Prepping for a Round-the-World Trip with Marisa Vitale
The Venice Beach-based photographer on bringing her creative process into travel. Next adventure? A year-long round-the-world trip with her husband and twins.
Marisa Vitale is “knee-deep in packing and slipping in last minute shoots”.
That’s what her message said when I checked in on her. It’s the week she and her family are preparing to leave their home in Venice Beach, California, for the summer— north to the lush coastlines of the San Juan Islands, an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest between Puget Sound and Vancouver Island. From there, they will embark on a massive year-long adventure and I’m touching base with her to see where she’s at with the process.
A round-the-world trip as a family is no small feat. Team carry-on or check? What’s their layer situation looking like? And in her case especially, which of her sweet cameras will she bring with?
The jubilant, exuberant photographer has become a friend— over the course of the past year we’ve shared ample parenting stories and trip route ideas via email— so it’s only natural we’d share her travel plans here.
Marisa, a California native, explores the world through her camera lens along with her husband Peter and twins, Oliver and Macy. Her print shop is aplomb with epic landscapes spanning Bryce Canyon to Glacier National Park, no doubt taken on road trips with her family and “silver spur”— their camper van. But she’s just as adept in interiors and architecture is she is the outdoors— a scroll through her Apartment Therapy home tours makes you want to drop everything and go crash the shoot, they’re so inviting. Her bounty of sunlit, joy-filled portraits of interdisciplinary artists, creative directors, designers, writers and creatives across all spaces seem to evoke much of her personality, too— an indicator of how her art is a representation of her as much as it is her subjects.
Her most recent project, called We Are All Connected, will accompany her on their travels is a documentary-style ode to empathy and global connectedness that she hopes to turn into a book on return.
For those of you dreaming of leaning into the world with your family for a long-term round-the-world trip, Marisa’s delightful anecdotes and conversational style will ignite your family’s fire. We talk camera gear, routes, values decks, and, bonus— the best local’s list of Venice Beach restaurants recs I’ve ever seen. Welcome, Marisa!
HT: How does your work as a photographer inform how you see the world when you travel?
I actually think that I became a photographer because I travel! When I travel, I am constantly being stopped with a sense of awe and wonder. As a child, I was essentially taking a snapshot in my mind before I ever held a camera in my hand. My mind would stop and linger on something I saw. Once I actually had the tool to retain that image longer, it just became a symbiotic relationship. My husband is so used to us walking down a street together and suddenly I fall back, struck by something that has captured my eye and I simply must snap a pic. Our travels are really spent with him walking and me stopping, snapping a pic, running to catch up, stopping and snapping, running to catch up and on and on, ha! My eye has been trained to pause when something strikes me.
I follow my heart when I travel with my camera and snap at whatever captures my attention. And what captures my attention can be for different reasons, it’s how the light is cascading down an alley, it’s how the colors are electrified with flowers and buildings, it’s how people are communicating with each other, it’s something that’s so beautiful it takes my breath away, it’s something that’s so different from what I’m used to at home. Whatever it is, it forces me to pause. And maybe that’s how being a photographer informs my travel. I have been trained to wait for the pause and then take a snap. To keep watching and waiting. And this really is great way to travel. Instead of breezing through, to really see, to slow down, to pause and truly take it all in.
You’re planning a massive RTW trip right now– can’t wait to follow along! Can you let us in on how you first came up with the inspiration for such a big trip and then started the process— did the kiddos help with ideas?
Yes! We’re getting so excited! My husband and I actually bonded early on with our love for travel. Before we were even dating we met up in Europe one summer (neither one of us can remember how since it was pre cell phones) We realized we did the same things, i.e., worked all year just to travel all summer. We connected so deeply with our love of travel that that has been our soul connection always.
But it wasn’t until we were traveling in Vietnam one year, pre-kids, when we met a Swedish family traveling with two little kids. They told us about their parental leave that allowed them to travel with their kiddos for 18 months! The light clicked in that moment. We saw us with our future children doing the same exact thing. We knew we wanted to instill that love of travel at a young age with our kids.
