One of my favorite things about the Boarding Pass is seeing parts of the world that I’ve never been. For today’s Boarding Pass I even had to look up a couple places on the map to know where they are (that’s kind of exciting to me). Christine Amorose (aka C’est Christine) has visited an impressive line up of places, from living and working in Australia and the south of France, to backpacking around Asia. These days she’s “settled down” in NYC where she works with managing the marketing and social media side of ONA Bags (the most beautiful camera bag company, if you don’t know it!). The good news is that she scored a gig that still encourages and keeps her traveling. Thanks, Christine! –Anne

In Amman

home town:
I grew up in Sacramento, California. Notable things about Sacramento: it’s the capital of California, it has more trees per capita than any other city and it’s two hours from San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. It’s surrounded by orchards and pastures, and I feel so grateful for a childhood that was filled with biking along the river, unsupervised afternoons in the park and picking apricots off the tree and tomatoes off the vine for a snack.

where you live now:
Right now, I live in a fourth-floor walk-up with two roommates and a fire escape that doubles as a balcony in the Lower East Side in New York City. It’s one of those neighborhoods that’s trendy because it’s so gritty, where secret artisan cocktail bars are right next to $1 pizza joints. I can walk to SoHo, East Village, Chinatown, Little Italy and across the bridge to Williamsburg—boredom is not an option.

Statue of Liberty

last trip taken:
I went to Jordan for 10 days, and was absolutely blown away by the diversity of the landscapes, the friendliness of the people and the deliciousness of the food. Floating in the Dead Sea, camping under the desert stars in Wadi Rum, watching the sun rise under a waterfall hot spring, seeing the wonder of Petra—and holy moly, eating so much incredible hummus and falafel.

Petra

next trip on deck:
Iceland! I committed to spending every birthday in my 20s in a different country, so I’ll be heading to Iceland with my best friend to celebrate turning 25. We’re going to pamper ourselves in the Blue Lagoon, explore Reykjavik, go snorkeling at midnight and rent a campervan and drive around for a few days with absolutely nothing planned. [Ed. note: Christine is already back from Iceland, and you can find all her wonderful coverage here].

San Blas Islands

one place you would go back to again and again:
I’ve visited Paris, France more than any other place and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the winding cobblestone alleys, a sunny afternoon strolling along the Seine, a falafel at L’As du Falafel and a scoop at Pozzetto.

Paris

place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Vietnam. It’s super affordable, the food is just blow-your-mind ridiculously good, and the people are so friendly. Hop on the back of a motorbike and just soak up the stunning countryside, try to cross the street in Saigon, lie on the beach in Phu Quoc, eat until you can’t eat anymore in Hoi An, sail through the limestone cliffs in Halong Bay. It’s in the running for my favorite country in the world.

Floating Village, Vietnam

preferred method of transportation:
I do love a good boat trip! There’s nothing better than being out on the open water with no emails to check and no cellphones ringing and nothing to do but relax, get a tan, cool off in the water. Sailing the San Blas Islands from Panama City to Cartagena was absolutely one of the most relaxing vacations of my life. When I’m on land, I like to walk when the weather is nice and take the subway when it’s not.

Saint Kilda

place you’ve never been but dying to go:
South Africa has been top of my list ever since I saw a tourism commercial when I was 16. I was so struck by the diversity of the landscapes; I couldn’t imagine what place could possibly have that many different beaches and cities and vistas. It’ll happen one day!
Nice

place you’d never go back:
Honestly, I’ve really enjoyed each place that I’ve visited. I’m pretty much dying to go back to all of them. Except maybe Montgomery, Alabama. I spent a night there on a cross-country road trip, and I think that was plenty.

Melbourne Sunrise

most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less: 
I lived in Melbourne for a year, and in quiet moments, my mind always flashes to sunrise runs along St Kilda beach, an expertly poured latte in a café window, wandering through graffiti alleys and cheering at AFL games. The whole country is just spectacular, and I feel so lucky to have seen the art in the MONA, driven across the Nullarbor and gone to a show in the Sydney Opera House.

Wadi Rum

how do you prepare for a trip?
Book the plane ticket, and everything else will fall into place. That’s my general philosophy. I tend to book accommodation, skim a few guidebooks for the can’t-miss attractions, and then show up with my camera and wander. I’m not much for planning detailed itineraries (except when friends visit me in New York City, and I feel compelled to make sure they have the most epic time possible with all of my favorite haunts).

Bali

how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
I take the most vital notes in my iPhone—other than that, I just listen and watch and notice the details. It’s not the most reliable method, but I’d rather be present in the moment than stuck taking notes. I figure I can always Google the rest when I’m home.

Bansky in San Francisco

Paris graffiti

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
I’m obsessed with street art anywhere I go. I love how temporary it all is: there’s no guarantee it will be there tomorrow, let alone on your next trip.

Phu Quoc

on an average, how many pictures do you take on a trip?
I’m pretty good at editing down: I’m learning that I’d rather have one awesome photo of a particular place or moment than dozens of average ones. It’s a game with myself to see how many I can delete in the first and second rounds of edits!

Perth sunset

what’s in your “designer travel kit” ? 
I have a Canon Rebel XSi, with its handmade Phyllis strap and gorgeous ONA bag. I always travel with my iPhone 4S (with neon pink Pantone case!), my MacBook Air, my Kindle Touch, my hot pink and light pink Moleskines. And a really nice pen.

Saigon

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
I share on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter during a trip, and I blog at CestChristine.com in the weeks after coming home. I made a really cool scrapbook with MyPublisher.com after my first solo backpacking trip after graduation, and I’ve been meaning to make one for all of my trips…but it hasn’t happened yet. One day!

Sedona, California

Northern California

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
I always send postcards to my friends and family when I’m traveling. My mom punches a hole in them and keeps all of them on a binder ring to flip through—so I figure that’s a nice little memory book for the future. I’m not big on souvenirs—a relic of my days living out of a backpack when there simply wasn’t room for anything new—but if I see a piece of jewelry that strikes my fancy, I’m apt to pick it up. I like being able to wear my memories.

Ubud

LINKS

• Blog: C’est Christine
• Twitter: @camorose
• Instagram: cestchristine
• Facebook: CestChristine

BOARDING PASS is a regular column exploring the creative ways people see the world and record their travels. Find me on Instagram + Twitter! Or sign up to take my MAPS or InDesign classes on Skillshare!