From Tuscany to New Orleans, these People We Meet On Vacation locations guarantee R&R.
I first read People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry a few summers ago in prep for a book club discussion. Fast forward to today: it’s still one of my favorite travel romance books of all time. A When Harry Met Sally style slow burn with lots of banter and an added dose of wanderlust.
Emily Henry’s novel tracks the journey of two people who find themselves and a sense of home with each other, wherever they go. Poppy Wright (played by Emily Bader in the film) is a bubbly travel writer for R&R, a fictional travel magazine run by Swapna Bakshi-Highsmith (Jameela Jamil). Alex Nilsen (Tom Blyth) is a reserved teacher (and bookworm in the novel). Poppy and Alex are opposites, best friends with a decade of summer trips (and inside jokes) under their belts.
It’s these summer trips I want to share with you today. Here are ten People We Meet On Vacation locations (from the book and movie) you can visit (I won’t spoiler the plot, but I will reveal all the places Poppy and Alex travel to).
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Vancouver Island
Ten summers ago. Poppy and Alex head to Vancouver Island, Canada. They stop by The Fairmont Empress (there really is a contemporary art gallery inside), hike through an old-growth forest (Cathedral Grove) in the early hours of the morning, and traipse through the beautiful city of Victoria. They drive to Tofino and take a water taxi to a nearby island (most likely, Flores Island) where they hike some more. This time, to a hot spring – Hot Spring Cove Boardwalk is the trail to follow. It’s an easy hike, an hour’s stroll along a cedar boardwalk. And the landscape is just as lush, vibrant, and misty as you’d expect from the Pacific Northwest.
“I spend the whole week thinking, This speaks to me. This is what I want for the rest of my life. To see new places. To meet new people. To try new things.”
Emily Henry, People We Meet On Vacation (Pg. 95)
Nashville
photo (left) by Samantha Mandato, photo (right) by Payton Butler
Nine summers ago. Poppy and Alex take a quick trip to Nashville, Tennessee. They drive down from Ohio, listening to country music on the way to Music City. They check into a kitschy hotel with musician-themed rooms. Graduate by Hilton Nashville is the stay I’d recommend if you want to recreate this trip. Framed in the Graduate’s rooms are pictures of singers like Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Patsy Cline. And the lobby is just as lively with a portrait of Opry star Minnie Pearl front and center on a bubblegum pink rug. A neon-lit VACANCY sign (once part of an old Tennessee motel) stands by the elevators, and rows of mismatched loveseats stagger up to a wall. You could catch up on the latest Emily Henry novel here, or head to Broadway for a night out in Nashville’s downtown.
Northern California
Eight summers ago. Poppy and Alex relax in Northern California. They sip wine in Sonoma, see-saw between Muir Beach and Muir Woods, and cozy up in a charming bed-and-breakfast. Then, they spend a day exploring San Francisco rental-car-free. They walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, pop into one of the best bookstores in San Francisco (City Lights), and splurge at a glitzy seafood restaurant (that has, unfortunately, closed since). They wind up in a Hemingway-themed bar afterwards, and there is indeed a bookish bar in San Francisco you can go to: Novela. Picture a moody after-hours-at-the-library atmosphere, punchy cocktails that reference writers and characters, and a chic event space titled The Hemingway Room.
New Orleans
Seven summers ago. Poppy and Alex eat and drink their way through New Orleans, Louisiana. They pass old, balconied buildings and pavements overpowered by thick tree roots. They opt for beignets at Cafe du Monde, browse The French Market, and hit up Bourbon Street. They visit bar after bar: The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone and Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar.
In the movie, the spirit is the same. Much of the People We Meet On Vacation film adaptation was shot in New Orleans (even the portions set in Ohio).
Filming locations to note (and visit) are: Cafe du Monde (where Poppy and Alex try beignets and coffee), Bourbon Street and Jackson Square (for wandering), and Domilise’s (where Poppy and Alex order po’boys). The dance scene was filmed in Bamboula’s, a music club on Frenchmen Street.
