Recently Istanbul has made it to the top of my travel wish list, and today’s Boarding Pass with Hannah DeBree only makes me want to go more. Hannah has a great eye for finds (see her blog) and spends her days around tons of creative and beautifully designed books at Chronicle Books (so jealous of her job!). But I especially love that she proves that you can travel and still be stylish and practical (and hello, she wears yellow too!). {thanks, Hannah!}

{Me on Istiklal Caddesi}
{Istanbul: @ 360}

last trip taken:
Mexico City this past March. My husband and I got engaged in Mexico City in March of last year. We stayed at out favorite hotel, Condesa DF, visited friends, drank Mezcal at La Botica, breakfasted and played games at El Ocho, browsed through the stacks at El Pendulo, and ate many, many tacos.

{Mexico City 2009}

next trip on deck:
I’m pregnant, so we’re trying to decide what our last trip will probably be before the kid arrives. It’s between a relaxing beach vacation and a city trip…we’ll see!

{Istanbul: view from 360}

place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Istanbul. We went to Turkey for our honeymoon last October and fell in love with Istanbul. It’s a crowded, vibrant, friendly, colorful city.

{Orkatoy from the Bosphorus}

preferred method of transportation:
All. I love to feel like I’m going somewhere; by foot, by tuk tuk, by train, by bus, by plane, or by boat.

{Turkey: Cappadocia balloon ride}

{Mexico City : @ Castillo Chapultepec}

place you’ve never been but dying to go:
There are so many! To name a few: Shanghai, Montreal, Japan, Beirut, India, Vietnam, Sweden, Buenos Aires…

place you’d never go back:
Koh Chang. We enjoyed the lazy week we spent on the island in 2008, reading by the pool, walking along the beach, riding a motorbike around the island… but I don’t feel the need to go back.

how do you prepare for a trip?
I am a planner. I read guide books and do extensive research online. I’ve been known to create a spreadsheet to plan a trip. I hate being in a new city and getting so hungry that I stop into whatever mediocre place looks open. For most people there’s a sense of adventure in happening upon whatever comes next. For the little amount of vacation time I have every year, I feel the need to make the most of every minute of every trip. So I plan.

{Writing postcards at Kitchenette}

how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
By taking pictures and writing postcards. I take pictures in an attempt to capture the experience and to remind me of where I’ve been. I write postcards because, really, what person doesn’t like to get a little something in the mail box, and it’s an easy activity to do while sitting in a café during a rest stop.

{London: Coffee @ Providores}

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Food and my feet in a new place.

{Mexico City: Shoe Shot with keys}

what’s in your “designer travel kit” ?
I usually take my small digital camera, a Canon PowerShot SD630, my Polaroid camera, and our Canon EOS 7D. More and more, I’m also taking photos with my iPhone. Sending shots to family and friends along the way is a fun way to connect while traveling.

{Mexico City: tacos & micheladas}

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
The favorite souvenir from last year was the beautiful inlaid-pearl backgammon board we haggled for at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. My husband taught me to play backgammon on our trip, in the little side-street cafes around Istiklal Caddesi, so every time we bring out the board to play it reminds me of our wonderful adventures in Istanbul .

{Top Pot Doughnuts}

links:

• blog :: Akhmatova
• on flickr

Click HERE for more from Boarding Pass (or see the complete list in the right hand column)!