It had been in our minds since that moment, but then we got a bit derailed when we found out we were having twins. We got a bit lost in the twin storm until a family rented our house who was also doing a year around the world and Los Angeles was their first stop from London! Our flame was reignited, we planned to go when the kids were in 3rd grade. And then Covid happened.
Looking back, it was a blessing in disguise as it has given us more time to plan and the kids are older now and can help with the process.
For example, they’re studying Ancient Egypt right now which completely flipped our December plans and now has us entering the Middle East instead of staying in Eastern Europe. Our daughter requested that for Christmas we go somewhere that actually feels like winter. Being in Southern California every holiday, she’s always disappointed with the 80 degree weather, ha! This is the time when the kids can ask for what they want and we can make it happen! So December will now be spent doing both Christmassy things in Germany and also the Middle East. Without their input neither one would be happening.
The trip has been outlined with a mix of some of my and Peter’s favorite places that we want to take the kids back to like Luang Prabang in Laos, Halong Bay in Vietnam, Slovenia, Athens in Greece, Istanbul, and places none of us have been like Guatemala, Japan and Africa. And some that have familial ties like Argentina. It’s a big mix with a lot of room for flexibility and switching gears at a moments notice.
What would you suggest for a family wanting to do a gap year or longer trip as far as planning and where to start?
The first reaction I always get from people when i tell them what we’re doing is just “how?” It’s hard for people to wrap their brains around leaving their house, their jobs, their families and friends, all the uncertainty, etc. We always say “where there’s a will, there’s a way”. I feel like the most important step is just the will, once you have that, let the will lead the way!
So if the will is what drives you, then places will naturally call to you. If your will is to be in deep nature, you’re going to seek out countries and places that allow you to disappear into the natural world. If your will is to understand a different culture, you will place yourself in the heart of countries that have deep cultural traditions. If your will is food related, you’ll focus there. Everyone is different, so I feel like the first step is really defining what your intentions are.
We actually just used a values deck and pulled out the top 5 cards for each of us, and our intentions for the trip. They pretty much all were aligned with exact crossover words in growth, creativity, freedom, fun and family connection. Using a values deck or even just discussing this is a great way to hone in on what you really want. For example, for us, we love traveling and going to new places, so it’s hard to narrow down the countries we have to choose. But we realized it was important to us to go places that had as much of a different culture than ours as possible. So that ruled out England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Basically most countries that speak English. Which was hard! We got engaged in New Zealand and we love that country, so although it’s hard to have to cut places out, when you go back to what your intention are for the trip, it helps reel you back in and focus exactly on what you want. Letting your heart lead instead of a spinning mind.
Can you give us a sneak peak at a few countries you’re planning to visit? How long are you going for? Where are the kids most excited about going?
The fast list: Guatemala, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, maybe more in Africa, maybe more in Europe.
This is where it stands right now. They’re all varying levels of length of stays. Guatemala is 1-2 months where we’re doing language intensive classes and living with a host family. We don’t have an exit date yet, but Colombia will most likely be about 2 weeks, passing through as we make our way to Argentina (this is where my family roots are). We’re there for about 2 months before we head to the Middle East for December (after a quick trip to Munich for some Christmas bliss). We’re spending Christmas day in Bethlehem (we’re not religious, but our plans just landed us there and it’s probably going to be a really interesting cultural experience), New Year’s in Chiang Mai and then we eventually end up in Luang Prabang in Laos as a home base for about 2 months. We’ll do side trips to Vietnam and Cambodia from there. Japan will be about two months.
We’re thinking about maybe buying a camper van and driving eastern to western Europe for the next two months. We own a camper van where we live now in Venice Beach and have spent every summer and holiday for the last few years road tripping and camping in it, so we’re very familiar and will probably be missing our silver spur while we’re away! Or maybe we rely all on trains, not sure yet! We haven’t figured everything out as we do want to leave room for things that pull us in a new direction. The kids are most excited to go to Egypt! And I have a problem with favorites but I have been dreaming about seeing Petra since I was a little kid.
