Meet the Traveler: Anna Petrow

Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri.

Occupation: Photographer.

Favorite destinations: Buenos Aires, Florence, Punta Mita, and Sevilla.

Dying to visit: Istanbul for the architecture. Thailand for the elephants.

Bizarre travel rituals: I check obsessively for my ID, passport, and boarding pass before I get on the plane, even though I've never lost any of them.

In-flight relaxation regime: Either watching Despicable Me on demand or reading a new book.

Always in carry-on: Burt's Bees.

Concierge or DIY? Mostly DIY, but a concierge can be a great part of the research process.

See it all or take it easy? See it all.

Drive or be driven? Be driven. I get too distracted looking out the window for photo ops. 

Travel hero: My dad. He's been everywhere. He was an army brat as a child, and turned that passion into a successful business. He's a self-made man with an insatiable curiosity even at 60 (he's almost 60 — he'd kill me if he read that prematurely), and I've always been so proud of that.

Weirdest thing heard on travels: Everyone in Marrakech called me Lady Gaga.

My favorite hotel is Villa Feltrinelli because my dad and I once planned a trip to Italy that revolved around staying there. Mussolini was exiled to this breathtaking palace on Lake Garda (poor guy) that is now an incredible, small hotel.

I dream about my meal at really, everywhere. Just check out my food stories on Fathom. On my mind at the moment is Sufi in Punta Mita, where I had an excellent red snapper on a bed of jasmine rice and grilled pineapple, accompanied by a fierce jalepeño martini.

Best hotel amenity: Minty shampoo, most recently from CO Bigelow Apothecaries at Petit Ermitage in Los Angeles, which I hoarded abundantly.

Favorite childhood travel memory: Renting a car with my family and driving the entire coast of Ireland. My sister and I got a copy of the new Harry Potter book, my dad pulled over for every cow on the side of the road that we wanted to pet, and we stayed in magical cottages in tiny villages.

Everywhere I go, I check out the farmer's markets.

When I arrive in a new place, I learn the lay of the land by walking everywhere.

I always bring home so much wine that I have to pay the overweight fee.

If I never return to Branson, Missouri, it will be too soon because wax museums are my nightmare.

I travel because life is better spent in new places.

MORE ANNA

Website: annapetrow.com
Instagram: @annapetrow
Stories on Fathom