NatureWurks Travel Tips Below you will find helpful advice for the caring, traveling, and protecting your camera equipment during transit. If you have any questions, please contact us Traveling with your Equipment Traveling these days for photographers and their equipment has become more complicated and can be even tougher on your equipment than ever before. I always travel with at least two camera bodies when I go on location. Why go anywhere and not shoot due to your one and only malfunctioning camera body. I travel with two Pelican cases; one is small and light enough and is an airline approved carry-on and one is a little larger and is checked luggage. The checked Pelican case goes inside a normal looking duffle travel bag with wheels. I do not want to bring any extra attention to it during transit. The carry-on case consists of one camera body, with a couple of small lens, and my laptop, the other bodies are checked with the rest of the equipment. If for whatever reason your checked luggage is delayed or lost you will still have one camera body and a couple of lens to work with upon arrival. Batteries alone are hard to find in a foreign country, try buying a camera body in Motegi, Japan; if you can find someone that speaks the same language you speak. I carry extra camera and flash batteries and chargers to avoid wasting time trying to find something that might not even exist in that country. Try to allow plenty of time at the airports and boarder crossings and arrive early and expect inspection of your equipment from the security and customs officers. My experiences have been that if you acted in a professional and courteous manner during these inspections that the officer usually returned the respect. Make sure you have all the proper paper work and documentation completed before you leave home. Some countries require special paperwork and visas when traveling with a large amount of expensive camera equipment. The United States Customs does require specific documentation for your equipment and can request it upon reentry to this country to avoid tax charges. The current US Customs form is “ Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects taken Abroad” (CBP Form 4457) and this form and more details can be found at US Customs web site. Have a copy of all your camera equipments serial numbers packed in a separate case or travel bag. If something happens you will have that information for authorities reports that will need to be filed for insurance purposes. I try to research the locations and countries I will be traveling to and have the necessary information I need to know months in advance of the trip. I am not saying you will anticipate everything, but being able to adapt to unforeseen changes will make your travels and adventures much more enjoyable. When traveling by car never leave your camera equipment visible in a locked car. Put your camera equipment in the car trunk before you arrive at that location. If you do not have a car trunk, lay blanket or coats over it to cover it up. Never leave your camera equipment in the summer locked in a car for very long. Heat damage will occur in your camera equipment in a very short amount of time. Always bring your camera equipment in with you at the hotel at night. I try to have as much equipment as I can already packed away after a day’s worth of shooting so I am not walking to my hotel room with a bunch of big lenses on my shoulders. If you leave the your hotel room, leave the television or radio on to give the impression of an occupied room.   Happy & Safe Travels                      Photographic & Printing Equipment by     Copyright ©   NatureWurks Information: e-mail Info@NatureWurks.com P.O. Box 15486 Asheville, NC  USA  28813-0486 Another Cocciadiferro Photo provided solution WebSite Policy