BOARDING PASS – Judith de Graaff (Joelix)
I first met France-based Dutch designer Judith de Graaff (aka Joelix) through twitter a couple years ago. Then we met for coffee and she casually mentioned she had a nice home. My jaw dropped when I saw the images and we promptly featured it on Design*Sponge. And despite living a bit outside of Paris (she actually has space), Judith is great about coming into the city and we love catching – and critiquing – various Creative Mornings talks or events. And when she’s not blogging, sharing great finds, showcasing the Oise region of France, experimenting with gifs and cinemagraphs, or taking pictures of awesome typography, Judith works as a freelance graphic designer and stylist. Her Boarding Pass is an excuse for cool new discoveries through her travels. (I do believe I need to try railbiking!). Thanks, Judith! –Anne
Me on the beach of Galicia, Spain with Cannelle the AirBnB dog
home town: Vught, in the south of The Netherlands
where you live now: Nogent sur Oise, 50km north of Paris
last trip taken:
Stockholm, Sweden for the Meet the Blogger conference and Stockholm Design Week. I wrote about it here and here. [Ed. Note: Judith was actually in Berlin for #HIVE13 after she submitted this and before I had a chance to post it. I totally want to go back for Street Food Thursday!]
Stockholm in February 2013
next trip on deck:
Visiting my family in Holland and maybe hop over to Amsterdam as I haven’t been there in a long time. And Berlin in May.
Enjoying the sun and view at Svartifoss, Iceland
one place you would go back to again and again:
Iceland and the South of France
Which way to go on Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Iceland and France. Both extremely diverse and mind blowing in their own way.
Galicia, Spain
preferred method of transportation:
My husband and I love roadtrips where we can pack whatever we want, without airline luggage restrictions, and stop whenever we feel like it. In Sweden we did this thing called railbiking. It was the coolest means of transportation I’ve ever tried. Simply put: you ride a bike on abandoned railways, through forests, along lakes: you pass through places without roads or traffic. Bliss!
Railbiking in Sågen, Sweden
place you’ve never been but dying to go:
Finland – Israël – La Réunion – Monkey Valley in France.
Faro de Lariño, Spain
place you’d never go back:
None. Though in Norway we were stuck in this extremely boring place called Hellesylt. It was the off season as we arrived by ferry and there was nothing to see or do except for a stuffed polar bear. We had to wait for hours to get away from it.
My husband and me in Hellesylt, Norway
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
We once rented this tiny motorboat (<4meter) for a trip along the French Mediterranean coast, from Marseille to Toulon. After a few hours the engine stalled and we had to call the coastguard for help: they came with a huge boat with 8 hunky Baywatch coastguards on board. Turned out we forgot to push a certain button for the fuel supply; said hunks kindly insisted we not bother them again. Oops! We had an exciting trip on a rough sea, slept on the beach, and felt very tiny when we passed by the enormous aircraft carrier in the harbor of Toulon.
One of our most memorable trips: our motorboat on the beach between Marseille and Toulon
how do you prepare for a trip?
I count the days and try to learn a few words in the local language (if necessary). For a city trip I ask for recommendations from friends & family, read local blogs and consult my ongoing list of interesting places. For longer trips with my husband we pick some places to stay (we love AirBnB), arrange for house & cat sitters and just GO.
Our cute AirBnB rental in Småland, southern Sweden
Pretty architecture in A Coruña, Spain
how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
During the journey I share our adventures on a (private) family blog. I take tons of photos and enjoy watching them during the trip as well. I also keep tickets, receipts, wrappers, maps, business cards. And send a few postcards to family and friends. As a kid and young adult I used to keep a travel journal, nowadays I blog.
Some of my travel journals
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Beautiful colors and views, food, architecture, animals, street art, nature, shop designs, packaging in supermarkets. I also enjoy photographing cool signs for my Typography of Travel series.
My Typography of Travel series
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
75-200 photos per day.
Delicious pastry in Spain and amazing toffees in Stockholm, Sweden
what’s in your “designer travel kit” ?
My hybrid camera (Sony NEX5N), a small notebook and pen, a black marker and a fold up bag.
Colorful buoys, Spain
what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
I process and edit my photos and videos right after I get back and share some highlights om my blog. After hugging the cats and doing laundry, it’s the first thing I do.
My favorite souvenir: palm tree seeds
favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
A bottle of water and wild plants, like palm tree seeds and agave cuttings. And for my family a reusable grocery bag filled with local food & small things I picked up. My mom loves (regular) stones, so I always toss a few in for her.
Dancing Laundry by JOELIX.com from joelix
LINKS
- blog: joelix.com
- portfolio: joelix.
com/book - special project: The Typography of Travel
- twitter: @joelix
- facebook: facebook.
com/joelixjoelix - pinterest: pinterest.
com/joelix
BOARDING PASS is a regular column exploring the creative ways people see the world and record their travels.
P.S. I’m teaching MAP MAKING again on Skillshare! Sign up anytime :)
BOARDING PASS – Jillian in Italy
I was lucky to grow up in a family that traveled a lot, but besides a cousin’s wedding in Toronto, I didn’t leave the U.S. / North America until I was a junior in high school. It’s amazing to imagine Jillian Crocker aka Jillian in Italy (a Canadian living in Italy for 10 years) venturing around to all these fantastic places with her twin daughters (10) and a son (7). Travel for all + I must admit travel is the best classroom I’ve ever encountered. In addition to documenting their adventures on her blog, Jillian also contributes to Classic Play sharing tips for traveling with kids. Thanks, Jillian! –Anne
Jillian on the top of a mountain near Kobe, Japan.
last trip taken:
Our last big trip was to Japan last Easter and since then we’ve done some little trips within Europe.
next trip on deck:
Morocco in two weeks time! We’re really looking forward to some warm weather and tasty Moroccan food.
Having lunch under the cherry blossoms during sakura in Kyoto, Japan.
one place you would go back to again and again:
I would love to return to China. There is so much to see and experience there and the people are so kind. Plus, it’s such an affordable destination once you get there.
Exploring The Forbidden City in Beijing China.
place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit:
I would have to say Japan. It is seriously one of the most gorgeous countries I have ever visited. It’s so much fun to experience a culture that is so different from your own.
Beautiful little antique village overlooking the majestic Mount Fuji.
preferred method of transportation:
I absolutely love cycling around a new country and discovering places you wouldn’t normally see by plane/car/train/bus. For long distances I love traveling by train. You get to calmly sit and admire the landscapes, meet interesting locals and it’s virtually stress free.
I love Japan and all their little quirky purchases. Here is a pack of gum with little papers to use when finished chewing.
place you’ve never been but dying to go:
I would love to visit India in the near future. I’m a lover of colour and I think India offers lots of it!
The famous red gates at the temple of Fushimi Inari.
place you’d never go back:
I can’t think of one place that I would not like to visit again. That’s not to say I haven’t had a few trips that were less enjoyable than others though. But I guess I’m always willing to give a place a second chance.
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
I’d have to say our recent trip to Japan with our three children because it was such an amazing and invigorating country to visit. Japanese history, culture and food are absolutely fascinating and the people are some of the nicest and most welcoming we’ve ever met.
One of my favorite things to do is fly kites on a deserted white sandy beach in Nova Scotia, Canada.
how do you prepare for a trip?
I usually start months ahead by doing lots of research online, by talking to friends and by reading books. Over the months leading up to our trip I slowly book and pay for transportation, accommodation and special tickets to shows and events. That way the trip is mostly paid off by the time we leave. Beforehand we spend lots of time learning about the country’s history, culture and language with our children as well.
Visiting the Longji rice fields in Pingan, China.
how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
I take thousands of photos! We also all take little journals to record our days, make little sketches and glue in brochures/leaves/special candy wrappers etc.
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
The people. I absolutely love taking photos of locals going about their daily lives. I also love going to local markets and taking photos of the vendors and all the produce and local specialties.
Enjoying a freshly cooked seafood pasta on a boat off the coast of Sardegna. Bliss.
on an average, how many pictures do you take on a trip?
For a two week trip I usually take at least 1500-2000 photos (which I eventually edit down to a few hundred).
A little pit stop overlooking a lake in Switzerland.
what’s in your “designer travel kit”?
I take my Canon dslr, our moleskin journals and my beloved iphone which I use to take videos as well as photos.
