I’m always a fan of artist/illustrator Amy Ruppel, but in today’s Boarding Pass I’m excited to share another side of her – the traveler. Her travels have taken her near and far with a balance of style and nature (always on the search for good hiking trails). If you love what you see below, don’t miss the brand new travel section she added during her brand spanking new website redesign. I absolutely love how she manages to create a horizontal panorama/time line of her favorite images – it’s so dynamic and such a unique creative way to showcase ones travels. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to catch Amy on her next big trip – a show of her work in Bristol, England this December. {Thanks, @my!}

{Me in in Barcelona, on one of many (mandatory) beer breaks.}

last trip taken:
San Francisco, California

{travel illustration (t-shirt and pillow) for Uniqlo (Japan)}

next trip on deck:
Bristol and London, England

{a film house ~ Bayeux, France}{amazing fence ~ San Sebastian, Spain}

one place you would go back to again and again:
Tokyo, Japan

{crowds of pedestrians ~ Tokyo, Japan}

place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit:
a toss up between Brugge, Belgium and Alaska

{wing in rainy skies ~ Oregon, USA}

preferred method of transportation:
international: plane and train. domestic: car (I love road trips)

{storm over Devils Tower ~ Wyoming, USA}

{graffiti and tiles ~ Barcelona, Spain}

place you’ve never been but dying to go:
Antarctica / The Arctic

{seagull on a sunny hill ~ Brugge, Belgium}

place you’d never go back:
No place. I always want to go back.

{an adorable couple walking with ice cream cones ~ Kamakura, Japan}

{relieved dog breaks up the scene. I love these moments ~ Brugge, Belgium}{collage of photos overlooking the bay ~ San Sebastian, Spain}

most memorable trip:
My husband and I took a trip to Spain, France and Belgium in the late Fall of 2005. Was the best time to go, for I love harvest time for Calvados, fresh game on the menu, and the colors of the trees and hillsides preparing themselves for Winter.

{windmill ~ Brugge, Belgium}

how do you prepare for a trip?
I dig and dig for info online about hiking trails, best restaurants and museums, what shows are at the galleries, and if bands I love are playing where I’ll be.

{sleepy goose in the sun ~ Barcelona, Spain}

how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
Through photos. I always take a film camera with my on big trips.

[traveler on a Gaudi roof ~ Barcelona, Spain}{Gaudi roof ~ Barcelona, Spain}

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
I like to capture people doing everyday things, and the small things that might otherwise be missed in the big picture. Tokyo was good for that! I also get a window seat on the plane, so that I can takes pics of the wing in the sky. I have a huge collection of those.

{bus ride to the airport ~ Tokyo, Japan}{at a men’s bar (somehow I was let in) ~ Tokyo, Japan}

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
For along trip, about 400-500 photos. That’s a lot with film!

{the fun house ~ Rouen, France}

what’s in your “designer travel kit” ?
Cameras: Pentax IQ180 Zoom and a Holga.

{carriage on Omaha Beach ~ Normandy, France}

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
I post them in the photo section of my web site, and now I’ll be posting on Flickr as well. It usually happens quite soon after my trip. Within a week of coming home.

{My foot on Gaudi pavers ~ Barcelona, Spain}{my feet relaxing at Casa Camper (best hotel ever) ~ Barcelona, Spain}

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
Photos of my feet in special places, like in the Aegean Sea, or on the Gaudi stepping stones in Barcelona. I also like to collect postcards of art shows, beer and wine labels, and menus from restaurants that I find design lovely.

{photos of posters and design imagery, if I can’t pull them off their post or wall; a cute napkin from a favorite tapas bar.}

• website: amyruppel.com (don’t miss the inspiring travel section here)
• on etsy
• on flickr

Click HERE for all the past editions of Boarding Pass!