Adventures Within Reach Travel Blog

We all want to take great pictures on our holidays to remember the amazing adventures.  And while we would love to take pictures like a professional photographer, we don’t want to spend thousands of dollars, lug around a hundred pounds of equipment, or spend two hours setting up one shot.  Here is a quick list of things I try to remember and prepare for when I am shooting pictures on a trip.  I hope they are helpful to other travelers out there!

Adjust the Equipment

Check the date and time on your camera — especially if traveling a long distance.

Check the auto-focus and image stabilization buttons — they can get switched off accidentally.

1) Know your destination

Each destination has it’s own unique photographic and environmental challenges. In cold climates you will want to be careful about condensation and concerned with battery life; in desert and beach locations, you will want to be prepared to keep sand out of the fine moving parts of your camera; and in the rainforest, you will want to be prepared for low light shooting conditions and naturally, the rain. Knowing the climate and conditions of your destination will help you protect your expensive equipment and insure better photo results.

2) Be prepared for traveling

Buy lots of batteries, extra disks, voltage converter, tripod (mini and/or large lightweight), bag for traveling, bag for carrying, and a microfiber cloth.  You will need to pack everything for flights and long drives, and you will need to be able to carry things around easily during the day.

3) Advice for interesting photos

• Take pictures of people:

• Close up
• With a good background
• Doing an activity
• As silhouettes
• Not in front of building from far away

• Look for a juxtaposition
• Look for humor
• With a splash of color
• From a strange perspective or angle
• Take a picture close up and then far away

4) Night Shots

For good night shots, use a tripod, external trigger, and a long exposure.

5) Flash Advice

• Instead of using a flash, try using a higher ISO setting (like 800).  However, this will make the photo look grainy, so try it both ways.
• Don’t use a flash in front of a window unless the lens is right up against the window.
• Use during mid-day to fill in shadows (faces under baseball hats)
• Use only on subjects within 10 feet

6) Save battery life

Remember that batteries get used up more quickly in cold weather, when using the LCD screen, and when using flash, so plan accordingly.

7) Practice before you go

Many of the newer digital cameras have a stunning array of features that you would be well-advised to play and experiment with before you go on your next big adventure. Practice makes perfect, and in this case, practicing with your camera makes perfect pictures.

8) Take lots and lots of pictures

If the picture isn’t perfect right now, take it anyway, and then wait for the perfect picture.  If perfection never comes, at least you will something!  (Take a picture of the elephant now, and if he moves next to the beautiful tree, take that picture too.)

9) Pay attention to details

Pay attention to bad things in your picture like a road in the foreground, other people’s heads, cars driving past, etc.

Find a strong point of interest.

Get close to your subject — fill the frame.

Narrow in on a small detail.

10) Know the “Rules of Thirds”

If you are going to learn and apply one artistic principle to your shots, the “rule of thirds” is arguably the most worthy to understand. The essence of the rule is better composition; the benefit: better, more appealing photographs.  One place to start is here: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds

Avebury vs. Stonehenge

Everyone has heard of Stonehenge, the circle of mysterious big rocks.  Thousands of tourists flock there every year to get their own personal photographs of this mythical spot.  They have done a good job of protecting the stones and providing a good visitor experience with information boards and keeping visitors behind a rope 20 feet from the rocks.

However, did you know that just a few miles away is another village called Avebury that also has enormous stones in a much larger circle, and you can walk right up to them?  This is what we call an authentic experience that only a local guide will know about and will make your trip memorable.

Some other incredible but lesser-known experiences we recommend:

1.       Climb Mt. Meru in Tanzania instead of Kilimanjaro

Ash Crater at Mt. Meru

While it’s not one of the “Seven Summits”, Mt. Meru is arguably a more beautiful hike, shorter, with wildlife right off the trail (buffaloes and giraffes), and the views of Kilimanjaro at the Mt. Meru summit are incredible.  Mt. Meru can be done in 3, 4, or 5 days.

2.       See Tigers in the Wild at Chitwan National Park in Nepal
Most people go to Nepal for the trekking, but just south of Kathmandu is an amazing wilderness area where you can see tigers in the wild, take a bath with an elephant, and go in a dugout canoe to see the crocodiles.

3.       Amazon Rain Forest in Ecuador
If you go to the Galapagos, the animals are so plentiful, it is almost like going to a zoo in the wild.  In the Amazon, finding the animals is more like a treasure hunt.  The wildlife is harder to find, but equally as rewarding.

4.       The Lakes District in Chile
Everyone has heard of Patagonia, but the Lakes District in Chile has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and is a great multisport destination.

Also see “10 Fun Things to do in Peru that You Might Not Know About” >>

I recently flew an international flight into San Juan, Puerto Rico.  By the time I picked up my rental car, I noticed that my laptop was gone.  I retraced me steps as far as I could until I hit the security blockade.  It was only because of the helpful people at Cape Air who made countless phone calls and radio calls to points unknown to find my laptop, which had been left in baggage claim on the other side of U.S. customs.

