Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

anahita777 It's a great movie. It's true that a backpacker trip in hostels gives you these kind of experiences but it's totally different if you avoid hostels and use couchsurfing, or just walk in a street to find a host or stay at local people's houses. I've traveled both way, stay with locals and go to hostels and believe me, it's absolutely not the same trip at all. You learn much less about the country, specially when you begin to move around with other backpacker, you become a group of tourists for the local people and you don't experience the real life and culture of the locals and they are also different to you in that way. The less you meet people who speaks the same language than you, the more you get to know the country and their people as you have to find a way to live with these people.However, the movie, was great and it is really helpful for the people who like to travel to understand that it's not one year holidays... There is almost no comfort but it worth the freedom :)I gave 8 just because it would be much better to be more with local people than with other travelers in hostels ;)

s-aitken88 I'd rate it higher but I think the film doesn't have enough shots to show the really awesome aspects. It's mostly interviews with other travellers talking about their own opinion on travelling, rather than actually showing the real-life shots of the mostly *cultural* experiences that are had on the journey.By the end of the film, I wasn't left with a burning desire to pack up my things and go back out to do it all again. I think it's because my personal interest in travel is hardly based on the interpersonal relationships at all. But that's the only thing this documentary seems to cover. Travelling is more than just meeting new people in hostels.However, Brook Silva-Braga I'm sure you'll read this, so I'd just like to say that if I was somewhere in the world and I met you, and we talked, and you told me you were making this movie, I would be hugely impressed - you definitely made the most of your time away. And we'd no-doubt form the classic 'traveller friendship' you described in the movie, hah.I give the documentary a 6 because it sadly didn't really cover the key aspects of travel that I was expecting to see, and instead just focused on meeting new travellers and how it 'feels' to be one. However for the effort and generally awesome motivation and hard work that will have gone into making and filming it for a full year, I give a 10/10, because, as I said, it is a hugely impressive thing to do, no matter what.I'm interested to know how it's perceived by people who've never left home before.

xfiler7 Whiny, spoiled boy quits his TV job and dumps his Manhattan apartment to take a year long vacation from his tough life. In this useless travelogue, he focuses on socializing with fellow backpackers and does not talk much about the places or sights. Once in a while, he complains about Indian trains, altitude sickness, and getting mugged. Hey, there's a way to avoid this- it's called research! Also he low-balls the cost of his trip ($20k USD)- bullshit on that, especially when you're buying your many plane tickets last minute in the terminal. So sorry you're lonely on your trek, but maybe if you had concentrated more on where you are and what real locals are doing, and not just f**king Euro girls in hostels, you'd have had a better time.

adi I am a traveler. Born in Europe, I have traveled Europe extensively. I did a RTW (Around The World Trip), I traveled several individual countries independently, I have traveled specific regions independently - generally speaking, I am a nomad (and currently an expat). So, yeah, I was very curious what 'A Map for Saturday' could do for me. While watching the movie, I had many moments of nodding, I had many moments of pure joy because some memories came over me and I definitely understood where most of these people were coming from: backpacking = freedom, backpacking = a one time opportunity, backpacking scares you into open-mindedness, etc., etc. However, eventually the movie left me wanting. On one hand, because I wanted to run into the storage room and pack my gear (which is a good thing). But on the other hand also because it was rather one dimensional. Yes, the impact meeting other travelers has on you when you do a one year solo trip is undeniable. And yes, it is interesting to hear these '5 hours friends' opinions, motivations and philosophy. But that goes only that far. It's shallow - something the director recognizes himself, but doesn't break out off. And that is why the movie is one dimensional. That's why the movie is more a study of a subculture, rather than trying to communicate the essence of backpacking. Backpacking is not exclusively about other foreigners, partying, shagging, meeting and leaving friends - it's also (and hopefully even more so) about the local people and the local culture. And that is something the movie does touch on only marginally - which is in the end why I can not really relate to the movie, despite being a backpacker.Like I said in the beginning: it's not a great movie, but it's going to be difficult to make it better. If you are a traveler (or have been), I recommend picking it up to go down memory lane for a while. If you are considering doing a RTW, most definitely watch this movie, it'll give you some confidence. But if you want to experience the backpacking feeling: grab you pack and hit the road.