Vail
photo (left) by Chaitanya Rayampally, photo (right) by Parker Jones
Six summers ago. Poppy and Alex spend an outdoorsy vacation in Vail, Colorado. They cycle through the alpine town surrounded by vast mountain landscapes. They slow down in the mornings, unwind, and hike during the day. Their evenings are chill, full of hearty food and red wine. Later, they meet up with an old friend (from a previous trip – no spoilers) and try beginner rafting.
The perfect Vail vacation looks similar to Poppy and Alex’s getaway: lots of time soaking up the fresh mountain air, day hiking, and kayaking (or canoeing). I’d also recommend a gentle walk through Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, one of the highest-positioned botanical gardens in the world.
Read Next: The Perfect Colorado Summer Packing List
Sanibel Island
Five summers ago. The weather isn’t always perfect while traveling, and this is true now, as Poppy and Alex hole up in a hole-in-the-wall bar in Sanibel Island, Florida, their itinerary blotted by heavy summer storms. Sanibel Island is a People We Meet On Vacation book location best visited in winter (dry season), when you can cycle along bike-friendly paths, watch the sun set early from Bowman’s Beach, and see seashells blanket long stretches of sand. After all, Sanibel Island is the seashell capital of the world (and is home to the only museum in the US dedicated to shells and mollusks).
Tuscany
Three summers ago. Poppy and Alex set out on a summer trip to Tuscany that feels like a Pinterest dream board come to life. It’s the kind of trip that makes you instantly imagine sloping vineyards and the villa from Under The Tuscan Sun dressed in stone.
Their days are cinematic and movie-incongruent (a few of the location details map more to the Amalfi Coast than to Tuscany, but Tuscany is the location explicitly specified in the book). Sunlight lingers as Poppy explores little towns and drinks cups of limoncello. Some towns in Tuscany to wander through: Pienza, San Quirico d’Orcia, and Suvereto.
“It’s hard to be in a bad mood when you’re staying in a village, with a gleaming pool and old stone patio, an outdoor kitchen with bougainvillea dripping over everything in soft pinks and purples.”
Emily Henry, People We Meet On Vacation (pg. 276)
Croatia
Two summers ago. Poppy and Alex visit Old Town Dubrovnik, Croatia, a destination already teeming with set-jetters thanks to Game of Thrones. They wind through the streets and view the Adriatic Sea. They take a ferry to Korčula, a less touristed island with small beaches, old walls, and tiny alleys. Here’s what to do (R&R style): sip a white wine, eat seafood for dinner every night, and watch the sunset (always).
Palm Springs
This summer. Poppy and Alex head to Palm Springs, California. Summer in Coachella Valley is all-caps hot, so their movements stiffen – one literally and the other metaphorically – on this California vacation. Poppy loops around the Palm Springs Art Museum; she moves along Palm Canyon Drive, a lovely walking area where you can find date shakes for two, The Shops At Thirteen Forty Five, and a Thursday night street market known as VillageFest.
Poppy and Alex catch glimpses of Palm Springs, the town, on this trip. They try to visit Moorten Botanical Garden and attempt a self-guided architecture tour (Palm Springs has one of the largest concentrations of Mid-century modern architecture in the United States and is full of Mid Mod neighborhoods worth driving through).
Catalonia
This summer. In the adaptation, Palm Springs is swapped for Catalonia. The trip is still AC-breaking hot (and full of feels) as filming for People We Meet On Vacation took place in Barcelona, Girona, and Costa Brava.
According to Time Out, even the scenes in Squamish and Tuscany were filmed in Catalonia [source]. The beach, where Bader and Blyth recreate the People We Meet On Vacation book cover, is Playa Cala Sa Boadella, a seaside cove that draws sunbathers (and some nudists). And the on-screen wedding was filmed in Costa Brava, Spain, in a real-life wedding venue, picture-perfect by the Spanish coast.
Which of these People We Meet On Vacation filming locations and book locations speaks to you? Let me know in the comments below!
