Sideways is the latest in a long line of movies that prompt travelers to explore the beauty and romance of locations featured in film and to document those places through their own experience (see "Ready, Set, Pack," opposite). Lost in Translation led people to Tokyo. A River Runs Through It transformed Missoula, Montana, into a bustling hot spot known for its Hollywood outlaws and writerly enclaves. Cinematic stories played large in hidden spaces incite our imagination, fuel our need for romance, and assist in our collective blurring of fact and fiction. "I think films present us with icons, and whatever we see of the place is not really the place but a romanticized version," Moller says. "It's a journey that you want to go to and be part of."

Such connections happen more and more. Sideways showcased a moody grape and a little-known, picturesque region. Witness the 33 percent sales increases of Pinot Noir in California. A River Runs Through It launched a flood of fly-fishing schools. Easy Rider ignited a love affair for two-wheeled travel that still tugs at the American psyche. "The other thing that is interesting is that it also captures a national collective imagination," says Jason Mittell, professor of media studies at Middlebury College in Vermont. "I think for a lot of people, pop culture puts something on the menu as an option," he says. "People who know the movie, who like the movie, go and attempt to re-create the moments - hopefully the more celebratory moments and less the motorcycle-helmet-in-the-head moments."

Although research suggests that only four percent of travelers (about five million people) choose a travel destination after watching a movie or TV show, Cathy Keefe, manager of media relations for the Travel Industry Association of America, says anecdotal evidence supports the theory that pop culture success equals a spike in visitors. She cites the rush to Savannah, Georgia, created by the book and movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as one example. According to TIA research, screen-inspired travelers tend to be young, affluent, married, professional males.