Traveling with your DSLR Camera

Living in Texas, when fall is coming, that is the perfect time for photographers to travel with your camera and take photos at each destination. This can cause some to worry about how to safety travel with a DSLR camera and the extra lenses to capture their expeditions. Some people stress if the hassle of transport is worth it in the end. I can tell from experience, that you will never regret having your camera when you want to capture those precious memories versus not bringing your camera at all.

So how do you travel with your camera and all the equipment? I’m here to share some of my tips for traveling with your camera through TSA and still packing light.

Use Padded Cases

First thing I always bring with me is a backpack or crossbody bag. Within this I always use padded cases to help protect my camera gear for short or long flights. These always come in handy for those days that you want to really explore and travel with ample room for souvenirs and, for us ladies, all of our purse essentials. This includes your wallet, keys, phone, travel book, makeup, etc.

I usually keep the backpack with me as my carry on. I will then put my book for the plane, my camera, my laptop (sometimes) and all other essentials that I need for the flight.

TIP: Do not pack your camera at the complete bottom of your bag.

1. This will make your backpack feel heavier. Placing the heavier items towards the center of the backpack distributes the weight better for less strain.
2. If TSA requires you to take out your camera and each lens so that they can inspect, it is a lot easier when it is not located at the very bottom of your bag. This is not something that is required at every airport but there are certain countries that require the TSA attendants to scan each electronic device with a sensor. (The sensors do not harm your equipment or data in any way).

​Your carry on is your best friend

I know I know; this tends to make your bag heavier, but I always carry my camera equipment with me in my carry on. Call me superstitious but I just have a hard time trusting the airlines with my expensive equipment. Depending on how long the flight is and how much I will have to have on my back will depend on where I store it. For one of my flights back home from Singapore to Houston, Texas, I placed my larger zoom lens into my larger travel bag for less weight but kept some of my smaller equipment for me.

Bring Multiple memory cards

You never know what could happen. You could take 1,000 pictures in one day and then the next only take 15. Carry a few extra memory cards always come in handy. My favorite place to get memory cards is Amazon because you can’t beat that Prime shipping!

Insure your gear

This may go without much saying, but you worked hard for your equipment. Insure your gear to make sure that in case anything happens, you are insured.

In the words of one of my favorite podcasts, The Crazy One with Steven Gates, time is truly only the real luxury any of us have and I appreciate that you want to spend any of it here with me. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

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