrey. Even North Koreas Demilitarised Zone at the start of Die Another Day was really the much less intimidating Aldershot in Hampshire.
However, for the most part the Bond movies dont short change their audiences and for six decades they have brought the world into our cinemas and living rooms. Anyone wishing to emulate Bonds travel habits might want to start in France. The Eiffel Tower is the most obvious port of call, scene of Roger Moores pursuit of Grace Jones in A View To a Kill, but 20 miles south of the capital youll find the stunning expansive, Chteau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, Californian home of Moonrakers suave villain Hugo Drax.
Heading over to Switzerland, you can perfect your slalom technique (and your Australian accent) as you follow George Lazenbys 1969 adventures in the snow-capped Bernese Oberland, even taking a cable car up to the Piz Gloria restaurant at Schilthorns summit. In the current climate Bond may well try out one of the new online casinos in Finland to get his fix.
A trip to Venice gives you three Bond films to tick off in one visit. It provided a suitably romantic climax to Sean Connerys second film From Russia With Love, was trashed by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, and provided a rare glimpse of the lesser-spotted double-taking pigeon in Moonraker. From there, you could short-haul it over to the Italian island of Sardinia, specifically Porto Cervo, where Roger Moore puts the underwater capabilities of his new Lotus Esprit to the test.
In Austria, you can emulate Timothy Daltons chaste pursuit of Maryam DAbo on the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel in Viennas Prater Park, or make a beeline for the Greek island of Corfu where most of For Your Eyes Only was filmed. A brief sojourn to Russia will allow you to guess which part of the tank chase in GoldenEye were actually filmed in St. Petersburg and not at Leavesden Studios near Watford.
Istanbul has proved a popular option for Bond location scouts. 007 has paid the Turkish capital a visit three times, firstly in From Russia With Love then at the climax of The World is Not Enough. Most recently Bond rather unceremoniously smashed up the Grand Bazaar with his motorbike antics in the breakneck opening of Skyfall.
The flight to India will allow you a decent amount of rest, unless you choose to go toe-to-toe with Daniel Craig in his in-flight Martini consumption six. When you land, your main destination is the stunning city of Udaipur, specifically the Monsoon Palace where you can take your safari suit out for a spin as Octopussy comes to life around you.
The Far East has played house to James Bond many times over the years. He was even killed there (briefly) in You Only Live Twice. Himeji Castle in the Hygo Prefecture of Japan may look like a 14th Century fortress, but we know that its really Tiger Tanakas ninja training school.
The islands off Thailands Phang Nga Bay provided Christopher Lees titular Man With The Golden Gun with a lavish, exotic lair and so entrenched is the 007 connection here that Khao Phing Kan is more widely known as James Bond Island. Oh, and if the Saigon-set scenesfrom TomorrowNever Dies seem familiar, its because they were shot in Thailands capital Bangkok.
Take a long flight across the Pacific Ocean until you see San Franciscos Golden Gate Bridge hove into view. There you will see Roger Moore battling it out with Christopher Walken while a blimp explodes behind them. Bond has made a few appearances in America but his lengthiest stay was probably in A View To a Kill.
Elsewhere you could take the Diamonds Are Forever tour around Las Vegas (or check out Casino Bernie if youre housebound), or take a speedboat ride along the rivers and bayous of Louisiana, Live & Let Die-style. Alternatively, you can head to South America instead. The cable-car that took Bond, Holly Goodhead (and Jaws) up to Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro is still taking Moonraker fans to the summit.
Mexico City provided the location for Spectres dazzling opening scenes. Mexico also doubled for the entirely fictional Isthmus City in Licence To Kill Wayne Newtons isolated retreat was shot at the Otomi Ceremonial Center, about 40 miles outside Mexico City. If youre hoping to make a pilgrimage to Bolivia as a tribute to Quantum of Solace, youd best head to Panama City, where the Bolivian scenes were shot.
Were reaching the end of Bonds journey by the time we get to The Bahamas, where he saved the day in Thunderball and won his Aston Martin DB5in Nassau. Appropriately, the tour ends in Jamaica, which has played host to several James Bond adventures, including his first, Dr. No Ursula Andresss Honey Rider emerged from the surf at Laughing Waters Beach and an icon was born. When No Time To Die does eventually make its bow in November God willing by all accounts it is in Jamaica that Felix Leiter finds Bond enjoying retirement, albeit briefly. Jamaica is also Bonds spiritual home, as author Ian Fleming wrote all the Bond novels there at his home, Goldeneye in Oracabessa Bay. Having raised a rum punch in his honour, its time to head home.
We havent even got to Iceland (Die Another Day) or Egypt (The Spy Who Loved Me), but theres only so much even James Bond can do. If your budget doesnt quite stretch to a round-the-world odyssey, there are plenty of UK based Bondlocations to visit. Theres Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands, where Bond escaped with M in Skyfall, or why notplay a round at Stoke Poges golf course in Buckinghamshire where Bond and Auric Goldfinger did battle back in 1964. If things are really tight, dont forget, theres always Aldershot!
James Bond will return, and hell be bringing his air miles card with him.
See the original post:
See the world Secret Agent Style - The Travels of James Bond - HeyUGuys
- Abigail's Ending Twist Debunks A Shocking Nicolas Cage Movie Theory After Last Year's $65 Million Horror Bomb - Screen Rant - May 1st, 2024
- The Classic Vampire Movie Accused Of Stealing From A Lost Film - Giant Freakin Robot - May 1st, 2024
- In Interview With the Vampire's New Trailer, Louis Begins to Remember the Horrors - Gizmodo - April 2nd, 2024
- Even An Animated Twilight Show Can't Fix The Book's Silliest Decision - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire's new season 2 trailer invites you to the Thtre. - The Verge - April 2nd, 2024
- A Major 'Twilight' Star Is Down To Return For The TV Show, So Bring On The Sparkly Vampires - Yahoo Life - April 2nd, 2024
- Vampire Weekends Only God Was Above Us, Reviewed - The New Yorker - April 2nd, 2024
- Louis' Memories Come Flooding Back in 'Interview With the Vampire' Trailer (VIDEO) - TV Insider - April 2nd, 2024
- Louis and Claudia start new life in Paris in 'Interview with the Vampire' S2 trailer - UPI News - April 2nd, 2024
- AMC Networks Releases A Second New Trailer For 'Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire' Season Two! - Age Of The Nerd - April 2nd, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Trailer Sees Louis (and Molloy?) Remembering Monstrous Things - Reactor - April 2nd, 2024
- Man charged in shooting now accused of stalking women - Gaston Gazette - January 9th, 2024
- 15 Actors Whose Characters Have Died The Most Times On-Screen - Collider - December 12th, 2023
- BBC Radio 4 Extra - The World of The Wicker Man - Seven things we learned from 50 years of The Wicker Man - BBC - December 12th, 2023
- Downloads InfraRecorder - January 9th, 2023
- Teetering Tua, Delightful Danny Dimes, and a Confusing Week 17 Ahead - The Ringer - January 1st, 2023
- Fall TV offers vampires, royals, and return to Gilead - Washington Blade - September 16th, 2022
- Year Of The Vampire: Planet Of The Vampires And Lifeforce Took Sci-Fi Schlock To New Heights - /Film - August 14th, 2022
- Gov. DeSantis' recent hissy fit is the latest in a growing list | Column - Tampa Bay Times - August 14th, 2022
- Zombies 3s Terry Hu & Deacon Phillippe Join 'Never Have I Ever' Season 3 - Just Jared Jr. - July 28th, 2022
- Its Finally Time of the Season for The Zombies: British Invasion Band Gets Feature Doc from Robert Schwartzman, Playtone (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety - July 28th, 2022
- 'V Rising' Hits Early Access on May 17 - Bloody Disgusting - April 21st, 2022
- Looking Back at the Horror Movies and Their Monsters That Inspired "Castlevania" - Bloody Disgusting - September 5th, 2021
- Youtooz and NBCUniversal Team Up to Bring Beloved TV and Movie Characters to Life - Business Wire - September 5th, 2021
- 'The Walking Dead' Stormtroopers Explained: Who Are Episode ... - August 24th, 2021
- The Walking Dead (season 11) - Wikipedia - August 24th, 2021
- When does The Walking Dead season 11 begin, and is it the ... - August 24th, 2021
- It Appears Everyone Quit The Walking Dead At The Same Negan ... - August 24th, 2021
- The Walking Dead: White Armor Soldiers Explained - August 24th, 2021
- 'The Walking Dead' Premiere: Negan Really Did It This Time, Huh - August 24th, 2021
- Garlic facts and history: The truth about vampires and health benefits - CNN - June 14th, 2021
- Call of Duty Warzone could be getting Zombies mode in Season 2 - PC Gamer - February 20th, 2021
- CoD: Warzone and Black Ops Cold War season 2, new maps and Zombies mode - Polygon - February 20th, 2021
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies Adding New Field Upgrade and Ammo Mod - GameRant - February 20th, 2021
- New Skill Tiers Coming To Black Ops Cold War Zombies In Season Two - RealSport101 - February 20th, 2021
- HS BOYS BASKETBALL: Lee injects life into season with win over MHS - Midland Reporter-Telegram - January 31st, 2021
- 2021 ACCORDING TO PSYCHICS: COVID-19 ends, families reunite, Neuralink takes offand zombies? - ABC 4 - January 9th, 2021
- What fresh hell will greet us in 2021? Invasion by an alien species of vampiric sheep? - Telegraph.co.uk - December 26th, 2020
- Jimmy Carr hair transplant on show on Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2020 - before and after - Express - December 26th, 2020
- One Thing Every Universal Monster Reboot Should Learn From The Invisible Man - Screen Rant - December 18th, 2020
- Biden Sees the A-Team. I See the Blob. - Foreign Policy - December 14th, 2020
- WATCH: MrBeast Plays An Intense Game of Among Us With 100 Zombies - EssentiallySports - December 14th, 2020
- 100 best spy movies of all time | Entertainment - Kearney Hub - November 30th, 2020
- Hammer House of Horror: the twisted suburban tales that inspired Mark Gatiss and more - The Guardian - November 1st, 2020
- Terry L. Wood was example of hard work, dedication to family - Mason City Globe Gazette - November 1st, 2020
- We Live: Zombies Are The Least of Humanity's Problems - Screen Rant - October 20th, 2020
- Sci-Fi Explosion: A Spooky Night of Horror Hilarity, Trivia, and Prizes with Warner Archive - Den of Geek - October 13th, 2020
- The Best Horror Movies of All Time - 24/7 Wall St. - October 13th, 2020
- Will Zombies be in Cold War Beta? Learn more about Cold War Beta here - Republic World - Republic World - October 10th, 2020
- Fortnite: New Bosses and Enemies coming with Fortnitemares! - New Leaks, Zombies, Ghostly Henchman and More! - RealSport101 - October 10th, 2020
- First look at Teslas new battery cell produced in-house with Roadrunner - Electrek.co - September 18th, 2020
- A competition has launched to find the UK's messiest bedroom, and the winner gets a new bed - Heart - September 12th, 2020
- Rochester teen charged with conspiracy to commit murder out of jail - Goshen News - September 5th, 2020
- County Mayor Coppinger To Extend Mask Mandate Through Oct. 8; COVID-19 Task Force Members Say It Is Working - The Chattanoogan - September 5th, 2020
- Lord Of The Rings Rewind: 49 Things You Didn't Know About The Return Of The King - GameSpot - September 5th, 2020
- 'Zombies of the Corn' haunted attraction set for 8th season of frightful fun in Freedom - TribLIVE - September 2nd, 2020
- Education: Why energy vampires must be slain - Big Think - August 21st, 2020
- INTO THE FORGOTTEN FOREST - Werewolves and Vampires and Magic, Oh My! - Send2Press Newswire - August 21st, 2020
- What's New On Disney+ (US/Canada) | Magic Camp, Zombies 2 & The Greatest Showman - What's On Disney Plus - August 17th, 2020
- Claes Bang working on 'scary and bloody' Hamlet story - The List - August 10th, 2020
- The 25 Scariest Horror Movies on Netflix Now: Can You Handle Them? - News Lagoon - August 6th, 2020
- Robert Downey Jr. Will Produce and Possibly Co-Star in a New Apple TV+ Detective Series - News Lagoon - August 6th, 2020
- TVLine Items: Phineas and Ferb Movie Trailer, Potter to Peacock and More - News Lagoon - August 6th, 2020
- My Hero Academia Chapter 280 Release Date, Spoilers And All You Need To Know - News Lagoon - August 6th, 2020
- Lord Of The Rings Rewind: 38 Things You Didn't Know About The Fellowship Of The Ring - GameSpot - August 6th, 2020
- The Crown: Will Lady Diana and Prince Charles get married in Season 4? Click b ... - Next Alerts - July 8th, 2020
- Fire Force Season 2 Episode 2: Will Shinra continue to investigate the ... - Next Alerts - July 8th, 2020
- Dark Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix: Will there be a Season 4? Click to find out! - Next Alerts - July 8th, 2020
- The OA Season 3: Is Brit Marling returning as The OA in the upco ... - Next Alerts - July 8th, 2020
- Star Wars' Most Dangerous Army Isn't the Jedi - OR the Sith | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources - July 6th, 2020
- Review: We Are Little Zombies Is a Fun, Wildly Stylized Portrait of Grief - slantmagazine - July 6th, 2020
- WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES Exclusive Clip: Meet The Orphans - ScreenAnarchy - July 6th, 2020
- DaBaby and Roddy Ricch fight off zombies in Rockstar visual - REVOLT TV - July 6th, 2020
- Call of Duty: Warzone Seemingly Teasing Zombies - ComicBook.com - June 26th, 2020
- 'Smartphone zombies' BANNED from texting while walking in Japanese city - RT - June 26th, 2020
- Podcast: not-E3 best bits from the PC Gaming Show and Guerrilla Collective streams - Rock Paper Shotgun - June 19th, 2020
- Hotel Transylvania 4: Release Date, Cast, And What To Expect From The New Film? - The Global Coverage - June 18th, 2020
- Trying to Read 'Arguing with Zombies' as a Republican | Learning Innovation - Inside Higher Ed - June 12th, 2020
- Call of Duty 2020 alpha build leaks on PSN, confirms the return of Zombies - VG247 - June 12th, 2020
- Is Call of Duty Warzone adding Zombies in Season 4 of Modern Warfare? - Daily Star - June 12th, 2020
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero