Nice Bound with AirFrance

Last Tuesday I got a lovely email from the social media team of AirFrance. Next thing I knew it was Thursday and I was hopping on a plane with two other bloggers, and a handful of the AF team. While we were there to test out their cool new app, TravelBook (due out mid month – I'll keep you posted when you can check it out for yourselves, along with my "travel book" of experiences). The trip was first and foremost an exercise in spontaneous travel, exploring and recording new places, as well as a realization of how fast iPhone batteries drain when you're on them all day. There's too much for one post, so I'll be sharing more over the next couple weeks. In the meantime, here's a quick look at Nice as I played around with Instagram a bit more. The South is so different – and relaxed – than Paris, which was great to see. Now I want to go back in spring or summer to see how Nice transforms, and enjoy some more sun.
A change of scenery in the air.
We arrived at night so it was hard to get any real sense of Nice. So when I opened the curtains of my hotel room in the morning, this view was extra impressive.
It was definitely chilly while we were there, but thankfully it did not rain (except over the water).

24 hours later we were back on a plane, and our pre-weekend came to a close. As we landed in Paris after dark, arriving into Orly airport was a pleasant surprise with far more scenic views than CDG. It may have been quick, but it was a trip to remember! Stay tuned for more on the awesome hotel we stayed at, delicious local fare, and an unexpected art museum.

Frequent Flyer

Two years ago Gabriel Leigh posted a 20-minute minute documentary about frequent flyers. Really, they're a bit fanatics (more so than I imagined), doing whatever they can do earn points, but in a real life game of travel. This short video was popular enough to inspire a longer documentary. Through Kickstarter, the film just raised full funding, but there are still three days left in the campaign if you want to donate. Go travel!

Tipped off by BBC_Travel on Twitter

Boarding Pass – Chelsea Watson

Chelsea Watson is a graphic designer. As long as she has her laptop, sketchbook and internet connection from time to time, she can work anywhere. And hence she can finance her trip around the world. She documents her travels on her wonderfully titled blog, Aesthetic of Lostness. In addition, she keeps up There & Here, a collaborative design project with her best friend Charlotte, from design school, who is now based in South Africa. The project is designed to share explore the differences and similarities of their lives in their own part of the world. Thanks, Chelsea!
rare self portrait on Aesthetic of Lostness, Dresden

home town:
Calgary, Canada
Edinburgh

where you live now:
on the road, currently in Vienna, Austria
Laax, Switzerland

Last trip taken:
So far on this trip I've been to London, Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Edinburgh and throughout Switzerland.
London

next trip on deck:
I'm continuing on this trip through Eastern Europe, Ireland and Scotland. After that I will be in South Africa for two months this spring.
Borough Market map, London

posters, Berlin

one place you would go back to again and again:
London
What I love about this country is the..., comparing South Africa & England on There & Here

place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Dresden
detour on Aesthetic of Lostness, Edinburgh

preferred method of transportation:
To travel between places, I love taking the train. That's one thing we don't do too well at home so train travel is quite novel for me. To travel within places, bicycle whenever possible.
Berlin

place you've never been but dying to go:
India
Andrea Heller's work in Helmhaus Gallery, Zurich

place you'd never go back:
Las Vegas
Luzerner Theater, Lucerne

most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
Sitting on an airplane next to my ex for over 15 hours of travel to Australia on Christmas Eve. Not my best trip, but definitely the most memorable (don't worry, it went up hill from there!).
Christmas traditions, comparing South Africa & Czech Republic on There & Here

how do you prepare for a trip?
Read blogs, look up people in the city I might know, creep Facebook photos of friends who have been there, ask recommendations of those friends...for better or for worse I generally do very little prep.
Souvenirs, comparing South Africa & Switzerland on There & Here

how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
Photos and my blogs. On There & Here I compare wherever I am with where my best friend Charlotte is through snapshots and designs. On Aesthetic of Lostness I post projects I'm working on, design inspiration I find and messages about my trip. Recently, instagram has also been great for recording snapshots and sharing them with everyone at home.
sampling of instagram snapshots (clockwise from top left: Francouzska Street, Prague; Monmouth Coffee, London; Laax ski resort, Switzerland; street art, Berlin; Vaclav Havel tribute, Prague; haggis, Edinburgh)

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
I mostly take random photos of design inspiration I find in a new city, posters, signs, street art, architecture...that sort of thing. I am also totally the person who takes photos of my food!
mincemeat tarts and mulled wine, London

spätzli & applesauce, Flims, Switzerland

currywurst: Berlin

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
I am likely the worst at taking travel photos. When I was in Australia my camera broke about halfway through the trip. It was a blessing in disguise as it was so nice to just experience the trip rather than seeing it through a lens. Since then I don't take nearly as many photos when I'm traveling.
Dresden

Prague

what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
macbook, iPhone, Canon S95 camera, pencil crayons, pens and a few small notebooks.
along the Vltava Christmas morning, Prague

street art, Berlin

student poster exhibit, Lucerne

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
I try to blog as I go but everything else likely won't happen until after I've been home for some time and can separate myself from the experience a bit. I usually go through and edit my best photos to post online and print a few for myself. This time I hope to do some sort of design series of all the cities I end up visiting. Might be too ambitious...we'll see.
I bought a ring made from a spoon from this sweet man in Tacheles Art Space, Berlin

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
As this is a long trip and I don't have much space in my bag, I am trying to collect a piece of jewelry from each country I go to. It's something I'll actually use and I also think it will be a nice way of starting conversation about my travels if anyone asks me where I got any particular piece.
Prague

LINKS:
Design portfolio
Aesthetic of Lostness
There & Here
@chelseawatson on Twitter

Boarding Pass is a weekly column exploring the creative ways people travel.

Good Things

Lately life has been a blur, but in a good way. I'm getting ready to launch a dream project that I've been a part of for the past couple months. I realized the other day that it's essentially everything I wrote about in my thesis, but re-interpreted in a new and exciting way. It's been a true labor of love, and puts writing my thesis, and then my 50 page business plan to live in France to shame. I'm excited, you should be too.

In other fun news, I make a little cameo in the latest issue of the French cooking magazine Saveurs. The article on "cuisine Asiatique" was styled by my friend Elodie, and shot by David Japy. That's me in the corner in the green dress (page 71). My hands (with blue nails) make a cameo on page 72. Just fun.
In other food related news. Remember when my dream of being an extra came true this summer? Well, it was just for the pilot of a show, but I'm so excited for my friend Rachel whose show got picked up, and they started filming The Little Paris Kitchen for BBC2 this week!

As you read this post, I'm down in Nice, France for a fun press trip I got invited to last minute. Looking forward to sharing what comes of that very soon! In the meantime, if you need something fun this weekend, why don't you take part in the Weekly Photo Challenge I contributed to for Wordpress.com. My theme was simple.

Reflections on Travel: Hawaii

This post is sponsored by The Hawaiian Islands, where you could be Living in the Moment on Hawaii Island.

My first true experience planning a trip happened in 7th grade. The family was headed to Hawaii for spring break, and it was the first time I stepped up and asked if I could help plan the trip. Little did my parents know that the trip was highly inspired by Jonathan Taylor Thomas (aka JTT, my teenage crush, of Home Improvement fame).

It was the first year I remember having internet in my life. I'd come home from school and sign into my favorite AOL chatrooms. Blogs were non-existent at the time, and websites and content were nothing of what we know them as today. I wasn't Googling "Hawaii" to plan the trip, but rather it was hanging out in the JTT fan chat room chatting about important things, like what we had watched on TV. In the process of chatting with a girl, she told me how her family had at this great resort - the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the island of Hawaii. She told me JTT was there when they stayed there and her sister got to hang out with him. My 13 year old self thought that was so cool. So I continued my research, and yes, if JTT stayed there, we would too!
I have to admit the resort was super cool and like no place I had ever been. Years later, the things that stick out in my mind the most are reflective of my style of travel these days. I may have been the only one in the lei making class I eagerly signed up for, but I loved learning a local art/skill. My souvenir was a lei needle so I could make more back at home. And just as I strive to have experiences when I travel that are specific to the place and you can't do everywhere, playing with dolphins was pretty sweet too. I remember my brother being so impressed by how smart they were.
While part of me expected to run into JTT when exploring the resort grounds, I never did, and it still makes me laugh to think back to my naive self. As I reflect, I can't help but think how true this travel story is to the way I travel today. I may no longer be planning JTT-inspired vacations, but I always love to go to friends – old or new – as my first point of contact to help me plan a trip. And with their help, I always seek out local, unique experiences I can have to make the most of a place. Even if they can send me a great link or point me in the right direction, it's always appreciated.

Now, with my "grown-up" self and the power of the internet, I can't help but dream of what I could do with another trip back to Hawaii. What I'd see, where I'd go, what I'd do, who I'd meet...

For more unique island experiences, visit Living in the Moment on Hawaii Island, brought to you by The Hawaiian Islands, sponsors of this post.
p.s. Thanks mom, for digging out these old, pre-digital, pics!

Boarding Pass – Frankie Unsworth

It's always a joy to encounter people who have been able to combine their passions to do what they love in interesting and creative ways, and around the world. Cordon Bleu trained pastry chef Frankie Unsworth doubles as a food and wine editor for numerous publications, both online and in print. At the same time her work has taken her around the world – or rather she's taken her work around the world. In 2010 when she was living in Syndey, Frankie and Rachel Khoo (here's Rachel on Boarding Pass - the two met in culinary school) founded Edible Tales, culinary events through pop-up eating experiences. They cooked up another chapter of the event the following year when Frankie was living in Buenos Aires. Stay tuned for what they're cooking up next. In the meantime, enjoy a mini food inspired trip around the world! Thanks, Frankie!
home town:
Don't really have one, but I was born in Bristol.
Stoke Newington, London

where you live now:
London

My London home.

last trip taken:
A hunting weekend in the deepest depths of Sweden.
Sweden

next trip on deck:
New York, for food research purposes! I tried to go a few years ago but was rejected at the airport because I didn't have a valid visa. I ended up spending a week in Bournemouth instead of Brooklyn, a huge disappointment!
Isle of Purbeck

one place you would go back to again and again:
Just one? I love going back to Sydney, but also for the beaches and brunches but Italy draws me back time and time again.
Bondi beach, Sydney

place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
At the moment, probably London and I would devise a perfect itinerary for them, food related of course.
Shanghai

preferred method of transportation:
Train. You can sit back and take in the landscape.
Casa Felix, Buenos Aires

Café Boedo, Buenos Aires

place you've never been but dying to go:
Rio de Janeiro, the Greek islands, New York, Bordeaux. Too many places, too little time.

Cinque Terre, Italy

place you'd never go back:
Lima. I hate to write somewhere off like that, but found it a little soul-less.
Swanagedorest, UK

most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
I quit my job in Sydney, hopped in a camper van with my ex boyfriend straight after work and drove over the Harbour bridge as the light was fading and up the coast to Byron Bay. It kicked off 6 months of travelling and I haven't felt quite that excited and free before.
Horcon, Chile

how do you prepare for a trip?
By researching where I am going to get a good meal! Local food bloggers are a great place to start.
Paris.
Merci café, Paris

how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
Moleskine and camera.

Valaparaiso, Chile

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Food shops and markets.
Salt - Argentina

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Depends how long I am away, far too many though. That's the trouble with digital.
Santelmo Market, Buenos Aires

what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
Camera all the way - I can't draw to save my life sadly!
Isla del Sol, Bolivia

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
I love a good photo album. I have started posting on a tumblr, which is quite a fun why of keeping track of visits to places.
Martelli pasta, Tuscany

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
I can't resist picking up menus along the way of the places I have eaten in. Wine or local spirits, but they never taste quite the same out of context.
Franki and Rachel working on the Buenos Aires edition of Edible Tales. Photos by Caitlin Margaret Kelly.


LINKS:

• frankieunsworth.com
• Rambles & Rumbles
• Edible Tales
• @frankie_u on Twitter
  

Boarding Pass is a weekly column exploring the creative ways people travel.