Meet the Photographer: Amanda Marsalis

Hometown: Los Angeles.

Occupation: Photographer.

Favorite destinations: Plan-de-la-Tour, France; Sardinia; London; Barra do Sahy, Brazil; Powder Mountain, Utah. And on and on.

Dying to visit: Tokyo, Nepal, Stockholm.

Bizarre travel rituals: I always have to check a bag since my carry-on is full of camera gear. I gave up trying to travel light a long time ago.

In-flight relaxation regime: Options! Movies, magazines, books, and music.

Always in carry-on: Cameras, noise-canceling headphones, some kind of delicious snack.

Concierge or DIY? DIY.

See it all or take it easy? Take it easy and see what comes.

Drive or be driven? Drive, for sure.

Travel hero: Joan Didion. She kept a list of what to pack pinned to her closet wall and always packed the same things.

Weirdest thing seen on travels: Everything I saw in Gaziantep, Turkey.

Best hotel amenity: The private swimming pool at Amantaka in Luang Prabang, Laos.

I dream about my meal at Duomo in Ragusa, Sicily.

Everywhere I go, I check out the museums.

When I arrive in a new place, I learn the lay of the land by getting to a high point, which is also great if you need to photograph the sunset.

I always bring home: I have a thing for fabrics and wooden kitchen spoons.

If I never return to Belem, Brazil, it'll be too soon because once was more than enough.

I travel for the stories.