What is a “Set Jetter” and could you be one of them?

If you read the title and wondered if my dyslexia had gotten the better of me and I meant to write jetsetter, nope. I definitely mean set jetter. But what is that?

We’re all familiar with the term “jet set.” It’s used to describe rich people, usually a group of friends, who travel together all over the world doing fun stuff that the average Joe couldn’t afford to do.

Although, it’s also used to describe travelers who may not be wealthy at all but still find the means to globetrot frequently and partake in novel adventures.

Set jetter definition

The term “set jetter” came to my attention when I Googled, “What do you call a person who travels to where movies are filmed?”

Boom. “Set jetter” popped up. It instantly caught my eye, because what a clever turn of phrase, right?

But it’s not used to exclusively describe people who travel to where movies were filmed. It can also include TV shows or even music videos.

So that answers what a set jetter is, but now let’s see if you are one.

You know you’re a set jetter when…

Well, as stated above, if you’ve ever purposely traveled where one of your favorite movies or TV shows was filmed, that qualifies you to be a set jetter.

Sometimes you may not purposely set out to find a movie location though, but you come across them anyway.

Like when we were in Philadelphia. I didn’t jog up the 72 Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and then lift my arms above my head to dance around triumphantly like Sylvester Stalone did in Rocky. But I was tempted.

I did pose in front of the original Cheers bar sign in Boston when our travels took us there though and we walked right by it. (It’s called Bull & Finch but is more commonly known as Cheers Beacon Hill.)

In fact, the East Coast in general has tons of cities where movies were filmed, especially New York.

Perhaps you’ve stopped in for a bite at Katz’s Deli in New York and were tempted to recreate the famous Meg Ryan scene from When Harry Met Sally.

Or while strolling through Central Park you felt compelled to break out into song and dance and perform “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted.

Popular international travel destinations for jet setters include New Zealand for fans of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. They can take a tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set and see the Shire that Bilbo Baggins, Frodo and Sam called home.

Game of Thrones fans might like to make a trek to Northern Ireland or Croatia —or both—to see where scenes from the popular series were filmed.

Another destination for fans of another mega-popular movie series is England. According to the muggles’ guide to Harry Potter filming locations, Alnwick Castle and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour are the two most popular choices.

Back in the U.S. (sort of) Hawaii is no stranger to set jetter tourism either, having had several popular series, such as Lost and Magnum P.I., filmed there, as well as movies like Jurassic Park. 

Georgia is basically the Hollywood of the South and home to all sorts of movies and TV shows, including popular series like The Walking Dead and Stranger Things.

And of course, there’s what might be considered the mecca for diehard set jetters: the original Hollywood in California.

The above list is not even close to being exhaustive or complete of all the places set jetters can visit. It barely scratches the surface.

But you get the idea. So now that you know what a set jetter is, I’d love to know where you’re set jetting travels have taken you!