Do you have a photography travel tip you can share? Do you bring your camera(s) or stick with the smart phone?
Oh goodness, I cannot tell you how many days and sleepless nights I spent mulling this exact subject over, what camera do I bring? As a professional photographer, I’ve been shooting with a Canon 5D for over a decade. But, it’s so BIG! And at this point, anytime it enters my hand I feel like I’m working and viscerally feel the burn out. Which is exactly the opposite of how I want to feel on this trip. In fact, I went and bought the new Canon mirrorless R6 and in the middle of the night I shot out of bed and was like “I can’t do this!” I was seriously going to bring my big Canon camera, a smaller travel camera to fit in a small purse for everyday use and then a film camera. Since we’re only bringing carry on bags, how in the world was I going to fit all those cameras? The next day, I walked right back into the place I bought the camera and walked out with a Leica Q2. It’s seems absolutely insane to pay the amount this camera is for essentially a “really nice point and shoot” but in all honesty, I don’t want to be fiddling with gear, lugging around lenses and taking a million shots to have to sort through and edit. I wanted something small, but still high quality, one I could take with me everywhere and limit my options so that I have to be more intentional about what I’m shooting while still holding high quality to be able to pitch to magazines and tourism boards.
But in all honestly, at the end of the day, the best camera is really the one that you feel most comfortable with, the one you have by your side and can just whip out when you see something worth taking a shot of. Sometimes my big camera feels too intimidating and just too much. I like to snap shots without drawing attention to myself. Being a professional photographer though I am definitely used to a certain level of quality and I do plan on pitching to travel magazines, so for me personally, I had to stick with smallest high quality camera I could find and that was the Leica Q2. Some people think I’m nutso since the lens doesn’t even come off, but I am actually longing to be able to shoot like I did with film. Not a lot of bells and whistles, the basics. I want to be more intentional and be forced to slow down, that is actually the whole point.
But in all honestly, the new iPhones and other smart phones have dang good cameras on them. I joke that they’ll eventually put me out of business. The immediate HDR ability on those phones are insane! Especially for an interiors photographer, I can’t match what the phone can capture in a single shot HDR wise. They’re pretty incredible. And yes, I will def be taking photos on my iPhone as well. At the moment I have 98,697 photos on my phone! I’m pretty snap happy, whether that’s with my professional camera or just my phone. I keep my phone in my back pocket at all times just because i am so snap happy, I want to access it as fast as possible.
Much of this platform is about traveling sustainably— do you (or your kids) have a fave sustainable activity, philosophy, or piece of gear you love? Any and all recs welcome!
This is a great question! And one I’ve been thinking about a lot lately as our year ahead does involve quite a bit of plane travel. The way we will be offsetting that is still in the works, but I can talk about philosophy and modes of travel we steer towards. First off, especially for this international trek we will be embarking upon, we are attempting to focus on supporting locals as much as possible. For example, our first stay in Guatemala will be with a host family. And we are already taking language classes via Zoom with a teacher from the town we’ll be staying in. Doing homestays or workstays are a great way to really imbed yourself in the local community and culture while helping to keep your dollars within the community as well.
We will also be needing guides and maybe even a few tours along the way. We mostly like to do things on our own, but when we do need a little extra help, we look for people or organizations that are part of the actual community. If it’s a tour company, we look at how the money we are giving them is being spent. Does it go directly to the guide or the local community?
Oftentimes, your dollars head straight out of the country and into the pockets of people that have no connection to the actual community but are simply there for the profits to be made. This goes for tour companies but also restaurants, stores, shops. Be mindful and research who you choose to give your money to. Hire local guides, shop local and if you book a tour, find one that is local led and a plus is if they are also giving back to the community in some way. Some larger tours companies I know of if you’re looking to book more of a package tour are G Adventures and Intrepid Travel, although I haven’t personally taken either of their tours, so I can’t personally vouch for them. But the point is, you can make a choice with how and where you spend your money.
