Long distance plane travel has always been boring, and while we still have books and magazines, the proliferation of tablets, notebooks and netbooks has given most travelers the capacity to create and bring their own movie libraries onboard with them, a 2-hour distraction. But sometimes a movie does more than just kill time, it can also set the mood for the trip, either by teaching the traveler historical and cultural themes, or simply by showcasing the natural or man made beauty of a place, it sights, its streets, its life.

   Award-winning travel journalist Larry Olmsted is a Contributing Editor to US Airways Magazine and Cigar Aficionado Magazine and “The Great Life” columnist for Forbes.com.