If you’re like me, your passion for photography is only exceeded by your desire to traveling. Your days are filled with dreams of breathtaking landscapes, stunning cities, and unending air miles. Unfortunately, dear reader you’re suffering from the desire to travel with your camera and I’m sorry to say that it’s unavoidable.
It’s easy to be depressed about the inability to view and take pictures of everything at the moment. There’s not enough time during the day, and for the majority of us, there’s just not enough cash in the bank. What keeps me from taking action is thinking about my next trip.
The planning is easy but the tough part is deciding which destination to visit. You may be overwhelmed by all the possibilities and so here are some suggestions to keep in mind that can aid you in choosing the perfect destination for your next trip to photograph.
Check out Your Own Backyard
Your next trip doesn’t have to be a grand adventure across oceans, such as Iceland and Patagonia. I’m always looking for ways to visit the major bucket-list places which I’m certain I’d like, but sometimes staying closer to home might be the best option.
If you don’t live on an island that is in deep oceans, it’s most likely to be a nearby location that you can reach earlier to fulfill your wanderlust.
Is there a place within driving distance of yours that you’ve always wanted to go to or an area that you’ve heard people have been telling you to go to? Perhaps in your backyard, where others pay hundreds of dollars and many hours of travel to visit? You might have visited before, but you’d like to revisit to see if you can capture better photos. The advantages of looking at your own backyard are numerous.
Create a Bucket List
Most likely, you already have an idea of the locations you’d like to visit and take pictures of. If you want to me to help, I’ll give you a list of destinations that I’d love to visit. If you haven’t yet done it, create your list and then record it. You can even create multiple lists – international and local.
My bucket list is several sub-locations that are nested within each one due to the fact that I continue to see new places within a certain country that I would like to explore.
I would also suggest that you explore other destinations that aren’t popular tourist destinations. You should definitely add them to your list I have certainly done but there’s many more places to visit beyond Iceland, New Zealand, and Yosemite. These destinations are extremely well-known, making them costly to travel to and, often, you’ll have to compete with massive crowds.
Instagram is a fantastic site to get ideas However, you should try to find more than just the most popular locations. You can also ask people who enjoy traveling for suggestions. I’m always willing to offer suggestions if you’re looking for ideas.
Talk with Your Travel Buddy
Who will you travel with? Have you got a friend who you travel with? Talk about ideas and make an itinerary that you can all agree on. Are you a solo traveler? That’s great, it lets you take whatever route you’d like. You might want to consider the possibility of a travel partner to make a change. There are numerous benefits when traveling with someone who is not your own or with a group of people.
If your travels typically come as family trips so your plans have to be able to accommodate them as well. Try asking your children what places they’d like to go on your next family vacation? They may suggest something that you’ve never thought of. Do you know of a place your partner always wanted to visit but has never talked about?
Multi-Task
Are there ways you can take two birds off by a stone? There are many ways to justify travel you haven’t thought of. Do you have relatives somewhere you can visit? Perhaps an old acquaintance you’ve not seen for a while?
It’s not everyone’s ability to travel to work However, if you have the ability could there be a way to add personal travel at the conclusion of a business excursion? If you’re creative, you might be able to convince your boss to cover the cost for you to attend an event somewhere. If you don’t inquire, the reply is “No”.
Photography workshops are worth looking into too. Even though it’s focused on photography, you’ll also be investing in your skills. It can be expensive however if you can find one in your area, they can help you keep your expenses of traveling low. Photography will benefit greatly from a workshop more than take a trip.
Budget
The main obstacle for the majority of us is the cost. If money was not an issue I’m certain that photographers would be spending longer traveling as opposed to staying at home. However, traveling costs a lot , so it must be taken into consideration.
Based on the location you reside depending on where you live, you can utilize seasonal variations to help select your next destination. Nearly every country has a high season and low season. These seasons can affect the cost of travel substantially, which is why it’s worth looking to determine the most suitable place to go at any given season. On either side of the peak season (shoulder season) tends to be cheaper even though the weather is good.
It’s also worthwhile to consider exchange rates because they may vary a lot. If your currency of choice is doing well in comparison to another nation’s currencies, then it may be worthwhile to consider a trip there in order to make more dollars. I’ve planned trips on the last minute a couple of times because of the unusually high exchange rate and it has saved me many dollars.
Increase Your Portfolio
It’s worthwhile looking at your travel pictures and deciding if there’s an area or subject that you’d like to include. Maybe you have lots of pictures of oceans and beaches and you could expand your collection by going in the mountains?
Do you prefer to photograph nature, but you could also stretch yourself by taking a trip to photograph urban landscapes? Have you always wanted to experiment with an astrophotography technique? Try spending some night without moonlight as far of light sources as is possible.
I’ve always had a dream of taking my underwater camera, so this month I’ll be spending some time at Queensland, Australia exploring the Great Barrier Reef.
Photographers naturally choose subjects we’re attracted to and familiar with, but it’s worthwhile to try something new at times. Picking your next location by the subject or the medium you’re looking to capture is a fantastic opportunity to gain a new perspective and perhaps go to a place that you’d never normally consider.
Time of availability
I’m a huge advocate for slow travel. You will experience the place in a totally different manner when you spend more than a few months in the area instead of just a few days or even weeks. However, most people don’t want to leave or quit their job and on a trip for a period of time.
It’s important to consider the time to spare for your next travel. If you’re traveling for one weekend, you’re likely not likely to travel for 20 hours around the world in each direction. If you’re planning to spend one month to go, you would rather spend all of it in a tiny town further down the road. Use your time wisely.
There are some places I’d like to visit but I wouldn’t enjoy when I rush it. This is why I’m putting them off until the time when I can explore them on my own terms. There are many other places where I could happily stay for several nights and feel satisfied.
Create an Road Trip
It’s hard to beat a great road journey. You are free to travel where you’d like whenever you’d like. You’re not tied to the public transport system or an plan of travel.
You could even stay in your car and sleep If you want and travel into hidden locations away from the crowds. Explore as much as you are able to drive.
A road trip can open the door to a variety of options for travel photography. The same location can be transformed into a variety of locations. I’ve always wanted to go to Yosemite National Park in California and so I set out on an incredible roadtrip along every west side of the USA.
Next, I wanted explore The Canadian Rockies, so I drove across the country from Vancouver across British Columbia, into Alberta and the Rockies before heading back through northern Washington. I saw more along these roads than I could have seen by flying or taking a bus between places. Perhaps a road trip could be the next thing to your bucket list?
What’s next?
It’s unlikely that you can take your bag and head out off the road today however, deciding the right photography destination will provide you with something to be excited about and get ready for. I hope this helps you think about new options and narrow your choices.