On another level, is what we’re packing. We will each have one carry on suitcase and one backpack. We will have very little we’re packing, but I’m trying to choose items that are sustainably made and/or support a local community. For example, I am currently an ambassador for Paka, a clothing company based in Peru that works with local weavers to make their clothes and uses part of its profits to fund scholarships for Peruvian youth to go to college.
Most puffy jackets (a must for travel) are filled with synthetic materials that are terrible for the planet. Paka has created an entirely new type of fill made out of alpaca that just may be revolutionizing the puffy world. Or, I just bought a pair of shoes from Hylo, who makes their shoes from all natural materials like sugar and corn instead of petroleum based products that take a thousand years to break down. If you look, you can find sustainably-made items to outfit yourselves too.
Also, bring your own water bottle and reusable bags! We plan on bringing a filter or even getting a built in filter water bottle for this trip like Grayl (who is also a 1% for the planet member & funds many community projects) and bringing our own reusable bags as the biggest thing we see in other countries is the mass amount of plastic bags and water bottles floating in streams, rivers and shores. And refuse the plastic straw if anyone offers, bring your own reusable one!
This is kind of a tangent, but also feel like it adds to sustainable practices. I will be embarking upon a photo and audio documentary project with a working title of “We Are All Connected” I will be asking people from all places we’re going to a series of the same questions. I will be posting these on Instagram and hopefully create a book by the end of the trip.
I truly believe that when we get to know people more, our empathy and compassion grows. When you hear in someone’s words about their own home, culture, values, hopes and dreams, you become more connected as humans. You care about that person now that you’ve heard their voice and in turn, you now care about where they live and their community, their country, etc. I feel that storytelling can also be a way to connect humans to each other, which further instills the desire to help all humans on this planet.
You’re based in Venice Beach. Can you give a few of your fave activities or places to visit if we’re coming to the West Side for the day? Cafe, shop, beach stretch, AK food truck (if they’re still there:)?
Yes! Venice is such a funky, fun town to explore, I have a lot of tips. But If you’re just coming for one day, I’d suggest starting it off at one of the great breakfast spots here: Gjelina, Gjusta, Great White (why do they all start with G?!) The Butcher’s Daughter, Superba Food and Bread, The Rose or head down to the boardwalk and find a cafe like the sidewalk cafe and watch the street performers and vendors start setting up their wares. It’s probably worth renting a bike for the day if you want to see a lot.
If you’re already breakfasting at the boardwalk, stay down there and walk the length of it to get a feel for what Venice is all about. Then rent a bike and take a tour of the bike path and the neighboring towns like Santa Monica (which has a great beach playground you’ll run right into on the bike path is you head north). You’ll for sure have worked up an appetite, so bike up to Abbot Kinney for lunch, grab a quick bite to go at GTA, Lemonade or kreation, Acai bowls at Loco Coco or Oakberry, or if you’d like to sit down, Italian at Piccolo, tacos at Tacos Por Favor, California fare at Greenleaf. Be sure to save room for Salt and Straw ice cream, or if you’re feeling donuts then Blue Star. In between all this eating you can peruse all the clothing shops and fun little spots with all kinds of unique wares like Huset. If you’re here on the first Friday of every month, stay on Abbot Kinney for food trucks galore. But, do not miss the sunset at the beach.
If you’re there early, head over to the skatepark and watch the skaters fly out of the pools or the roller skaters behind the skatepark sometimes have a full dance line up happening. If your’e there on a Saturday, there will be a drum circle, Sunday a light up bike parade. There always seems to be something happening down at the beach. Stay until the sun dips below the horizon and hopefully you’ll get a light show of color in that sunset. For dinner, there’s many ways to go, Felix for Italian, Gran Blanco for Mediterranean, Hama for sushi, Scopa for gastropub, Dudley Market for seafood. Or head to Rose Ave which is another must visit in Venice and hit up Venice Beach Wines for drinks and apps. When you’re ready for dinner, you can walk to Wallflower for Indonesian, Wabi for Japanese, Chulita for Mexican, American Beauty for burgers. Then finish it off for more ice cream at Jeni’s. I realize this is all food-related, there’s a lot of places to eat here! But the free sunsets over the ocean are actually my favorite part of living here.
