Travel Apps for your iPhone

I debated bringing my iPhone to India and Laos.  I didn't necessarily need the phone part of it.  In fact, it's locked to AT&T so I couldn't use the phone part of it without hefty roaming charges.  I brought it because of the ease with which you can do things.  What things are those?  Well, let me list a few:

1)  Make a post to Facebook with no more than a couple clicks

2)  Ditto for Twitter.

3)  Take pics, edit them and upload to the above with the same device.

4)  Record your gps route and upload instantly.

5)  Make and upload audio recordings.

6) Record and upload videos.

7) Listen to Music, watch podcasts, etc etc,

8) Check and write email.

9)  Surf the web.

OK, sure, you need a wireless internet connection if you don't want huge roaming charges, but you can find cafes all over and a lot of hotels have it also.  It's not that you can't do this stuff with a laptop, camera or netbook, it is just that it is so much easier with an iPhone. 

I'm hooked.  An iTouch would do the same and be cheaper.  If I had to do it over again, I might actually go that route.

At minimum, I think I probably will get the thing unlocked and maybe jailbroken.  It seems kooky that I can't stick a sim card in (about $6) and use the phone in Laos.    

 

Theft-Proof Your Camera

Actually this technique works for cameras, bikes, cars, your cell phone, your laptop or netbook and a whole bunch of other stuff.   Why not?  It's better than having it ripped off.  And, I kind of like the look.

Some prefer to ride an old, scuffed up bike or drive a clinker so they don’t ever have to worry about it getting stolen.  What about your camera, the same principals should apply, right? Well, if you will be traveling in an area know for high theft, perhaps you should consider ugly-ing up your small digital camera to deter unwanted interest.

How to uglify your camera:

* Cover the shiny surface with artist’s tape or black photo tape, which come off without leaving residue on your camera.

* Color the tape with black and/or brown markers to make it look dirty.

* Use pieces of duct tape to make the camera look barely held together (layer the duct tape over artist’s tape to avoid sticky residue).

Using your ugly camera:

* Don’t carry a nice camera bag. Use a nondescript bag or a diaper bag instead.

* Turn off the LCD screen (or cover it up) and hold the camera to your eye instead. If thieves think you have a film camera, they won’t want it.

tips from photojojo.com, photo source:  Connors934 on Flickr

Travel Photo Suggestions

Here are some suggestions regarding photos when traveling.  I picked these up primarily in a travel writing class and then added a few tips of my own.

1. Use a camera with at least 5 megapixels.  Mine has 4.  I thought that it was a good thing not to have pictures that are too big since I was always concerned about reducing the storage size for internet use on things like this blog.  But what you can’t do without all the pixels is crop a photo and have it look good.  The better approach is to have the pixels in case you need them.  You can always reduce, but you can’t create.  You definitely need the pixels in case you want to crop a picture.
2. Use the least “compression” when you save pictures.  Every time you save a picture, it can be compressed.  This means that “short hand” is used to describe the picture (i.e., the big blue are is recorded as “put big blue area here”).  If you save a pic a few times with a lot of compression, it is toast.  It will look grainy after a few saves.
3. Regardless of the above, use some compression.  Uncompressed is called “raw”.  It’s too big.  Use the “least” compression setting.  (It’s never simple!)
4. Pack your manual.  You may need it.
5. Bring a spare battery.  If your camera dies for lack of power in the middle of something that is “picture worthy”, well, that’s bad.
6. Use a lot of smaller size flash cards for storage rather than one jumbo one.  If it fails, all is not lost.
7. Bring a spare battery charger and adapters for the foreign electrical current.

Some other stuff:

1. Need 1/500 exposure speed to capture falling water
2. For less than 1/130 exposure speed, you need a tripod (if you have had some “low Lao” the night before, better make this 1/250).
3. It is OK to photoshop images to improve contrast, brightness etc etc.  For use with a written article though, it is not acceptable to crop out powerlines etc etc.   You can’t try to make a place look better than it really is for a published article (Jim N:  are you reading this?)
4. There is no need to worry about releases from anyone you shoot a picture of unless you are using the shot for commercial purposes (I’m glad I have all those signed releases!).
5. We didn’t talk about this at the class, but there are certain places you should ask permission before taking photos of people.  It can capture their spirit…not good, especially for babies.

Oh yeah, one more thing…back pictures up multiple times…..stuff happens!  I had a suggestion of my own:  DO NOT plug your flash card or camera into any foreign computers!   There are good odds that your card will come away with a virus.  From there it goes to your computer.  This is BAD, really BAD.  I know!  If you see any executable files on your card or in any folders on your computer that you might have downloaded your pictures into, just delete them.