Upon reflection, I had tipped my rental car shuttle bus driver basically for doing his job (moving my luggage and driving me to their office), but I barely got to say “thank you” to Cape Air people who saved my (intellectual) life.  I concluded that there are just some things that you can’t pay back adequately, so you just have to return the good deed by helping someone else who is in need – Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) – that can mean so much.

Other RAK experienced by Adventures Within Reach folks when traveling.

• Two different shopkeepers in Ecuador, calling our driver, hotel, and taxi service to get us a car and driver back to the airport in time even though we didn’t buy anything from them.
• The shuttle bus in Nairobi, Kenya who held on to our bag of souvenirs that we accidentally left on the bus.
• A taxi driver in London who found my travel card and returned it to me the next day.
• The woman who offered me her home and a ride the next day when I got stranded in her tiny mountain town. She even took me out for drinks that night in one of the most beautiful settings I’ve ever seen!
• A flight attendant who handed me a gratis bottle of Prosecco at then end of a 12 hour flight for no reason, other than to be friendly. I was speechless with surprise.
• A poor family who brought me and my friends in during a torrential freak rainstorm that drenched us immediately. They insisted we wear their clothes while ours dried on the radiator, fed us a huge lunch and sang us songs until the rain let up. I’ll never forget their hospitality.
• A kind theater usher who spent the day showing me his city when he found out that I was traveling alone. Five years later we’re still good friends and speak at least every month.
• I asked for directions from a girl who ended up driving me all the way across town, back to the subway, to make sure I got where I was going.
• Countless strangers who have come out of the blue to act like my best friend- whether I’m struggling to find my metro pass (and they’ve paid with theirs), lost in new surroundings (and they’ve graciously helped me navigate my way) or just feeling overwhelmed by my travels (and they’ve lent a smile and some kind conversation).

Well, I’ve shared my experiences… and am in the holiday spirit of generosity just thinking about them! What are some of yours?

More inspirational stories to warm your travelin’ soul:

A Tale of a Harrowing Motorcyle Accident and the Kindness of Strangers                     by The Roamantics (Experts on Nat Geo’s Travel Channel)

A Travelers’ Mis-Adventures with Train Schedules (and the Italians who Rescued Him) by Jools Stone (Avid Travel Blogger)

The Gatorade Angels who Saved a Family Bike Trip
by Nancy Sathre-Vogel (A Father Biking with his Two Sons and Wife Across the U.S.)

Whether you are going on a safari to Tanzania, a trek to Everest Base Camp, or a Galapagos cruise, these luxury travel gadgets can make your trip much more pleasant.

Translator

The right translator with you can be an invaluable asset if you are traveling abroad.  The top-of-the-line translator is worth every penny if it helps you communicate your needs and wants.

Livescribe’s Pulse smartpen  can aid with travel phrases in, say, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German or French. After downloading a language app to the pen, ink a phrase in English on the special paper and you’ll clearly hear (from its speaker) and see (on its little screen) the translation! Or use this little high-tech wonder to keep a multimedia journal. Simply write notes while recording what you say, then upload the audio-synched scrawlings to your computer.

First Class/Business Class Seats

This is particularly true for international flights where you can lay your seat back flat, and you have some space between you and the person snoring next to you.

Membership to an Airline Club (United Club, Admirals Club, etc.)

It is so nice to have a comfortable, quiet place to wait in an airport.  Did I mention free snacks, free drinks (even some cocktails), free WiFi, lots of outlets, someone to help change your seat assignments, TV’s, magazines and news papers.

Priority Pass offers access to over 600 airport lounges around the world.  Memberships start at just $99/year, and guests can join you in the lounge as well.

Take the Spa with You

Don’t let the airlines stop you from bringing top-of-the-line beauty products. Some luxury toiletry kits include caviar shampoo, potpourri, Evian® facial spray and mint foot scrub.

Kindle or iPad

I used to share books with my travel companions.  After reading half the book, I would tear it in half and give someone the first half while I read the second half and vice versa – just to save on space and weight.  The ability to read any book you want without having to actually carry a heavy, bulky book – what a concept!

High Quality Luggage

After buying a set of 5 nesting suitcases for $100 and having them fall apart in less than a year, I really appreciate my husband’s Samsonite that he bought 20 years that has certainly taken a licking and has kept on ticking.  Wait, I’m mixing metaphors….

Fancy Camera

Every time I go on safari (4 times now), I wish I had a nicer camera and a bigger lens.  I finally have the ultimate camera setup, and I just wish I had bought it sooner.

Noise Cancelling Headsets

All I can say is don’t knock it until you try it.

GPS

This is probably just for the technology lovers out there, but it is fun to track where you have been and even do a little Geocaching.

Global Phone

It sure is nice to be able to make phone calls wherever you are and not have to worry about astronomical charges.

Outdoor Wrist Instrument

An all-in-one watch, altimeter, heart rate monitor, barometer, chronograph, thermometer, alarm like the Loft Altiware Series.