- Judith Akatugba
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LIKE MOST PEOPLE, WHEN I TRAVEL, I OVERPACK. However, I had to cut back when I had to carry my baggage through airports, on buses, and trains. I’ve have to minimize the number of essentials I carry because I plan to avoid checking bags as much as possible. I’m sure I could reduce this list even further, but for now, this is the absolute least that I pack in my suitcase and camera bag when I leave the house. Of course, this does not include clothes.
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1. CAMERAS: Throughout my career, I’ve used a variety of cameras, from film to digital, and most recently, in an effort to reduce weight and space, I moved to Fuji’s mirrorless cameras. My primary camera is my brand-new X-T2, and my backup is my reliable little X-30. (Experts always have a backup.) Even though the 18-55mm kit lens that came with the X-T2 covers almost every scenario, I’m still in the hunt for a decent wide angle lens.
2-POWER BAR: While traveling, I’ve discovered that there are never enough power outlets in hotel rooms, so I’ve had to crawl under desks and behind beds to charge my cameras. With its three outlets and two USB connections, this Belkin travel power bar has proven quite helpful. Naturally, I have an assortment of voltage transformers and plug adapters for foreign travel, but a power bar keeps your valuable cables centralized in your accommodation. Which leads me to the next point.
3. CABLES AND CHARGERS: You’ll need a number of these for your laptop, tablet, phone, and cameras. It helps to keep them together in a bag like this one because it would be disastrous to leave one behind at your last hotel or at home. Yes, it is a little anal, but having anal qualities helps when traveling.
4-FLASHLIGHT: Obviously helpful in dimly lit situations, but I also use mine—a strong tiny LED number—to accentuate certain regions in pictures or fill in shadows.
5. iPOD: I require music to help me relax at the end of the day or during lengthy journeys. My kids tease me about my old iPod, but it still functions, and I use it to enhance the calming effects of a hotel hot tub by pairing it with a small Motorola Bluetooth speaker.
6-EXTRA MEMORY CARDS: You will eventually run out of memory, but it will take a lot longer than it did to run out of film. For every camera, maintain a minimum of one spare set of formatted cards with a legible label.
7-SMARTPHONE: I used to always travel with a laptop, but I hardly ever used it and it took up too much room. Almost everything you would need to accomplish on a quick trip can be done with a decent smartphone, including backing up images to the cloud if your camera is WiFi enabled. Furthermore, it’s essentially your third camera given the caliber of the most recent models.
8. HAND SANITIZER: Nobody likes to get sick when traveling, and there aren’t any sinks in the woods with towels and soap. Which leads me to the next point.
9- MEDICINE: I can usually get by with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant, but being organized never hurts. In addition to the usual trip essentials like sunscreen, insect repellent, and pain relievers, there’s Melatonin for jet lag relief and Imodium—well, I guess you don’t need an explanation. I hope you never require it.
10-GLOVE LINERS: I always carry a pair of these Thinsulate glove liners in case I believe the weather could get a little cool because it’s difficult to handle and operate a camera with freezing hands. Rubber grips and conductive mesh on the tips of the fingers are further characteristics that enable touch screen functionality.
11- LIGHTWEIGHT RAINCOAT: I have one that folds up into a small, compact bundle that fits in the bottom of a camera bag, only weighing a few ounces. I detest getting wet.
12-BANDANA: A cheap cotton bandana works great for wiping away perspiration or shielding your mouth on a dusty day.
13- NOTEPAD & PENS: Who was the person in that beautiful picture, and where did you go on that especially busy day? You’ll be mad with yourself for forgetting a hundred details a week after returning home.
14-CELLPHONE CHARGER: Do you recall how much more practical telephones have become? It helps to have some power on hand because, when it runs out of juice, which it inevitably does toward the end of a long day, it’s just a brick. Also, remember to bring the USB cable!
15-BAND-AIDS: Pack large bandages for blisters in addition to smaller ones for cuts and scrapes. This is a lesson I learned the hard way when I put on a brand-new pair of hiking shoes right after stepping off the plane in Dublin and ended up with a bloody sock at the beginning of the trip.
16-SNACKS: Occasionally the hotel’s bar closed for lunch, you returned too late for dinner, or you just don’t want to eat the food on the plane. Before every trip, I prepare a couple bags of mixed nuts from the bulk shop and bring some energy bars just in case.
17. WATER BOTTLE: Drink lots and plenty of water. I don’t need to remind you of this because you’re an adult, do I?
18- LENS CLEANING CLOTHS: Nothing destroys a picture of a gorgeous sunset or sunrise like a smear on your lens that you missed or the smudged remnants of a bug that perished while you were taking pictures through the train window. Every bag should have a cleaning cloth, and an extra should always be kept in a coat pocket.
19-A GOOD BOOK: Your e-reader may hold up to 1,000 books. Spaceman, welcome to the future. I’m still very traditional, so even if I’m lucky if I can finish a book in one sitting on a trip, it’s still enjoyable to pull it out of my suitcase before dozing off in an unfamiliar bed.
