Finding inspiration for your tale’s location can be tricky. It’s not always easy to find the exact location that screams, “This is the place!” Traveling to find the right location can be fun, but it can also be grueling. Rushing around to see all the usual sites becomes tiring. The throngs of people make it crowded. By the time you’re done, you need a vacation from your vacation.
What if you could travel, see some great sites, and get inspiration for backdrops to your latest book, video, or table top gaming quest? There are some great locations around the world that fit this description.
New Zealand is a phenomenal vacation site with plenty of inspiration (See Te Henga Beach above). The filming locations of Xena, Hercules, Lord of the Rings, The Wilds, Chronicle of Narnia, Wolverine, and many other movies and shows are located all over the island. Beautiful locations such as Waikato, Matamata (Home to Hobbiton, left) and Mount Ngauruhoe* (Lord of the Rings Mount Doom, right) are wonderful places to explore for inspiration.
Looking for more medieval locations? Castles and shires are the locations to visit for inspiration. Are you a castle buff? England, Germany, France, and Austria are just a few of the locations you’ll find plenty of castles. You could make an entire vacation just visiting the castles.
Perhaps you’d like a tour of Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, England (Harry Potter, Downtown Abbey).
Trim Castle (Braveheart), in Meath, Ireland, is a rugged backdrop for a medieval scene. This Celtic castle has stood the tests of time.
A more modern location could be Torenhof Castle(Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, left) in Brasschaat, Belgium. There is also Neuschwanstein Castle (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), also in Belgium, that lends a 19th century fantasy feel to the area.
Chateau de Hautefort (Ever After) in Hautefort, France, lends a fantasy-like location to the lives of kings and queens. The grounds and gardens are beautifully done. Also check out Chateau de Fenelon and Chateau de Losse, also used for filming Ever After.
Looking for more inspiration or travel sites? Stay tuned to our next blog where we’ll continue our search for just the right locations.
*Photo by Guillaume Piolle