Flying with camera gear doesn’t have to be hard. Whether you’re a professional photographer traveling for a job or a hobbyist traveling home to see the family over the holidays, these tips can make your next trip fly by with ease.
I estimate I flew over 25,000 miles for photography jobs last year alone, so when I saw this terrific video by Joe Edelman, I knew I just had to write an article about it. The first part of the video has some good advice concerning how to pack to fly with your gear. Like Edelman, I prefer to have my cameras and lenses in a carryon backpack. For me, I put this under the seat in front of me. I like the Canon Delux 200 EG and have been using it for years. It’s very inexpensive, carries two Nikon D500s, a 70-200mm, 24-70mm, 10mm, MacBook Pro, two hard drives, two speed lights, remotes, and lots of little things like card holders, AA batteries, charges, camera batteries, and my iPad. By carrying my gear in a backpack, I can have both hands free.
While the packing tips in the video are great, I think the best part of the video is where Edelman gives his tips for traveling. Traveling can be tiring and stressful at times, so anything I can learn to make it a little more comfortable and more enjoyable, I’m all in for. I’ve already started using one of Edelman’s tips for a travel app. My 2019 travel season begins the first weekend in January, and I’m honestly looking forward to using some newly gained knowledge.
Doug Turney is a Connecticut based photographer who specializes in non-ball sport types of photography such as motocross, sailing, and cycling. But that doesn’t stop him from shooting other types of photography too. Doug believes photography is photography and doesn’t like to be typecast. Doug loves to travel and often shoots when traveling.
The first question you must ask yourself is, how much gear should I bring? If you’re traveling light and avoiding any checked luggage fees, (plus the hassle of waiting at baggage claim, and the risk of lost luggage), then the answer is easy: You can only bring whatever gear you can fit in your overhead-bin-sized carry-on camera bag, plus one under-the-seat “personal item.”
This might mean that you can’t bring all your lenses, flashes, and light stands or whatever other accessories you would normally bring.
How to Pack for Airplane Travel with Camera Gear
So, you’ve decided how much gear to bring, and whether or not to check a bag. Next, how do you pack your gear? As the sarcastic reply goes… “very carefully!” Indeed, pack carefully. I’ll be specific, and not waste your time with sarcasm.
Checked Luggage vs Overhead Bin vs Under-Seat
Which items should go in which suitcases? That’s one of the best questions you can ask! OK, let’s talk about the checked luggage, which is where your clothes and some other stuff should go. These are the things you could possibly survive without, if your luggage were to be lost.
First, anything not so delicate, like light stands and tripods, should go at the very bottom of your suitcase.
Then, add padded case-type items, like lenses or flashes, inside their padded protection, but with batteries removed. I have found that while you’re not supposed to pack large Lithium-Ion batteries in your checked luggage, I’ve had no problems with other types of battery sets, like 4x Eneloop AA cases.
Last, on top goes the really soft stuff, your clothes, socks, and other items. I also prefer luggage that has one or two external compartments, so that I can quickly access accessories like rain jackets.
Next, what goes into an overhead bin carry-on, and your under-seat personal item?
Before we get any further, here is my very important, number-one rule: never let your bags out of your sight. Ever. If you’re late to the flight and the gate attendant tells you that you must check your bag, inform them that the value of the gear in the bag far exceeds the airline’s limit of liability for lost luggage, and you simply can’t take the risk.
Split your key pieces of gear up between your overhead carry-on item and your under-seat personal item. I usually put my main camera body and one lens and one flash in the under-seat bag, and my backup body, plus all other lenses, flashes, and anything I can’t afford to lose in checked luggage, in the overhead bin carry-on bag.
How Never to Forget Critical Photography Accessories
When you’re packing everything up, it really helps if you can come up with a system so that you never forget smaller items like batteries, memory cards, etc. This system should be super easy to follow; in fact, it should make failure almost impossible.
Maybe for you, what works best is a little whiteboard where you check off every single accessory before every single outing. Or a phone app that does something similar. Or, maybe you have a shelving organization system for dead and charged batteries.
My own secret trick is this: if something has a door, (battery door, memory card door) then I leave that door open if it’s empty inside. Flashes and cameras etc. are left on my gear shelves on their sides, with those doors left wide open. Now, it’s essentially impossible for me to pack up my cameras and/or flashes without first putting memory cards and batteries in them.
When I travel for my stock photography, I also like to get in the habit of formatting all my downloaded, backed-up memory cards immediately after I have verified that they’re downloaded and backed up safely, instead of waiting until just before my next big adventure to do all my formatting. Remember, a formatted but unused memory card is easy to recover images from; however, once you save new images to the memory card, it’s almost impossible to get over-written images back.
Final Air Travel Tips for Photographers
Here are a few more rapid-fire tips, just in case:
- Never check in most Lithium-Ion batteries—those must go in your carry-on luggage.
- Always check sharp pointy objects like pocket knives.
- Remember to remove any alcohol-based lens cleaning solutions from any of your luggage or bags. I’ve accidentally forgotten a small
1 oz bottle of Eclipse solution in my bag sometimes, and it was never confiscated, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Everybody knows that air travel can be an ordeal. So, take a deep breath, pack your bags long before the last minute, head to the airport very early, keep calm, and have a great trip!
Usnea Lebendig’s Bio
Usnea Lebendig is an urban activist and loves hiking and adventuring in the mountains in her spare time. For the past 10 years, she has been a traveling stock, landscape, and portrait photographer, having visited more than 40 countries all over the world. She currently writes for
Traveling is wonderful, but it can be stressful if you’re flying with photography gear. You need to transport everything safely, plus avoid any potential misunderstandings at the airport because of the electronics you’re carrying. So, if your photography or video work takes you abroad often, Joe Edelman offers plenty of tips to make your life easier. In this video, he suggests the best bags and gear to carry, as well as packing tips to make your gear safe and make you carefree during a flight.
Joe admits that he has a “bag problem,” or in other words, a bag for every possible shooting situation. But, he suggests that backpacks are the way to go when you’re flying with gear. They give you free hands to tackle the check-in and other stuff at the airport. His three go-to backpacks are ThinkTank Urban Approach 15, ThinkTank Airport Commuter Backpack, and ThinkTank StreetWalker HardDrive V2.0. They all fit in the overhead bins, and the first two are smaller, so they also fit under the seat in front of you.
As for the checked luggage, Joe opts for hard cases such as Pelican 1516 case and Samsonite Centric 24” Spinner Case.
Packing
When you pack the gear, create a system. Make each piece of the gear have its place, and keep it there unless you’re actively using it. This keeps you organized and makes it harder to lose track of gear. Keep small accessories in pouches so it’s easier to move them from one bag to the other. Label the gear and the pouches (you can use different colors), so it’s easier to identify what’s what when you open the bag. And if I may add: make checklists to keep you organized. Checklists rock!
15 air travel tips
Other than suggesting gear and packing hacks, Joe shares 15 of his top tips for flying with gear.
- Book the flight with an airline credit card so you get some perks such as priority boarding (which means guaranteed overhead space) and checking one suitcase for free.
- Sign up for TSA Pre✔ to spare yourself going through thorough security check every time.
- Handling the TSA bag inspection: first of all, be nice and polite, don’t make a fuss if you need to undergo the additional security check. As Joe puts it, the TSA agents are just doing their job, and because they are – traveling by airplane remains the safest travel option that exists. Tell to the agents that the bag contains sensitive and expensive equipment and explain to them how to handle it.
- Don’t stack things in the bag. This will make it easier for the agents to see what’s inside, and less likely to flag it for hand inspection.
- Take the lenses off your cameras and pack them separately to reduce the risk of damage.
- The expensive stuff goes in the carry-on. It’s not easily replaceable and you don’t want it to get damaged or lost.
- Don’t bring more than you need. The airlines have weight limits on both the carry-on and the checked luggage, so pack wisely – both the gear and the clothes.
- Don’t forget seasonal clothing (especially if you travel to do the shoots outdoors).
- Wear comfortable shoes with good traction. And if I may add – don’t wear shoes such as Shelly’s rangers if you need to go through the airport security. I learned it the hard way.
- Use travel apps to have access to all your flights and accommodation at any time. This helps you stay organized, and Joe uses TripIt app for this purpose. Also, it’s good to keep airline and hotel apps on the phone, as well as Uber and Google Maps.
