Greenfield, Ohio. A small, country town full of heartfelt & amazing people. My high school is actually an Ohio Historical Society Landmark, & the hallways are filled with Greek & Roman replica statues (Athena, Nike of Samothrace, etc.), as well as The Quest & Achievement of the Holy Grail paintings (originals in Boston Public Library), Tiffany lamps, marble staircase, etc. Not something you’d see in a small town! I’d like to believe this is one of the many places that kept me inspired to become the artist I am today.

Philadelphia, PA, such a surprisingly creative and eclectic city. I love it!

Salt Lake City, UT for the Alt Summit blog conference. I definitely want to go back for a more in depth tour of the city–the mountains were breathtaking!

Hopefully San Francisco this summer!

But wait there’s more!

one place you would go back to again and again:

Most people who know me well would predict my answer be Boston/New England area. It’s my favorite city and honestly I visit it whenever I can, especially now that I’m only 6 hours away rather than 13 hours from Ohio, and now that my sister goes to college there. But, I’m going to mention a place I wouldn’t as easily get to visit, & would travel to in a minute. During my Senior year in college, we went to London and Wales for 2 weeks for a mini “study abroad” trip; however, a few of my college friends & I stayed behind to travel the rest of Europe (seeing Paris, Barcelona, Roma, Florence, & Pisa) for the duration of our winter break. It’s been 6 years and I still think of that trip daily. With that said, I’d choose Rome. I really connected with this city. I am fascinated with Art History, Roman Ruins, the rustic ambiance, the people, the food. It’s a city I need to see more of and possibly branch out beyond the city limits to see what Italian villages I could explore. Plus, I’d love to attend a Mass in a Roman Cathedral!

 

For most of my friends, I would say London. The US has so many great places, too, but I think Europe is a trip I hope everyone can one day enjoy. With that said, especially for those who have never traveled abroad, I think London is a great city to visit first in Europe to sort of get your “European sea legs” wet, so to speak, since it’s an English-speaking country, and has a somewhat similar culture. Then, once you’re abroad, it’s So Easy (and cheap!) to take little trips to other countries and cities!

The train, hands down. There’s something about a train that makes me deeply smile. I usually prepare to read, sketch, or sleep, but it never fails: I always end up “wasting my time” window gazing and day dreaming. It’s peaceful and thrilling. Maybe it has something to do with it being an old mode of transportation that we’re still able to appreciate in this modern, fast-paced world. They’re timeless. I also have a strange obsession with riding the subway, anywhere. Perhaps for the same reason, but there’s not as much to see out the window. I must have an odd travel bug.

 

Lisbon, Portugal! Ever since I watched an episode of Passport to Europe by the ever-so-wonderful, Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel many years back, I realized how eclectic that city must be, and I have been curious of it ever since. I think one of the main reasons it grabbed my attention was how it didn’t seem as touristy as London, Paris, or Rome. It looked more authentic, old, and charming. as though tourism hadn’t quite yet touched it as much as the more popular cities. I think it’s awesome to visit known cities, but it’s more rewarding to immerse yourself in a raw city that not many people have been & you then get to create your own tracks.

 

As much as I loved taking that picture with my hands pushing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I would probably never go back to Pisa. I was a little bummed how run-down it is with graffiti everywhere and whatnot. I wouldn’t completely write it off, because it had some charm to it. But if I had to pick a place, this would be it.

The Louvre, Paris

When I traveled with my friends to Europe, and had made it to Paris, only one of us knew a little French and spent 2 hours lost on the metro trying to find the Eiffel Tower stop. We gave up, got off on a random stop, walked up the metro steps onto the street, turned the corner of the building, and stopped dead in our tracks as we saw THE Eiffel Tower staring straight at us (I’m sure since you live in Paris, you know which stop we walked out of–the Trocadero Stop where we stepped foot on the Palais de Chaillot). Every one of us teared up because it completely caught us by surprise and we each still talk about it to this day, a moment we will never ever forget.

Once I know I’m going somewhere, I honestly check out the city on google maps, click on a spot, select “street view” and give myself a virtual tour. You can’t get more in depth than that without actually being there, right? Once I get an idea of my surroundings, I’ll browse blogs, hang out at Barnes & Noble to read up on certain hot spots (some books that I think are useful, easy to read, and cute to set on your shelf are the “Little Black Book of…” series), and visit that city’s main website to check for any events worth seeing during the time I’ll be visiting. From all of that research, I’ll create an itinerary, but, not limit myself to it. I’ve done that too many times and it just leaves you stressed out to the point you look back on your time spent and had no time to truly enjoy being there. So, plan ahead, but leave room to roam (“When in Rome,” right? Bad pun?).

 

As far as preparing my suitcase, that’s a whole other subject! Let’s just say I’m slowly learning less is more. I’m contemplating purchasing this 19 incher so I’ll be forced to pack lightly. I’ll get it right one of these days!

 

I use my iPhone to record my travels by taking photos of anything and everything I see, honestly. I also have my sketchbook for the moments I’m not distracted by the excitement of where I am and can sit down, relax, and doodle away.

 

Buildings and landmarks. I suppose that is a very tourist and cliche thing to say, but, as a side note, I have always felt it’s important to always play “tourist,” whether you’re new or a local. It means you’re truly enjoying, experiencing and taking in everything around you. I’ve lived in Philly for almost 2 years, and have so many photos of the same buildings I see everyday.  I don’t care how touristy I look. It’s important for me to take in every moment of a place so I can remember it as long as I can.  I can’t get enough of feeling so small next to a building/landmark so ornate, gigantic, old, charming, & beautiful. There’s so much history and so many hands that have built them. They’re truly remarkable things!

 

Oh my word, probably around 300. Depending where I am and how long I’ll be there. When I returned from Europe, I took over 1,000 photos, so it can just get crazy.

 

 

Depends on where I go & how long I’m there, but I usually bring my MacBook, Bamboo Wacom tablet (it’s travel size) for those times I need to use Illustrator for a blog post or something, Canon DSL camera for the scenic trips, my sketchbook, pencils & pens (my favorites are from Faber Castell), and I can’t leave out the music from my iPod (with my new headphones I just purchased from ModCloth!) to help inspire my designing & illustrating needs!

 

Sleep! After my 2-3 day recovery, I’ll upload photos & prepare a “Passport to:” post on my blog. Or, more likely than not, I’ll start brewing some map illustrations of the little places I visited & memories I made (uploading many more maps this month!), or sketch up some travel quotes that came to mind and inspired me to use for my calligraphy/lettering projects. I may upload to my Etsy shop, or save them for future projects! There is so much art to be born of traveling, and I feel blessed to enjoy both!

 

Coffee and Receipts. Is that weird? I love love trying different coffees, but unintentional souvenirs I’ve seemed to hoard are receipts. It’s like a raw scrapbook for me–I stuff them in this little travel keepsake box, because Heaven forbid I throw them away, and every now and then I’ll open it and pull one randomly to reminisce a little. Think about it, what better travel keepsake than a receipt? It has the date, time, location, & what you bought or ate! And they’re free, sort of.