Set Jetting

Vacations can be subjective. For some, getting away from it all and enjoying a blissful spa experience is ideal. For others, vacations are defined by the number of adrenaline-packed experiences, or perhaps it’s all about trying as many food experiences as possible. But there’s a unique group of travelers who make it their mission to visit as many film and television locations as possible. This travel approach is better known as Set Jetting.

Beverley Hills City Hall served as the façade of the Beverly Hills Police Department for the Beverly Hills Cop franchise.

While Hollywood, California is known the world over as being the capital of the entertainment industry, it never has – nor will it ever – be able to completely contain every aspect of destination experiences within a production. Truly, the world is a stage. Not too far from L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, you can visit the exterior of Beverly Hills City Hall which served as the façade of the Beverly Hills Police Department for each movie in Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop franchise.

Chicago was a filming location for many different film and television productions.

The city of Chicago is experiencing an elevated wave of film & television production. The most popular is FX & Hulu’s The Bear which is shot throughout the city has produced scenes from the series at Mr. Beef, Publican Quality Meats, Margie’s Candies and numerous other locations throughout town. Additionally, Showtime’s The Chi has produced scenes within the McKinley Park neighborhood and NBC’s Chicago Fire includes the fully operational Fire Station 51 throughout the series. Fun Fact: McDonald’s Global Headquarters now sits in the exact location where Oprah Winfrey once reigned supreme as the Queen of Daytime Talk at her Harpo Studios.
The Mexican Riviera locale of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico has experienced its fair share of productions. Night of the Iguana and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides were shot throughout Puerto Vallarta, and the jungle mountains of Puerto Vallarta’s Mismaloya were the location for the movie Predator.

Also, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has utilized locations throughout Europe, Puerto Rico and the Bahamian islands.

Jurassic Park was filmed on Pilaa Beach in Kauai, ocean and surrounding beach

What production feature or television series wouldn’t want to use Hawaii as a location?

The first season of HBO’s White Lotus called the island of Maui home for the duration of its production.

Four Seasons Maui served as the centerpiece of White Lotus’ first season.

Over on the island of Kauai, multiple island locations were utilized throughout the Jurassic Park franchise including Pilaa Beach in Jurassic Park 3, the Na Pali Coast in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, as well as Hanapepe Valley that featured in the first Jurassic Park movie.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two CBS series which called Hawaii home (originals and reboots): Hawaii Five-O & Magnum PI. Both series used the majestic beauty of the islands throughout each production. And ABC’s hit series Lost was shot entirely and throughout the island of Oahu.
Click here to explore more destinations!
Sign Up for Costco.com Emails
If you are interested in great deals Costco Travel has to offer, click here to sign up to receive emails. This will ensure that Travel and Costco.com values are sent directly to your inbox.
Once You Are Ready to Travel, Costco Travel Can Help
We invite you to take some time to browse around and dream of your next vacation, rental car, or cruise, whether you’re booking for next month or toward the end of next year.
About the Author: The above piece was written by Jason Gordon, a guest travel blogger, and Costco enthusiast. Jason Gordon is compensated by Costco Travel to share his travel experiences.