Story & Photos by Marjorie Magazine

This article originally appeared in the 2021 Print Issue of Marjorie Magazine. Order the issue now in digital or print here

If you ever wanted to get out into the world but see something completely breathtaking, step into the world of Wes Anderson– and we’re being literal.

The visually pleasing films of Wes Anderson are easily marked by pastel or dramatically bold hues, symmetry of Mid-Century or Deco components, and immaculate details or composition of a room. It’s what travelers Wally and Amanda Koval realized was their source of inspiration in creating an online bucket list of places to travel back in 2017. Through Instagram, their page @accidentallywesanderson has gone from bookmarking fantastic locations into a growing community of over 1 million explorers and fans of Wes Anderson, documenting their own findings in the wild of these buildings or rooms that feel right out of a scene from his films. From abandoned swimming pools to curiously uncrowded train stations, the Kovals knew that the online community they cherished was ready for a physical guide to their idiosyncratic world, bringing us to hold in our hands Accidentally Wes Anderson, The Book (2020), a 368-page book filled with nearly 200 contributions of photography documenting idyllic destinations across 50 different countries. As the jacket blurb proclaims,

Perfect for modern travelers and fans of Wes Anderson’s distinctive aesthetic, this is an invitation to look at your world through a different lens.

That being said, each photo is accompanied by a brief but insightful few field notes on the history of the photo’s location or pertaining to the prominent feature of the photo (like the history of Airstream trailers that follows a colorfully displayed one in Jackson Center, Ohio shot by Lane Dittoe). It’s enough to grab your attention but also leaves you feeling more associated with the history of the world in a fresh and unexpected viewpoint. Each chapter of the guide is introduced with a simple map numbering where each following destination is located in that continent/region, for easy logistical planning. Whether you’re looking outward to see from aboard the Belafonte or en route to find a stay similar to that of the Grand Budapest’s opulence, the selected spots within this book are waiting practically unspoiled as if time within the world of Wes Anderson stands still particularly for this set of Adventurers. However, the book asks that when in the pursuit, to be mindful of the cultures and local customs in which you may find yourself, and should any of the locations mentioned within Accidentally no longer exist, to please email Koval and team promptly– most likely for future editions or more excitingly, second and third volumes. That shouldn’t be a problem– with so many submissions, Instagram followers, and even a surprise foreward from the acclaimed director himself within the book on the influence of his work in the travelsphere– to continue in bringing the inspiring world of Anderson from the silver screen and into our very own reality, into a book you simply cannot pass on.

Accidentally Wes Anderson, The Book is available online at accidentallywesanderson.com, $45 and join the Community of Adventurers on Instagram at @accidentallywesanderson