- Label and tag your bags – use bright colored tags to make it easier to spot your bags on the luggage carousel.
- Use TSA approved locks so the agents can access your luggage if it needs to undergo a hand-check.
- Get your gear insured.
- Pack spare Li-ion batteries in the carry-on, as this is required by TSA. On this link, you can find more about traveling with batteries and how to pack them properly.
- Backup your files at the end of each shooting day – copy them to your laptop, and then to a portable SSD drive and to the cloud. This way, if you need to format your card, you can do it and be sure that the images are safe.
I believe all you travelers will find these tips useful (I know I will). Are there any other tips you’d like to share?
By Anna Gay on May 22, 2019 | No Comments
How to Travel with Camera Gear
I recently traveled to Costa Rica to photograph a wedding, and I quickly realized that flying with all of my camera gear was a monumental undertaking.
Below are a few tips that made my travels go smoothly, and a few suggestions to into consideration before you travel with your camera gear.
How to Pack a Camera for Flying
This sounds like a no-brainer, but how you pack is one of the most important elements of traveling with your camera equipment.
If at all possible, try to get your most valuable equipment into your carry-on luggage, just to be on the safe side. Even if you have insurance, imagine how devastated you would be if you arrived at your destination and your equipment was gone because your checked baggage was lost. That would be a nightmare!
One issue with packing camera equipment in your carry-on is that some airlines strictly enforce a maximum carry-on weight. The airline I flew on this particular trip did not weigh my carry-on, but it can happen.
My suggestion would be to check with your airline beforehand to see if they have a weight limit. If they do not, try to keep your carry-on at a reasonable weight, and if you have any trouble, politely explain that you are transporting valuable equipment that the airlines are generally not liable for in a case of loss/damage.
There are plenty of great camera bags on the market that look like small, carry-on suitcases. They have sections and pockets that make it easy to get a lot of camera equipment into a small bag.
Scheduling Your Seat and Flight
When booking your flight (if you are not flying first class or business class), try to get a seat toward the back of the plane. In most cases, economy boards back to front, so if you are one of the first to board, you will have plenty of space in the overhead compartment to put your camera bag (or bags).
When I flew to Costa Rica, my seat was in the front section of economy, but thankfully, I was flying with friends who boarded first, so they were able to get my camera bag on before the overhead bins filled up. Otherwise, I may have had some trouble.
If you are one of the last to board and the flight is completely full, your bag may not fit in the overhead bin. If that happens, your bag will likely be checked, which defeats the purpose of having your most valuable equipment in your carry-on luggage.
If you have a layover, make sure you have plenty of time to transport your gear to the next flight. While your camera bags may not seem heavy at first, after 30 minutes of walking with them, you are going to get tired. Trust me.
Just do your best to schedule flights so you’re not rushing through the airport with a lot of weight on your back. This will also give you a moment to grab a bite to eat. Staying energized is extremely important when traveling!
What Camera Equipment Should I Bring?
If possible, take as much equipment as you can. Extra memory cards and batteries will add very little weight to your luggage and can be a life-saver. Also, if you are traveling to a foreign country, before you leave, check to see if you need a special adapter for their electrical outlets to charge your batteries.
In terms of equipment, I carry two DSLRs with me when I travel. I carry my main camera, and a backup camera, just in case something happens to my main.
Nothing terrible has ever happened, but I figure its better safe than sorry, especially when travelling to an important event such as a wedding. I also carry my lenses, iPad, and flash in my carry-on. Tripods and light stands go in my checked luggage.
Traveling with Film
If you are traveling with film, check the TSA guidelines. Roll film, as long as its under ISO 800, is safe to put through the x-ray machines. If you are traveling with sheet film, or film that is ISO 800 or higher, you will need to have your film hand-inspected.
On my trip to Costa Rica, I had a disposable, underwater film camera with me. I thought the ISO was 400, but it was actually 800, so my film was completely destroyed after going through the x-rays.
Make sure to pack your film in your carry-on luggage. The x-rays used for checked luggage are more powerful than those used for carry-on, so its not a good idea to expose your film to checked luggage x-rays, even if the film’s ISO is below 800. Here are the TSA guidelines for the film.
These are just a few of the many tips for traveling with photography equipment, but hopefully, they will steer you in the right direction before your next trip!
Do you have any questions or additional tips about Traveling with Camera Gear? Leave us a comment below – we would LOVE to hear from you! And PLEASE SHARE this post using the social sharing buttons (We really appreciate it)!
Anna Gay
Portrait Photographer
Anna Gay is a portrait photographer based in Athens, GA and the author of the dPS ebook The Art of Self-Portraiture. She also designs actions and textures for Photoshop. When she is not shooting or writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, and their two cats, Elphie and Fat Cat.
Air travel is a fact of life for jobbing amateur and professional photographers alike. At some point you need to stuff your gear in a bag and get on a plane. Here are my top 5 rules for air travel.
The starting point for any travel photography piece is about determining how much gear you are going to take. This isn’t about the best camera bodies, lenses, lighting gear, or tripods to buy, but rather how you can optimize the kit you do take and the space you fit it into. Along the way I’ll cover my five rules.
Your Bag
If you drive to a job, then you invariably take every conceivable piece of gear you might need, shoving it all into the trunk. You could take the same approach with air travel, but that would mean a lot of bags and checked luggage. For any trip, I work on the premise of taking everything in carry-on luggage because that’s both cheaper and safer for my camera gear. Nine times out of ten that works. By carry-on luggage I am working on the broad definition of 56x45x25cm which are EasyJet’s current standard (with no weight limit). Most airlines in Europe are similar although some are smaller.
Rule 1: Always Check Your Baggage Restrictions
Before you can even begin to think about packing, you need a bag first. Call me a Philistine, but roller bags are pure evil. If there is something I’d like to put in Room 101, then roller bags would be up there. Sure they save your back, but that’s where their benefit ends. You trip over them, someone else trips over them, you can’t make them smaller if they are too big, you can’t carry them on your back, you can’t fold them away and, well, they are just shocking for public transport. They are easily wheeled stacking boxes. Period. Dump them if you can.
Given the above, you can probably guess that I’m a fan of rucksacks as offer great flexibility for travel. They’re not perfect: there is a tendency to hit people when you turn around, the straps are easily snagged, and they pack from the top making access difficult. However this leads on to rule two:
Rule 2: Don’t Take a Camera Bag
Yup, nothing screams “photographer” more than a camera bag making you an immediate target for theft. To add insult to injury, they are damned expensive, for what is a padded bag. My preference for any kind of bag that is going to hold my camera gear is to get a standard bag that is designed to be, well, a bag! Inside that you can then put any number of bespoke padded case inserts to hold your gear. Not tailor made, but ultimately flexible. For travel I now use The North Face Base Camp Duffel bag (a variety of manufacturers make something similar) which sports bomb proof construction, adjustable size, rucksack conversion, and foldable design. For carry-on luggage, go for the small size. Throw in a couple of luggage padlocks and it’s a secure setup.
Your Gear
Before you can consider how you are going to pack your gear you need to know what you are going to take which leads to rule three:
Rule 3: Take What You Need
This might seem obvious, except many people work to the principle of “take what you might need”! Begin with the style of photography you are intending to shoot (e.g. street) and then research the locations that you intend to visit. If you know what you are going to shoot and where, then you can draft a shortlist of the kit you will need to achieve that.
On a recent trip I decided I wanted to do a mix of landscape, architectural, and street photography. With my preference for shooting with prime lenses, that meant taking my Nikon D700, 85mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.8, and 24mm f/2.8, along with my Lee Filters, and 3Pod travel tripod.
I now solely use a ThinkTank Speed Changer for packing my kit. This takes a DSLR body in one half, and then two stacked lenses in the other. The pocket on the front holds accessories, with a separate neoprene case used to pack any extra lenses. That all stows neatly in the bag leaving plenty of space for extras (like clothes!).
Your Accessories
A good exercise in de-cluttering as a pre-cursor to travel is to take the camera bag you normally use and, after removing the camera and any lenses, take everything else out. What have you got there? Probably more than you were expecting to see. Accessories are essential to successful photography, however this leads to rule four:
Rule 4: Question Everything You Take
Power is the first port of call. I use a 4-port USB charger with interchangeable mains plugs, along with whatever cables I need. If your camera charges directly via USB that’s great (most Sony’s do), however many camera systems supply a bespoke mains charger. Ditch them and go for a generic USB version (e.g. a Nikon one). A spare battery is a good idea, along with a power bank.