Tandem cycling on the beautiful Belgian seaside
what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
One of my favorite ways to document a trip is by blogging about it. I also write a bi-weekly travel column called “Traveling With Kids” for a fantastic creative parenting blog called Classic Play. And we also make a photo book of all of our trips. It usually takes us up to 2 years to get it all together but it does eventually get done!
Vintage umbrellas on the beach in Belgium.
favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
Fabrics. I have a passion for sewing and buying fabrics in foreign countries is one of my favorite things. I love sewing up special projects with materials bought on our trips.
LINKS
- blog: jillianinitaly.com
- special project: “traveling with kids” column on the blog Classic Play!
- twitter: @jillianinitaly
- facebook: facebook.com/JillianInItaly
- pinterest: pinterest.com/jilliancrocker
BOARDING PASS is a regular column exploring the creatives ways people see the world and record their travels.
BOARDING PASS – Emma Lundin
Emma Lundin is a Swedish travel journalist + editor living in London. After a few years as editor of CNTraveller.com, she went freelance in 2010, writing for publications including Condé Nast Traveller, The Guardian and more. Her latest endeavor is working on a PhD in the international women’s movement role within the anti-apartheid struggle, while The Longer Way is her blog where she stores and shares her thoughts on travel. The design of the site is clean and inviting and will have you clicking around in no time. I’m a big fan of the postcards series, which gives a quick glimpse and story from a place. Enjoy a look inside Emma’s travels! –Anne
Standing on the corner of Hudson and North Moore Street, NYC
home town: Malmö, Sweden
One of my favourite places in my borough (which is called The Borough, aptly enough) – the corner where Park Street meets Southwark Street
where you live now: London, England
I spent a few weeks in this flat on Blecktornsstigen during the summer of 2011
last trip taken:
I spent the entire month of December – the darkest of the year – in Sweden, which felt weirdly exotic. I have lived in London for the past 10 ½ years so found it perplexing to see the sun set at 2.30 in the afternoon, and felt properly jetlagged the first week. I spent the first three weeks in Stockholm (staying in this fantastic flat), where people were a lot nicer than what I remember from my previous summertime visits. I have decided to put the difference down to December’s lack of light: my theory is that the sun is so bright and nights are so short during the summer that people just don’t sleep, creating a strange mix of summer ecstasy and exhaustion in the city. But don’t let that put you off going: it’s very pretty year round, with great museums, beautiful architecture and an inspirational lifestyle. And, anyway, I’ve been spoiled by over-the-top politeness in London, so my judgement is probably not the best anymore!
The view from Stockholm’s Söder Mälarstrand across the water towards the City Hall on a freezing evening in December 2012
next trip on deck:
Cape Town – I leave this Saturday, for a three-week stint. I have never been to South Africa before, so I will try to see as much of the city and country as I can, despite officially being there to research my PhD.
BOARDING PASS – Sibylle Roessler of Funkytime
Last May in Berlin I met a wonderful bunch of talented folks at The Hive Conference. One of the most colorful was graphic designer and stylist, Sibylle Roessler of Funkytime. Despite being from Berlin, she actually was coming from Madrid (her latest home) having just moved from Canada. Just the way she lives there’s travel built in! (And she keeps moving because they are still looking for the perfect place). Funkytime is filled with clever ideas, DIYS + downloads. I hope you enjoy a voyage through Sibylle’s travels and then go check out the influences in her work. Thanks, Sibylle! –Anne
Teneriffe, Spain
home town:
Berlin, though I haven’t lived there in a very long time. If I had to live in Germany again, this would definitely be the only city I would go to!
Berlin
where you live now:
I am living ‘la vida loca’ in Madrid! Before that we lived in Canada, and before that in L.A. and before that……
When we moved here I had that dream of a typical Spanish apartment, with big windows, high ceilings, moldings and a little balcony in front of the windows. I got exactly that right in the center.
Madrid
last trip taken:
Teneriffe. They have black beaches there, and the sand is sparkling! We visited a hidden cove that was only accessible by going through banana plantations, they had a little blue cafe build into the rock, awesome!
Teneriffe
next trip on deck:
Berlin for sure. And before that Valencia and Barcelona for a weekend.
