Three West

Also when I was at the Reeperbahn, I did try to film. However, it is DEFINITELY not the sort of place where you want anyone to know you have a camera. I don’t feel unsafe, just that there were way too many people there. I had my camera hidden under my jacket with the lens facing out to capture what I could. All I ended up with was shaky, unusable footage.

Pretty much anywhere I used my camera and tripod I drew too much attention. I do think the type of camera I was using is what causes the stares. A lot of places I went were tourist sites where you can expect to see tourists with cameras. But definitely using my camera made me stand out. When I was at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland I was filming and a couple walked by. The woman said “She has a professional camera. We should have brought ours.” I guess I just don’t like being noticed (maybe its because I grew up wanting to be a biologist and have someone pay me to sit in a jungle and record things without being noticed). :)

So I’ve been thinking about how to eliminate or lessen some of these issues. I would like to control my baggage weight while still being able to carry what I need on my trip.

There were several reasons why my luggage was excessively heavy. One of them was it contained my full sized tripod. In the future, if I need one and can rent one while I’m away I will, otherwise, I’ll stick with my mini tripod or carry a monopod. I will also forgo carrying a lighting kit unless I’m doing formal sit down interviews. My new lighting kit is light and easy to carry however, if one can be rented, I would rather do that than travel with my kit.

Another reason my luggage was heavy was because I packed a ton of clothes instead of contemplating the idea of washing and re-wearing outfits (I’d packed a different outfit for every day). When I’m in the states I don’t really do this because most of the hotels I’ve ever had to stay in had laundry services. However, I was staying in locations that didn’t offer these services. In addition, I packed said clothing in vacuum bags. It may be a matter of perception but when I packed the clothes in vacuum bags and removed the air, it made the clothes heavier.

The other problem with weight was my backpack. It was heavy because of my 15″ laptop, my camera, and camera accessories. This was the biggest issue of all for me because my backpack stayed with me at all times. I hauled that heavy thing around everywhere and my back paid for it in the end. I was exhausted at the end of each day. I did a LOT of walking on my trip. Having constant muscle fatigue while you are on a trip you should be enjoying, is no fun.

So what’s the plan? The plan is simple… travel light. These days, there are a variety of options for traveling lighter. The first thing I’ve done was decide what I planned to film while traveling. I would like to document my travels on video for myself but also for my friends and family who don’t have the chance to travel. If others can get something out of the video then that is great as well.

I typically travel not to see the tourist attractions (unless they are extraordinary or has something to do with the natural landscape). I travel to experience the life of the location and the meet the people that live there. But I also saw an opportunity to provide travel information, such how to catch a bus, get a good tattoo, or find a clean bathroom in Dublin and figuring out the train system in Frankfurt, etc.