Accessories I use for the camera itself (which I’ve talked about before) include stepper rings (for the Lee filter holder), a wired remote control, lens hoods, and a cleaning cloth/lens pen.
Of course accessories don’t actually finish with the camera, as you’ve got a whole bag full of stuff! Which means that rule five is a variation on rule four:
Rule 5: Question Everything You Take. It’s Not All About the Camera!
Other bits of kit I routinely throw in include a folding silicone water bottle (great for not having to always buy water), a folding silicon coffee cup (bring-your-own cups seem to be the latest thing!), USB battery charger (for AA and AAA), and a packable rucksack (useful to use during a visit).
No one likes to travel with more than they need and when you can take advantage of the benefits of carry-on luggage then it’s worth investing a bit of time to fine tune that. Have you got any gear tips for traveling?
Lead image courtesy of JESHOOTS-com via Pixabay, used under Creative Commons.
Travelling with your camera is one of the most rewarding things that you can do in photography. The thrill of new places, different cultures, interesting light are strong lures to any photographer.
The problem is, what to take? The urge will be to take as much or your gear as you deem necessary. That, however, will inevitably lead to taking far too much equipment and not using 80% of it.
There is another problem as well. One affecting those that wish to fly to the travel destinations – the dreaded baggage limits. They are a necessary evil to enable airlines to fly their aircraft economically and to allow us to fly for relatively low prices.
However, there is many a photographer that has shed beads of sweat at the airline check-in desk waiting to be called out as being photographically obese. Today we are going to look at some ways to reduce your chances of getting laden with overweight baggage fees.
Be Rational About Your Equipment Choices
Our first tips start long before you get anywhere near the airport. Choose carefully what you want to take with you. Muster your past experiences in travel photography to get an idea of what equipment you used the most and what gear never came out of the bag.
Do you need to take the holy trinity of 2.8 zooms or will a stabilised 18-200mm travel lens suit better? Will you need that flashgun? It might not weigh much on its own but add in several sets of batteries and the grams start to mount.
How are you going to store your and back up your images? A laptop may not take up much space but it can be a significant proportion of your hand baggage allowance. You may well be able to get away with a tablet or smart phone connected to a hard drive. If there is good Internet, maybe back up to a cloud server.
Do you use your tripod often, or will a monopod or even a stabilised lens suffice? Image stabilisation along with high ISO values have improved immeasurably in recent years. Once you have narrowed your kit down the optimal amount, you can move on to the next decision.
Cabin Or Hold Baggage?
As much as you rationalise your equipment, you are probably not going to get away with putting it all in cabin baggage. Tripods, for example, are bulky, heavy and can flag the check-in staff to weigh your hand baggage.
On average, the weight limit for hand baggage runs between 5-8kg. A laptop, a camera and a lens or two may easily tip that over the limit. You can often get past the hand baggage limits, we will get to that later, however, do whatever you can to lighten the load.
Obviously, high-value items and essentials must go into your cabin baggage. This should include one camera body and your most important lens. Your laptop or tablet should also go cabin.
You can make weight savings on sundry items. Spare batteries, cleaning equipment, tripods and tripod heads can possibly go in checked baggage.
The aim is to make sure your cabin baggage contains enough equipment to get you up and running when you arrive. There is another aspect you may not have thought about.
How to Choose The Right Camera Bag
As well as restricting weight, airlines also restrict cabin baggage dimensions. Some camera bags, in particular, backpack style bags can be slightly or even significantly over the limits. Often this is not in the height of the bag but the depth.
You need to choose a camera bag that will fit easily inside the airlines’ size limits. The reason I say fit easily is that if the bag only just fits, the check-in attendants may well choose to weigh your bag.
With this in mind, soft camera bag are often better than hard cases like those from Pelican. Another tip here to minimise the visual look of the bag is to remove all the extraneous straps, clips and hooks from the outside. For example, the waistband straps on many backpack style bags can make that bag look significantly bigger. Pack these items in your main hold baggage instead and reattach them when you get to your destination.
An often overlooked aspect of camera bags is their actual weight. Of course, the weight of your bag becomes highly significant if your allowance is only a few kilos.
