Often when we travel, we’re struck by something we see on the way from here to there. Be ready to work fast! Get down the basic forms or actions; you can add to it later from memory, from a photo or from inspiration.
Keep your basic tools handy so you don’t have to fumble for your supplies. I usually have a favorite pen, pencil or colored pencil where I can get at it fast.
Sometimes it’s good if we don’t have time to sit and finish a sketch on the spot. It allows us to add the colors that capture the mood later, rather than being trapped into trying to match the complex mosaic of local color.
Sketching from a car window often calls for working fast as the landscape flies past you. Don’t try for detail. Again, just draw the basic shapes and energy as you ride by.
If you’re sitting on the tarmac, of course, you can sketch what’s out the window: The distant landscape, palm trees, other planes waiting to take on passengers and the rest of the terminal building.
I’ve sketched some stunning old volcano craters, shorelines, canyons and mountains while looking down from plane windows.