PJ's Southern Africa Packing List

People often have a lot of questions regarding packing. It can be a challenge, especially when you’ve got weight restrictions and you’re trying to travel light. I’ve got packing lists that I send out but I thought that it might be helpful to share specifically what I pack for safari trip. I think a key to successful packing for safaris is to be like the guides and have a “uniform” that you wear out on the drives and walks.Itineraries to Southern and East Africa often utilize charters which restricts one’s weight limit from anywhere between 12 kg.s (26 lb.s) and 20 kg.s (44 lb.s), requiring efficient packing!Below is a list of what I packed for my recent trip to Africa. The weight restriction was 26 lb.s. All of the items below (including the luggage) came in to just about that amount.

I traveled in December (southern Africa’s summer), one of the hottest times of year and the beginning of the rainy season. If you’re traveling in winter, you’ll want to include warmer clothes including some long johns for those early morning safari drives! Much of my clothing is in khaki and natural colors- good for being in the bush and easy for mixing and matching.

I’m a committed “carry on only” traveler. All of this was carried on on the trans-Atlantic flights but I had to check luggage for the regional and charter flights due to the smaller planes.

Luggage:

Eagle Creek Switchback (22”)

Eagle Creek office backpack that slides onto the handles of the Switchback (I put this under the seat)
Items that I put in the backpack:

2 books

magazine articles (that have been collecting at home!)

articles on the places/cultures I’m visiting

itinerary

MP3 player

Noise canceling headphones

Inflatable neck pillow

Eye shade

Toothbrush and toothpaste

Ear plugs (wax type)

Small tube of lotion

Salon Pas patches for cramped muscles on long flights

Tissues

Pens

Spiral Notepad

Reading glasses

Sunglasses

nuts

Plane tickets

Passport

Credit cards/airline cards/medical insur. card/driver’s license

Cash

Items in suitcase

2 pairs lightweight shorts (Gramicci; 100% nylon; quick drying)

1 pair very lightweight walking shorts- good for city or safari (Exofficio; 100% nylon; quick drying)

2 pair lightweight pants (100% nylon; quick drying)

1 very comfortable t-shirt (100% cotton)

1 sleeveless very lightweight shirt (Gramicci; 70% nylon, 30% polyester; a bit like sheer sucker material)

2 lightweight t-shirts (Exofficio; 65% polyester; 35% rayon; great wicking; quick drying)

2 long sleeved Exofficio Air Strip Shirts (this is a classic for safari goers; I only needed one; I recommend getting it in a khaki/natural color)

2 long sleeved Exofficio Buzz Off t-shirt (58% cotton, 42% polyester)

1 lightweight cardigan (Exofficio Buzz Off; cotton/polyester)

1 lightweight long skirt (100% rayon)

3 pair underwear (Exofficio- quick drying, moisture wicking, antimicrobial finish)- these are great!

2 bras

pj’s

1 pair cotton sport socks

1 pair light wool hiking socks (plus the pair I wear on the plane)

1 sarong (misc. uses- i.e. for covering arms/legs from the sun; for wearing as a skirt when enter village/town- it’s customary to cover one’s knees in most areas of Africa)

1 lightweight wind resistant/rain jacket

1 bathing suit

1 pair cross training shoes (sneakers)

1 hat with flap that covers my neck (“Sahara style”)

1 lightweight travel bag (I used this to hold the items I wanted on our game drives; if you want to purchase souvenirs/gifts, you can use this as an extra bag when traveling home)

1 digital camera and charger plus small camera bag

charger for the MP3 player

1 adapter

small pair of binoculars

headlamp

zip-lock plastic bags

1 extra pair reading glasses

1 small lock

copy of my passport

extra passport photo

toiletries

(everything in small bottles/containers)

foldable travel brush

toothbrush

toothpaste

small bottle of shampoo/conditioner (most camps/lodges/hotels will supply shampoo)

sunscreen

insect repellent

antibacterial wipes

small aerosol bottle (to fill with water and spray when it’s really hot)

tea tree oil / ointment

prescription pills

deodorant

face lotion

chap stick

emory board

a few small pairs of earrings

What I wear on the plane (my “travel uniform”)

Light to medium weight long black skirt (sooo comfortable!)

Comfy t-shirt (cotton/spandex)

light fleece pullover (comfy and warm for the plane and great for early AM and evening game drives with a lightweight jacket over it)

Slip on black shoes (light weight but sturdy black Bass shoes that can be worn with a skirt or shorts)

Light wool socks

Note: I’m not totally sold on the “Buzz Off” brand. Would love to hear others’ input on this.