If you are travelling with your laptop, many airlines allow a laptop bag to be carried separately to your main cabin baggage. It’s well worth separating your laptop out to give you a little extra weight in your camera bag. Talking of airlines….
Choose The Right Airline
Budget airlines have revolutionised where and how much we pay for travel. However, to offer those seat prices at such low cost, they have very restrictive luggage rules as well as charging you for many other extras.
The biggest problem you will often find with a budget airline is that their cabin baggage allowances are much more restrictive than their more expensive rivals. Very often cabin baggage dimensions are smaller as well as having a lower weight restriction.
This can be very significant when travelling with camera gear. They are also more likely to check the weight of your baggage at check-in.
The more traditional airlines tend to be more generous with allowances, for example, British Airways will allow up to 23kg hand baggage so long as it stays within their dimension limits. This also is quite generous.
Checking In
Our last tip is about checking in. Whether you are checking in online and simply dropping baggage or checking in at the airport, be among the first in line. At the beginning of check-in, airlines are less likely to weigh your hand baggage. They are also more likely to forgive slightly overweight hold baggage.
As a check-in continues and the plane’s weight starts to climb check-in staff will become stricter with weight limits.
In Summary
So let’s recap on some of the hints and tips for travelling with overweight camera gear.
- Rationalise your equipment down to what you will use.
- Separate vital and expensive equipment in cabin baggage and non-essentials in the hold.
- Chose your camera bag carefully and make use of an extra laptop bag if possible.
- Book premium airlines for more generous baggage allowances.
- Check in as early as possible to minimise the chances of getting caught overweight.
Air travel allows us to visit some quite incredible locations. But it does come with the stress of restricting your weight to the airline’s limits. With some or all of the tips above, you can help minimise that stress, allowing you to concentrate more on shooting when you get there.
If you have any weight saving tips, let us know in the comments below.
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Tips and Techniques to Safely Travel with Camera Gear
written by Greg Cope
- Choosing Gear
- Camouflage
- Physical Barriers
- Behavior
- Insurance
- Backups
- Enroute
Traveling, Camera Gear, and Safety – Traveling with camera gear is a necessity for many of us, yet keeping one’s valuable camera gear and photos safe while travelling requires concious effort, planning, and forethought. Theft from a hotel room, car, or off your shoulders can quickly turn a good trip into a bad one, as can mishaps such as lost luggage containing any or all your photography gear. While we cannot completely prevent camera gear damage or theft, we can take measures to prevent and deal with it should it unfortunately occur.
Traveling in Costa Rica I carried my SLR camera, 4 camera lenses, a backup point and shoot, and several accessories allowing me to take this photo with my 70-200mm zoom lens.
Choose Wisely – Not all photography gear is necessary for particular travel plans. Sometimes, a point-and-shoot camera is all that is needed and is much more readily concealable. If an SLR camera is a must, some camera lenses and/or equipment may not be necessary, depending upon your destination. Do you need the telephoto lens? Do you need the macro lens?
Camouflage –There are some techniques which help to physically hide and/or camouflage your photography gear. For instance hiding brand names, recognizable parts, or just making your camera gear look old and worthless. These techniques include but are not limited to:
- Duct Tape: duct tape makes your camera gear look ragged, old, and barely functional.
- Electric Tape: Placed over emblems to conceal the make of your camera gear.
- Fabric: Some equipment, for instance Canon’s white ‘L’ lenses, are an instant eye catcher. A few rubber bands, some cheap black fabric and voila, instant camoflage.
- Backpack: A backpack specifically taylored for camera gear can be an eye catcher. While a simple run-of-the-mill backpack may be much less convenient, it does not flaunt that you may be carrying expesive photography gear. Padding typically found in camera backpackes can be taylored from clothes, fabrics, and/or cheap camping sleeping mats.
Physical Bariers – Several products on the market help to physically protect your camera gear from common criminal tactics. Some manufactors sell camera straps listed as ‘slashproof’ – resistant to knifes attacks in which a thief cuts your camera strap. Metal mesh bags are available that lock onto a physical object. These ‘bags’ encapsulate a backpack or other items and can lock them onto a immovable object, helping to prevent a grab and go type of theft. These types of barriers make a thief put in more work to grab your gear. While I cannot vouch for their efficacy, making your gear harder for anyone else to get is a good thing when it comes to theft protection. Some hotels offer in-room safes, and this could be added to the list of requirements when searching for lodging. These safes can be used to store, in addition to important items such as credit cards and passports, memory cards, smaller pieces of gear, and photo backups.
