Having your camera with you while travelling for any photo enthusiast or expressive person is essential. However, packing your equipment and picking what to bring can be a difficult decision and may leave you choosing between one piece of equipment or another. Pre-planning what you pack and choosing equipment that suits your travel plans can help you have an excellent photo experience on your vacation.

Think about where you will be visiting during your trip to help narrow down what to bring. If you are visiting a destination where you will be indoors a lot, a wide angle lens and a lens with a larger aperture will help you combat smaller spaces and dimmer lighting. If you are going somewhere and plan to take photos of wildlife or tour around various locations, packing a longer lens may suit your needs better. A good lens that will cover a large range of scenarios can help reduce the weight you carry is an ultra zoom lens like an 18-200mm or one of the many variations of this zoom range.

Ultimately, you want to pack light. If you take lots of equipment with you and have to carry them around all day, it may discourage you from taking your camera. Even if your gear seems fairly light, at the end of a long day ounces can feel like pounds. Also, carrying less can be more discreet and less likely attract unwanted attention. What you pack your camera in can also help keep your gear more secure. For example, carrying your camera in a bag or case that does not resemble a “typical” camera bag will not draw as much attention.

Always make sure regardless of where you are going to pack extra batteries and memory cards. Sometime these accessories can fail without warning, potentially leaving you with a camera that does not function. A cleaning cloth or a cleaning pen like a Lenspen are essential items. The are relatively small and can fit easily in small bags or pouches.

The gear you bring on a trip comes down to what you feel comfortable bringing. What style of photos you want to take and where you are going. Every person will choose a different combination of equipment to bring. Pack what you want to bring as long it does not stop you from using your camera.

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