Air travel is often a stressful venture. Usually we have to negotiate congested airports, lineups, and delays while flying. Carrying expensive camera gear only adds to the tension. Here are a few tips to help you get to your destination with all your gear intact (not to mention your wits!).

Upon choosing your destination, it is wise to do a little research prior to travel. Knowing what subjects will be present and the best time of year are essential for a successful photo trip. There are some excellent Internet based sites such as, photo.net (http://www.photo.net/community/forums) or some of the newsgroups such as rec.photo.technique.nature, where you can post questions about your destination. American Birding Association also produces excellent field guides for numerous locations. What to take is always a difficult question to answer. You must review your equipment carefully to be sure you have everything that you will need. It is a fine line between packing too much and not having enough. The following is a list of what we consider to be essential items, bearing in mind that you may not have all of these items:

- Camera(it is wise to carry two in case of a camera failure), telephoto lens, tripod, and tripod head
- Extension tubes, teleconverters, shorter lens such as a 28-105 for scenic shots of areas you visit(zooms are very helpful as it reduces the number of lenses you must carry)
- Filters for your shorter lenses if you plan to take scenics as well(polarizer the most useful here)
- Electronic flash, flash extenders and off-camera cords if you have one
- BATTERIES! Remember extra batteries for the camera as well as for the flash. Specialty batteries such as Lithium's that are used to power many modern cameras may be impossible to buy in some countries. If you have any doubt as to the availability, take them with you (Price-Costco sells 40 Alkaline AA's for about $14 Cdn).
- Cable release, lens/camera cleaning kit, notepad/pen for recording exposure information, etc., screwdrivers/wrenches for tightening screws or bolts that may loosen on your tripod and camera.
- Film! Take more than you think you will need, as it is another item that can be difficult to buy in other countries. Slide films are usually only available in larger camera stores whereas print film is much easier to pick up. Taking your film with you is a safer bet since you will know how it has been stored and how old it was when purchased.
- Someone to carry your gear as it can get very heavy!

Getting your gear to your destination can be a bit of a challenge. The safest bet is to carry as much on the plane as carry-on baggage as possible. Airlines are getting stricter with size and weight limits so you must be careful. Your carry-on should have everything that you cannot or will not put through the check through. If your check through baggage does not arrive on time, you should still have enough gear with you to take pictures until it arrives. This means cameras, lenses, film, tripod head and, if possible, the tripod goes with you as carry-on. The tripod is usually a problem due to its length, but some photographers have the stewardesses put it away for them at the front or back of the plane. We usually wrap it in clothes and place it in the center of a check through suitcase.

Lowepro and Tamrac are two companies that make excellent camera bags and give dimensions for them so you know whether or not they will pass as carry-on baggage or not. Be wary of the dimensions as the final say rests with the airline! Typically they have a metal cage at the boarding gate in which you must place your bag. One of us had a bag that would fit in, but the extra inch or two of wheels prevented it from being inserted and they would not allow it on board (the baggage manufacturer however, stated it was carry-on size!). If you have any doubt, check it out before your departure date, as they will not give you any leeway and you do not want to check delicate equipment through. The airline is concerned with the dimensions, as the bag must fit under the seat or in the overhead bins. They also have weight restrictions so be wary! A final note on carry on baggage, if you find that you simply have too much stuff for your bag, fill the pockets of your photo vest or jacket with equipment. Clothes you are wearing don't count as carry-on baggage.

A final comment on camera bags. Most of them are advertisements for thieves; therefore covering or removing brand name tags may be useful. Sometimes a little "misdirection" can help as well. Your checked baggage could be a $20 duffel bag with ropes or straps for handles versus expensive brand name luggage. The idea being that the bag looks like junk and is unlikely to house expensive items.

A baby diaper bag can serve as a camera bag. They are usually padded and are low on thieves "to steal list"! Complete with a diaper (preferably unused) sticking out of a pocket, and your gear is safe from all but the most hard done by criminal.

Okay , Okay so a strategically placed diaper won't work for everyone! Seriously though, a diaper bag in the backseat of a car is usually pretty safe from thieves. Photo by Scott Fairbairn

Film and the effects of X-rays have been debated for years. You must bring your film as part of your carry-on baggage as checked baggage receives high doses of radiation. For the carry-on baggage X-ray machines, it is generally believed that a few passes through are not harmful to slower films (ISO 100 or slower). The attendants will always tell you that the machine will not harm your film, but if you are carrying hundreds of dollars worth of film, it is still a worry. One way to deal with this is to use special lead-lined bags for film. The attendants will ask you to open them since they cannot X-ray through them (they will do this for anything that either can't be seen well or is suspicious looking).

Another way to tackle this problem is to take the film out of the plastic canisters (which you send through in your checked baggage) and place them in clear re-sealable bags. Be careful that dust does not get onto the canisters or else you will have scratches on your photographs. Once you get to the machine take them out of your bag or coat and ask that they be hand inspected. To get around the argument about x-rays not harming slower films, through in a few rolls of 1600 or 3200 ISO film. The key to success here is to be polite and courteous when requesting the hand inspection.

Once you arrive at your well-researched destination, check out the post card racks. Often you can get ideas from seeing what others have done before.

In summary, airline travel is always stressful and carrying expensive gear multiplies this, so it is wise to be as prepared as possible. A final tip for taking camera gear out of the country. It is wise to have your items catalogued at the customs office at your airport. This avoids the hassle of returning and trying to convince the customs officials that you didn't purchase the gear out of the country (they will charge you duty if they think you purchased it out of your country). It only takes a few minutes for them to write down a brief description and serial numbers, and it is well worth the effort. Next month we will discuss making a "beanbag stabilization device" or B.S.D.!