If you like photography, chances are that you carry your photography equipments with you wherever you go. Travelling with your photography equipments, however, can make you a potential target for theft, and if you are travelling to places where you don’t know the rules and social customs of taking pictures can get you into dangerous situations and even in trouble with the law. So before you pack your gear and travel to exotic destinations, it would be a good idea to find out what the rules and social customs of taking photographs are where you are going, plan carefully what to take with you and learn how to keep yourself and your photography equipments safe. Read this article to find out how you can organize your trip and how to keep safe when you travel with your photography equipments.

Plan carefully

1. The first thing to do is to check whether your travel insurance covers your photography equipments, and if it doesn’t, to buy additional insurance. Having your equipments insured will make you feel better in the event they are lost, damaged or stolen, and if you are mugged, it will stop you from trying to defend them and putting yourself in danger.
   
   
2. Make a list of the items of equipments you will be taking with you. Give copies of the list to a trusted friend, or family member, save a copy in your e-mail draft folder so you can access it from wherever you will be, and put copies of the list at different places in your luggage. The copies of this list will help you identify your equipment in case they are lost, or stolen, and they will help you claim the insurance.
   
   
3. Travelling loaded with expensive photography equipments in parts of the world with political domestic troubles can raise paranoia among the local authorities, and it can make them think that you are there to document suspicious activities. So before you leave for your trip, check travel advisories to avoid venturing into strife-torn countries; if you wander into such a country with a camera, you could put yourself in danger, especially if you are mistaken for a journalist. To avoid raising suspicion, always travel with an up-dated passport that has at least 6 months on it before it expires, make sure you have a valid visa and have all your vaccinations before you leave and the papers to proof that you had them.
   
   
4. Plan carefully and make sure to take with you all the equipments you will need, but don’t pack gear that you will not be using. Keep in mind that if you need to buy something you forgot to pack in the country you will be visiting, there may be an issue of compatibility. Make sure you pack all the plug-ins and converters you will need, as well as devices for storing your pictures, such as portable hard drive. Depending on the type of trip you will be taking and the climatic conditions at your destination,  take with you the right camera, for example if you are going on a diving trip, take with you a camera that you can use under water. Also, keep in mind that batteries may not work in certain extreme weather conditions, so think of alternatives. Pack your equipments correctly to avoid damaging during transport and use straps when you are carrying them around.
   
   

   Travel safe
   

5. Instead of carrying around your photography equipment in their known, labeled photography bags and becoming a target for thieves, beggars and hustlers, carry your camera and other equipments in an ordinary bag that is securely shut, such as a gym bag, or a cooler with some padding inside which will protect your equipments against impact.
   
   
6. Avoid travelling alone. This advice is good for your safety in general, but it is particularly wise when travelling with your photography equipment. Always travel with someone else who can keep an eye on your equipments when you are busy taking pictures, or travel as a group; group traveling discourages thieves from attacking.
   
   
7. Be aware of your surroundings and walk around with confidence, even when you are lost; confidence deters those looking for an easy prey. If someone is following you, go into a restaurant, or latch onto a group. When you are safe, call a friend to come to help you. Because it is easy to lose yourself in the beauty around you while you are looking for an ideal shot, if you are alone and can’t keep an eye on your gear, leave it at the hotel and scout the area first. Also, know your physical limitations and remember that no shot is worth risking your life and limp, or dropping and breaking your camera while you dangling over the edge of a cliff trying to take the shot.
   
   
   Respect the local laws and social customs
   
   
8. Before leaving for your photography journey, learn as much as you can about the laws and social customs of the country you will be visiting. People at many tourism destinations are tired of being photographed by thousands of tourists while they are trying to run their market stall, or go about their daily business; many aboriginals even fear that the camera ‘steals their soul’. Even if you believe that the customs of the country your visiting are backward, respect local people’s beliefs, ask before you take their picture, don’t photograph anyone who objects and avoid treating people as part of the background. Surely you will not want to face some angry native threaten to destroy your camera.
   
   
9. Learn about the politics of the country you are visiting before you photograph anything that can be consider politically sensitive and obey the sings that ask not to take photographs. There is usually a good reason behind this request. Ιf you break the law you risk losing your film, or camera and run the risk of even being arrested.
   
   
   Learn some native basic words and phrases 
   
   
10. Knowing some basic words in the language spoken in the country you are visiting, such as ‘please’, ‘thank you’ ‘I need your help’ etc. can break down culture barriers and increase your chances of finding local people who will be willing to let you photograph them. Carry a phrasebook with you and learn the basic words for the area of photography you are interested in, for example if you like photographing wineries, or vineyards, learn the words for wine, grapes etc. and if you like photographing nature, learn the names of native plants or animals.
    
    

    Offload your pictures as you travel
    

11. Offload your pictures as you travel so you wοn’t lose everything if something goes wrong. You can store your pictures on memory cards which you can mail home by using registered mail, download then on your computer (if you are allowed to have one with you), on other storage devise such as the EPSON – 7000, or upload them on your website, or another website that offers you web space.