I first discovered the work of Nisa Maier aka Cookiesound through Let’s Travel Somewhere, her side project that calls on the help of photographers to help showcase the world because “a single traveler can’t live to see it all.” The photo journeys help capture the spirit of place, each telling a different story and inspiring wanderlust. The interface of the website makes you want to keep clicking (try “Destination” from the top menu). Meanwhile, Cookiesound is a collaboration between Nisa and her mother, Ulli, as they document their travels and share their tales. After all, Nisa was born in Austria, but she grew up in Africa, lived in Australia and Indonesia, and studied in California. Clearly travel is in her blood, and her photos have me itching for my next trip. Thanks, Nisa! –Anne

Nisa in Timor, Indonisia

home town:
Vienna, Austria

Burg Kreuzenstein, Austria

where you live now:
Vienna, Austria

Christkinderlmarkt Rathaus, Vienna, Austria Wien

Winter landscape: Alps, Austria

last trip taken:
China & Hong Kong in September 2012

Dragon’s backbone rice terraces, Dazhai Guangxi, China

next trip on deck:
Istanbul & Paris in April. Malaysia, Cambodia & Vietnam in May/June.

Fish at a market in Laos

one place you would go back to again and again:
A secret spot in Indonesia :)

Beach Paradise Island Sumatra, Indonesia

place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Indonesia. For me, Indo is the most wonderful country. The people, the culture, the landscape, the surf breaks, the underwater world, the food … I’m daydreaming right now!

Crowded train station, New Delhi, India

preferred method of transportation:
I’m the biggest sissy when it comes to flying. Most of the time, there’s no way out, but if I have enough time and can choose, I’d clearly say that train travelling is my preferred method of transportation. And 4×4 trucking adventures…

Bus Transport, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Boat Ride Ganges River, Ghats Varanasi, India

place you’ve never been but dying to go:
Unfortunately, the world is too big for one life and there are many many places I still want to visit. But the countries that immediately come to my mind are Greenland, Iceland & Antarctica (even though I really prefer summer over winter…).

Surfer tube riding: Teahupoo, Tahiti

place you’d never go back:
Never say never … but Thailand is not definitely my top priority (not because of the country itself but because of the tourist that you come across).

From the archives: Nisa Maier, Togian Islands, Indonesia

most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
Lost at sea (the captain lost his orientation) and then being stranded in a tiny village in Indonesia where I was the first while girl (ever)! That was quite something.

Launch boat Sadarghat harbour, Dhaka, Bangladesh

how do you prepare for a trip?
I usually don’t. I buy a ticket; get my visa if necessary and then I go with the flow. Unless I’m train travelling through India, because then I always try to book tickets in advance.

Woman walking on Takoradi beach, Ghana, Africa

how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
98% with photos, 2% with video.

Portrait of a woman gold worker, Burkina, Faso, Africa

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Markets, because they are the places where all people come together.

Kolkata, India: Hard working men at vegetable market

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Depends on how long I travel. On a two week journey about 10,000 photos and enough video material to fill up my laptop’s hard disk.

Market woman, Bobodioulasso, Burkina Faso, Africa

what’s in your “designer travel kit” ?
All my camera gear is from Canon and I’d never switch. The rest is mixed up.

Hong Kong view from peak

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
Blog. I usually do this while I’m on the road as well. If I don’t have internet access, then I always pre-write the articles, so that I can immediately post something the next time I’m online. And then I also cut together all of the video material – even though this is heaps of work and therefore is can take up to months before I’m done :)

Children Playing Beach Kuakata, Bangladesh

Bukina Faso: Ouagadougouan Selling Goods

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
Sand from every beach I’ve ever been to (I’ve got quite a selection).

Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard, Bangladesh

LINKS

• blog: cookiesound.com
• special project: letstravelsomewhere.com
• twitter: @cookiesound
• facebook: facebook.com/cookiesound
  

BOARDING PASS is a regular column exploring the creatives ways people see the world and record their travels.