Hello Travelers!

Digital cameras are communication devices, file systems, memory enhancers, decision aids and all around valuable travel tools. Besides being vivid extensions of your memory that efficiently preserve your special moments at the Berlin Wall or at whatever other monument you visit, these little image sponges enable you to capture the small details that will make your travels more smooth and efficient. Probably no other single item defines someone as a tourist, but that is no reason to abandon this necessity to fit in. We say embrace the digital camera, take as many pictures as you please and it will help you get the absolute most out of your travel experience.

Here is a list of obvious and not so obvious uses for your digital camera.

1. Know your hotel: When arriving to your hotel take a picture of it from the outside that captures its name and address number (you might have to snap another picture of the street name). It is easier to show someone (i.e. a cab driver, local, etc) a picture of the hotel and its street name rather then attempting to say it; especially if it is a foreign language. Just think of getting your hotel’s name or street address correct in Japanese, Tai, Czech or any other foreign language.
2. Diminish buyer’s remorse: While shopping, to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed, try snapping pictures of the clothes, shoes, etc that you are considering buying (don’t forget to get a picture that shows the store they are in). If you try on the items, take a picture of yourself with the clothes on to better evaluate your enthusiasm for the purchase against the other choices. Try making one pass of the shops to get the pictures, sitting down and having a coffee to look everything over and then purchase what’s best.
3. Restaurants: You always want to recommend places where you dined, either for better or worse. We recommend taking a picture of the restaurant and the menu, including what you ate. Doing this makes it possible to remember the exact name of the restaurant and what you ate, which comes in very handy if you want to recommend the restaurant or prepare the dish at home. Also consider snapping a shot of the wine and any other brands that you will want to remember. When walking around during the day, if you see an interesting restaurant that you might like to try out then get a picture of it, including the menu if possible. This makes it easier to locate later and to compare the food (by description anyway) against other dining options.
4. Evaluate poor decisions, or brag about good luck: If your planning a big night out get plenty of pictures so you can evaluate how badly your beer goggles were. The day after, when your friends mock your decisions, or visa versa, all you have to do is pull-up the pictures to see the evidence. Travel tip: Quickly delete! These pics frequently make it to the net, which combined with picture tagging features means that everyone you know will be informed of your “conquest” within hours. The saying ‘What ever happens on the trip stays on the trip‘, ended with digital cameras, social networking and facial tagging.
5. Cabs: Make it habit to get a picture of the taxi license posted on the inside of cabs or the unique number on the outside. If you leave something in the cab then doing this little but important thing makes it possible to hunt down the driver, unless of course, you leave your camera in the taxi.
6. Rental cars: Snapping pictures of dents, dings and other possible problems before you accept your rental car will save you anxiety if you discover a dent after you leave the lot. If you see something that concerns you, we suggest taking a picture of the issue with your cell-phone and sending it to yourself. This will 100% prove when the picture was taken.
7. Click a picture of your luggage: This helps you remember what you brought and to show the proper authorities what the luggage looks like in case they are lost during your flight.
8. Sightseeing: Beyond pictures of the big stuff, think to get a few shots of the details with the explanations of what you are seeing. Frequently there are plaques with explanations of the monument that will give at least the basic who and when information.
9. Important documents: Take pictures of your passport and other important travel documents: True, this does no good if you loose your camera, so upload the pics onto your computer and send them in an email to yourself so that the data will be stored in your in box and easily assessable.
10. Remember where you parked: No matter if it is at the airport or when you are out and about in an unfamiliar city, snapping a picture of where your car is parked is a good idea. Admit it, there have been times when you thought that you parked at either section A or AA only to find out that you were actually in F.
11. Final tip: A digital camera is an important tool and something that you want to keep safe, however, they do get lost and stolen. To maximize any chance of getting your camera back we suggest creating a “please return to” photo. Doing this is as easy as taking a picture of a piece of paper with your name, email address and something like, “If found please contact [your name] at [your email].” If possible write this message in the native language (i.e. where you are visiting), your language and English. Doing this small thing will increase your odds of getting your camera back.

In my travels I have seen a lot of digital cameras bite the dust in terms of getting dropped, which is usually certain death for the camera.

A couple of things to help you best protect your digital camera:

1. Have the camera in a case. This helps absorb the impact in case of a fall, but more importantly it will protect the LCD screen from getting scratched or broken. Tip: LCD screens can be replaced. I recently used a service called DarnToothySam’s to repair a LCD screen and it cost me half as much as replacing the camera.
2. Lock-in THE STRAP: When you are traveling you will probably you will walk up to a stranger and ask them to take a picture of you in front of some point of interest; or someone may ask you for the same favor. Imagine, you are handing over a very valuable and delicate piece of technology to someone that has no responsibility for it and whom you don’t know at all. Not to say that they are going to take off running, but if the exchange is not made properly then you will watch your camera drop, most likely break and its not like you are going to ask them to pay for it. The technique for the transfer is simple and effective: make sure that you hand the camera over by placing the camera cord around the receiving person’s wrist.

With these simple and easy to follow tips you will remember more, get around smoothly, keep your digital camera unbroken and ultimately transform it into a powerful travel tool.

Happy Travels!

Chris

Bookmark: