5 Questions With Amy Seder Of Awaylands
Bloggers have an uncanny ability to send us on an adventure both near and far. Their stunning snaps encourage wanderlust in all of us and act as a travel guide no matter the destination.
These social muses possess a keen editorial eye and a willingness to try new trends, and for that, we thought we would spotlight another personal favourite. Amy’s love of all things inspiring fills our feeds with relevant travel happenings. With nods to style and dreamy vacations captured in video, this is one blog you absolutely need to bookmark.
Here are 5 questions with Amy Seder of awaylands.com
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your blog?
“I have been playing around with blogging, building websites and social networks since the very early 2000s – pretty much the dawn of time in internet terms. I was always first and foremost a photographer – I received my Bachelors in Photography from Brooks Institute and set off to New York to become a fashion photographer; and spent a number of years and wore a dozen different hats within the industry.
When my boyfriend, Brandon, and I started travelling extensively together we started putting together short films, and we both just fell completely in love with the process – and then everything started to come together, and Away Lands was born. We were both into our careers but knew that we had to take a chance to leave it all and see if we could build something we actually really loved – and not just get by. We spent a year and a half making plans, building the blog, learning, and working together to create a life and business that truly reflected both of us.
AwayLands.com as a blog is a mix of all of our interest and is constantly evolving – from fashion photography stories to travel guides, to showcasing films, and an interview series that we are starting up in the coming months.”
2. What Instagram filter or editing app do you swear by?
“I shoot raw photos and always process them on my computer in PhotoShop. I’m one of the only people that doesn’t use Lightroom – after working with PhotoShop for so long, I never made the switch! On the fly, I will colour phone snaps in VSCOcam, and to keep my Instagram grid consistent, I always use just a touch of Clarendon filter before posting.”
3. What are your top 5 cities, and what trips do you have lined up this year?
“My top 5 favourites cities (so far) would be:
- New York City – it was my home for 8 years and I still refuse to admit I don’t actually live here anymore!
- Tokyo – the most amazing 48 hours of my life, I’m dying to go back.
- Singapore – I was surprised by how much I loved it here, but the gardens are incredible, there is so much to do, and everything in the city is clean, friendly, and efficient. And the hawkers in little India are amazing!
- Barcelona – Such a cool mix of old cathedrals on one side, and a huge beach on the other.
- Rome – One of the first foreign cities I ever visited, when I was 15, and I was so blown away by it – I can’t wait to finally go back this summer.
We have spent a lot of time in South and South East Asia this year, but up next we will be travelling across Western Europe for the rest of the summer and I am beyond excited. On the schedule is sailing through the Island of Croatia, visiting friends in a small village in Germany, stops through Amsterdam, and Paris, and then a road trip through Italy retracing Brandon’s family roots.”
4. What city served you the best meal, and what was it?
“This is a tough choice – but it has to be when your guide in Morocco – we trekked from Marrakesh to the Sahara Desert over 4 days – invited us into his home and his wife made us Madfuna – a spicy, meaty “Moroccan pizza” baked in a brick oven. The village, Rissani, is hours into Morocco and one of the most foreign places I have ever visited – but the pizza was absolutely incredible.”
5. What are the pieces you never leave home without?
“I always travel with at least 2 pairs of extra headphones and my pillow. I have the perfect pillow that I have learned to roll perfectly into my carry-on purse – and is has been around and around the world with me. And when I’m travelling from my home in LA, I always bring a couple of avocados – no one in the world grows avocados like my mom.”
