Boarding Pass – Christine of LAMA Designs

I’ve spent the last week going through my entire life, sorting through everything I’ve collected over the past 28 years. In the process I’ve come across great scrapbooks I created years ago, that even impress me now (funny to see the budding graphic designer in the young me), and makes me wish I had better continued the habit. So it was fun going through today’s Boarding Pass and see a couple solutions that Christine Martinez of LAMA Designs has come up with – namely coming up with a playlist/soundtrack for each trip and creating digital movies based on her images. Both are such a fun solution and a modern way to record ones travels. Read on! {Thanks, Christine!}

{My brother’s dog Hams and I and I at the Jewish Memorial in Berlin; bottom: Immigration office + colorful courtyard: Berlin, Germany}

last trip taken:

Sea Ranch, CA. I drove up the California coast with my boyfriend for a weekend of fun and relaxation with friends in a cabin on the beach. We made good food, went for long walks, played a lot of baggo and stared at the stars. It was incredible!
{Berlin Cathedral + TV Tower}

next trip on deck:

Munich (for Oktoberfest) to Cairo (for the pyramids and a nile river cruise!) I lived in Berlin for a while but never made it down to Munich. I’m so excited to finally visit and meet my brother there for some Oktoberfest fun before we head off to Cairo to meet the rest of our family for a Martinez family vacation. It’s so far from the days we used to pitch a tent in Yosemite.
{The Antique fair in San Telmo: Buenos Aires, Argentina}

one place you would go back to again and again:
Buenos Aires. That city really stole my heart. I could live there. Seriously. As soon as I have enough money, I’m buying a flat there.
{Vine swinging from tress in the rainforest}

place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit:
The Rainforest in just about any country you can find one. It’s a magical place everyone must see and experience themselves. It’s nature times ten if that makes any sense.
{10-story treehouse; right: a good friend I spent the afternoon eating sugar cane with in Puyo, Ecuador}

preferred method of transportation:
I get on them a lot, but I hate planes. Once I reach my destination, I prefer public transportation no matter what it is. I hate feeling like a tourist. Whenever I’m in a new place, I try to pretend I live there and do as the locals do. Inevitably I end up doing a lot of walking which is great. That way I can eat all the fantastic local food and not gain an ounce. Ha!
{Retro Pepsi Cola ad in Prague, Czech Republic; right: View from a residential street in Prague}

place you’ve never been but dying to go:
St. Petersburg, Russia in the summer. I would put 22 hours of sunlight to good use. Japan and Greece would be amazing too.
{Like heaven: Ipenema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil}

place you’d never go back:
Lake Havasu, AZ. Way too MTV spring break for me and the heat forced me to jump in a dirty part of the lake. Gross!

{La Mitad del Mundo: Pinchincha, Ecuador; bottom: Local girl and her kitties: Guayaquil, Ecuador}
most memorable trip:
The first time I went back to Ecuador after 20 years. I finally felt what it was like to be part of a beautiful culture and I felt like I belonged.

{The Moulin Rouge: Paris}
how do you prepare for a trip?
I have a fear of flying so I avoid looking up at planes for at least a week prior to travel or else I start to panic. Mental preparation is key for me. Maybe that’s why I seem to forget so many basic necessities? I also spend about a week getting my iPod ready. Good music on my trips is essential.
{From the top of the Museum: The Middle of the World – Ecuador}

how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
Emails! Lot’s of them. I write stories about my days complete with funny anecdotes, interesting quotes, and tons of imagery so my friends and family can see what I’m seeing. Why keep it to myself in a journal when everyone enjoys hearing the stories? I’m a very clumsy and accident prone person (Like the time I was hit by a cab in Sao Paulo or the time I got my foot stuck in a cave in Ecuador) so generally my stories are quite funny. I also take lots of photos and videos to accompany the writing.
{A home with a lot of history in Rio de Janeiro; bottom: La Boca, Buenos Aires}

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?

The colors and the architecture. Each city I visit is so unique with regard to both of those elements. That’s what makes them memorable to me.
{The colorful casas of Las Penas: Guayaquil}

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Hundreds but never enough.
{Late afternoon in Rome, Italy}

what’s in your “designer travel kit” ?
Definitely my camera (either my Nikon D40 or my Nikon Coolpix S550… I’m loyal to brands), my moleskin notebook , my Korean store pencil bag with plenty of pens and pencils ( I always lose them) and, if I can, my macbook. I jot down notes all day on everything. Song titles, restaurants, websites, the strange thing the guy behind me just said…
{Christmas Market: Dresden, Germany; right: Graffiti art in East Berlin alley}

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
After I upload all my photos and videos, I like to make iMovies with my favorite video clips and photos set to an appropriate song choice (given the context of the destinations and photos/clips chosen). I did this for a trip I took to London with one of my best friends and burned it on a disk for him as a post vacation gift. He loved it! I also post all my photos on my mobile me .mac account and send out a link for all to see. I love sharing photos and experiences (although I should really set up a flickr account to share them beyond friends/family). I generally do all of this within a week or so of returning so I don’t lose my motivation. Making these short movies takes quite a bit of time.
{A beautiful window in Palermo Soho: Buenos Aires}

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
Artwork! Usually something I can hang on my walls like cool prints from Argentina or even a license plate a brought back from Brazil. I like to walk around my apartment and being reminded of where I’ve been.
{Sweets as far as the eye can see during the Corpus Cristi celebration Cuenca, Ecuador; right: Furniture show in Amsterdam}

funniest thing that’s ever happened on a trip?
Sitting alone in a cafe in Amsterdam with my brother one night listening to the Turkish owner singing James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful.” We laughed for hours about it.
links:

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