Traveling by boat in the Galapagos
Behavior –While sometimes we cannot help but look like a tourist, we can try to alter our behavior to avoid looking like a ‘mark’.
- Avoid Standing out in crowds: study your travel plans before the day begins to avoid looking at tourist books or maps through the day, try to familiarize yourself with your environment, and don’t flaunt items such as smart phones, credit cards, and of course camera gear.
- Be positive and act positively. Try to get to know the locals.
- Observe your surroundings: notice who’s around you, watch how others behave, and even do so from afar before diving into the crowd.
Insurance – Insuring your camera gear won’t protect it from a thief, but it can help offset the cost of replacing your photography gear should it get stolen. Moreover, some insurance plans cover damaged gear – helpful should you accidentally drop a lens or camera gear gets damaged enroute. While many insurace companies offer dedicated plans for items such as camera gear, other common plans – such as renters insurance – may provide the necessary coverage of camera gear without the need to purchase a whole new plan 1 .
Backup – The loss of gear is one thing, however the loss of photos on memory cards can be a whole different story. Many photos are priceless and irreplacable. To protect from this type of loss, you can diversify you storage. Small hard-drives with memory card slots can be found relatively cheaply and provide a way to backup the day’s photos. Their size allows one to strategically place them in diverse locations (hotel safe, money belt [presuming it fits comfortably], etc. ). When high speed internet access is available, upload all (or selected photos if the the volume is too large) to an online backup system such as a website or cloud service.
Enroute – Lost luggage when traveling airlines can be an unfortunate circumstance, especially with all camera gear stowed away in checked bags. When possible, carry photography gear in carry-on luggage, and when possible avoid overhead compartments which can not only shift but items can easily fall out. If placing some camera gear in luggage is necessary, try to pack only non-essential camera gear or camera gear more readily carried in lugage (for instance tripods). Lastly, pad camera items in luggage as much as possible to prevent any damage, and well padded hard case luggage may help protect items.
Conclusion – While none of these techniques alone or together can eliminate the risk of damage or theft, they certainly can help detour a thief. Precautions such as photo backups and insurance can provide help should one become the victim.
For questions or comments on this article, please contact Greg Cope.
Other Resources on Traveling Safety:
Travel Safety – Travel Tips from usa.gov.
1 Check with your insurace provider for specific coverage
2 None of these techniques are guarateed. Greg Cope and Nature Focused accept no responsibility in the event of losses or damage.
Website Design © 2007-2019 Greg Cope. All rights reserved.
Updated: December 2019
One of the most common questions I get from readers is, “What do I pack for a trip?” So, I’ve put together a series of packing guides for female travelers. This travel gear packing guide covers all of the essentials, electronics and camera gear I bring on each of my trips.
While I may not pack the same clothes for every trip, these are the things I bring no matter where I go.
As a frequent traveler, blogger and photographer, I invest in high-quality gear that is also lightweight and will last for years to come. The last thing I want is an uncomfortable backpack for a long-term trip or cheap electronics that are going to break shortly after the first use.
I learned (the hard way) that constantly replacing worn-out gear ends up costing a lot more than investing in high-quality equipment from the start. Get durable gear, even if it costs a little more, and you’ll see that it saves money in the end!
Here is a list of gear I use, but keep in mind that not everything is suitable or necessary for every trip of type or traveler.
In particular, I travel with a lot of electronics and photography equipment to keep this travel blog up to date. Use this guide to determine what you need at the very most and eliminate from it to create your packing list.
Below you’ll find my travel gear packing guide that I use and love!
Travel Gear
These travel essentials are perfect for nearly every type of trip and really help to organize everything. A durable bag and a gear backpack are key to protect and transport all of your items. Same with a toiletry bag—just in case there’s a mishap and things spill, at least they’re contained!
I never go anywhere without a reusable water bottle as they’re ideal for filling up at the airport or wherever there is potable water available.
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