Netflix’s People We Meet on Vacation jet-sets from Tuscany to British Columbia, but the production never left New Orleans and Spain’s Costa Brava. The adaptation of Emily Henry’s best-seller, which premiered on January 9, used movie magic to stand in for five international destinations while keeping the story’s globetrotting spirit intact.
Director Brett Haley tells News Of Losangeles that author Emily Henry blessed the location swaps. “Our job was to make something that captured the spirit of Emily’s book,” he says, even when budget and logistics meant losing or changing settings.
At a Glance
- The rom-com spans five vacation spots yet filmed only in New Orleans and Spain
- Barcelona replaced Palm Springs for David’s wedding; Costa Brava stood in for Canada and Tuscany
- Henry visited the set and approved the changes
- Why it matters: Fans can retrace the movie’s footsteps with just two plane tickets-or one domestic road trip
New Orleans Doubles as Itself and Linfield, Ohio
The Crescent City plays two roles. Bourbon Street, Royal Street, Café Du Monde, and Frenchmen Street hotspots like Bamboula’s appear exactly as tourists know them. Production couldn’t close Bourbon, so Haley shot guerrilla-style. “We had a group of extras that walked with us. Other than that, we were just going down the street, no lights, just a camera and the actors,” he says.
Domilise’s Po-boy & Bar makes a cameo; the real cashier appears onscreen. St. Johns neighborhood and Audubon Park become leafy Midwest streets for flashbacks to the fictional Linfield, while Poppy’s childhood home sits across Lake Pontchartrain in Covington.
Spain’s Costa Brava Becomes Three Continents
The bulk of the movie was filmed along the rugged Costa Brava, north of Barcelona. Key sites include:
- Casa de Santa Clotilde – the 1933 clifftop villa used for David’s wedding; gardens open to the public for about $7
- Sa Boadella Beach – the stand-in for Henry’s iconic book-cover scene, traditionally a nude beach
- Masjoan Arboretum – redwoods planted over a century ago that mimic British Columbia’s Squamish Valley
- ME Barcelona Hotel rooftop – discovered during scouting and used for David’s sunset phone call
- Can Llambi – the Tuscan villa where Alex and Poppy’s friendship frays, actually 45 minutes inland from the coast
Production designer Bruce Curtis says the arboretum’s under-canopy was “so close to a Squamish setting, it was an amazing find.” Henry was on set for the beach shoot and jokes that “fifteen feet on either side of that shot, there’s a lot of naked men.”
What Got Cut
Croatia, Iceland, and the original Palm Springs wedding location were axed early. Banff became Squamish, and Tuscany moved to a Spanish villa. Haley says every change aimed to “make the audience feel like they were going on vacation with Poppy and Alex while staying true to the story.”
Plan Your Own Vacation Tour
Fans can replicate the film’s itinerary with two streamlined trips:
Domestic option: Fly into New Orleans and hit Café Du Monde at dawn, stroll Royal Street, catch live music at Bamboula’s, and picnic in Audubon Park.
International option: Base yourself in Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava. Morning coffee in the Casa de Santa Clotilde gardens, afternoon swim at Sa Boadella, and sunset cocktails on the ME Barcelona rooftop-no extra flights to Canada, Italy, or Barcelona required.
Henry gave the condensed roadmap her stamp of approval, telling Haley the changes kept the heart of her story intact. Viewers browsing flights can thank cinematic sleight-of-hand for the lighter itinerary-and the smaller credit-card bill.
