I have been a vlogging (video blogging) from the start, but I have recently been blogging on my website. Creating videos is my passion and so my equipment is always my top concern. At the moment I am traveling through Guatemala and I started thinking about things that I always have to check before heading anywhere. Like anything else, practice makes perfect. I have had my share of forgetful moments and unfortunate accidents while traveling so I wanted to share with you some important suggestions that can help you minimize wasted time and maximize on your travel experience. Although they might seem obvious to you, the items on the checklist are vital to the success of your trip. Plus, a little reminding never hurt anyone.
1. Always have 2 WD Passport hard drives on hand. These hard drives are small, lightweight and very portable. They operate via USB connection, which makes it easy to off-load pictures and videos when I’m back at my hotel each evening. They allow you to have everything backed up. And the best part is that they fit right into your laptop bag. There’s nothing worse than losing a full day’s work, or worse- losing an entire trip’s work!
2. Depending on what equipment you are using to film or photograph, I recommend (budget allowing) buying a second of each type of equipment. I travel with a Nikon P-7000, iPhone 4, Flip MinoHD camera and Steadicam Smoothee mount, and I use these to create my DBH Unplugged Series. I recently bought a GoPro with a chest harness and suction cup attachments. This ensures that I’ll always have something to film with just in case one of my cameras fails or breaks. Moral of the story is to always bring a second camera, even if it’s not as good as your main one. Remember, your I-phone is a great plan b for filming.
3. Back it up! Offload and back up your videos and pictures every night. There were instances in the past when I would be so tired and forget to offload or recharge batteries. My partner and I would wake up the next day and have to wait a minimum of 2 hours for everything to charge. Charge all your equipment (cameras, laptops, cell phone) through the night so that you don’t miss a thing the next day!
4. Always have a small notebook and pen on hand. I have made this part of my daily routine because sometimes I just need to jot things down in order to be able to remember later while creating the city guides. Especially if you’re planning to write about your travels, it’s a good idea to get the proper spelling and location of things- food, monuments, transportation information, etc.
It is my hope that someone will learn from some of my unfortunate (and preventable) mistakes. Travel blogging/ vlogging is fun, but sometimes can get turn into a disaster. Planning ahead can help you avoid some of the pitfalls common to us travel lovers!
I would like to give a special thanks to my sponsor ScotteVest Travel Clothing.
Steve Miller
on Feb 21st, 2012
@ 11:58 pm:
The one thing we needed to add to our list was a netbook. We always take a few portable hard drives with us, but unfortunately, sometimes the net cafes don’t like the external drives… or are riddled with viruses. This way we can always be sure to off load our images.
David Hoffmann
on Feb 22nd, 2012
@ 12:16 am:
yes Steve you need to! You dont take a laptop on hand?
Alex mello
on Feb 28th, 2012
@ 12:53 am:
I love photography, and so far, I like the pictures you have posted on your blog. If you’re interested in trading content or if you need a professional photographer, check out my site and contact me.
Restaurant Rennes
on Mar 1st, 2012
@ 5:01 am:
Really good site, keep on posting !