CharleM Loc: Cornwall, NY

HELP! My wife is retiring and we will be doing some serious traveling. I need advice on what gear to take, or updates needed, from the experts on this forum.

We will be in Egypt and Jordon This April/May
Ireland October, 2022
Scandinavia (cruise) May, 2023
Galapagos and Machu Picchu Sept/Oct 2023 (part cruise)
Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania via cruise ship Feb/Mar 2024
Planning stage Anatarctica, Safari, Iceland/Greenland

I have the following now:
EOS70D
Lenses: 10-18, 18-55, 18- 200, 70-300, a cheap super zoom
SONY RX100 VI
Olympus TG4 - for snorkeling
Current Samsung Cell phones
Smallish camera backpack that I usually use - just fits gear, a larger one that has extra space

Take a tripod? Special filters needed?

Thanks for all your expertise.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Sounds like a lot of travel! Is your wife a photographer as well? In my opinion, I always feel that there are photography trips (which I usually take by myself solo or with a photo tour) and then there are trips for my wife and I to enjoy. On the photo trips I take any gear that I think I might need. On the trips to just enjoy seeing someplace new with my wife, I take a small pocket camera such as your Sony. That is completely capable of bringing home beautiful images which you can enjoy in the future. I have done this and then after returning home used Shutterfly to create nice photo books of our trip which we or our children can enjoy any time.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

AND another thing - or two:
If you and your wife had not had the Hepatitis A vaccine, you need to be getting that - it is a two-shot series six months apart. This is NOT the same as the Hep B vaccine. Hep B, although a big problem in underdeveloped countries, is obtained from sharing body fluids with someone who has it - sharing needles, getting a tattoo at a place with poor sanitation practices, certain sexual practices - all of which are generally discouraged when you travel..... Many travel clinics push the Hep B vaccine, but unless you think you are going to go out of your way to get Hep B, you don't need it. Hepatitis A you get from eating food touched by someone who has the virus on their hands (usually because a child at home has Hep A, which is not usually serious in children but may kill older non-immune adults). Safe to assume that you will be eating - so you are at risk for Hep A. Hep A is very common in the middle east and South America. Also - Rabies in dogs is a very big problem in the middle east - tourists do not generally need to be vaccinated (unless working with animals or going on a bicycle tour) but be aware of this. Americans tend to think that interacting with stray dogs is OK. In the US, maybe it is... If you have any heart disease or lung disease, or sickle cell disease or trait, speak to your doctor about going to high altitudes. A visit to Machu Picchu requires traveling to Cusco, which is 11,300 feet - and that is at the BOTTOM of the valley! If you have had problems with headaches or nausea at high altitude in the past, speak to your doctor about a prescription for diamox. If you have ever had high altitude pulmonary edema or confusion at high altitude in the past, you should avoid this trip.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your EF-S 18-200 would be the only lens you really need with the EOS body. It will cover everything. The Sony has its own zoom lens. Both cameras have stabilization, the Canon via the lens. Therefore, you don't need a tripod, unless you were doing specialized night / star photography. You just need to bring enough SD cards you can swap cards as they fill. I'd go with the SanDisk Extreme Pro model in the 32GB size, that's about 1000 RAW images for 32GB card, about 4000 for Large-Fine JPEGs. You can guestimate how many cards you'll need based on your shooting habits and how long it will be between trips and a change to offload all used cards onto your permanent storage. Plan to have unique sets of cards for each camera, such as 5 for the Sony and 5 more specifically for the Canon. They're only $12 a card at B&H today. You'll need 2 or 3 batteries per camera too, maybe two chargers per camera, just in case you misplace one during a trip.

RolandDieter

For Egypt/Jordon I assume you will be moving around and not staying at one hotel for the entire trip. So keep it light and convenient. I'd for get taking the 70-300 because the 18-200 will do more and the extra telephoto, if you ever need it, can be achieved by cropping when you get home. I'd take the 10-18 and 18-200 unless you really think there will be days you can leave the 18-200 behind somewhere. I also advise getting a sling bag because you will find it far more convenient than a standard backpack. Myself, I would get the smallest sling that will carry what you bring along ... I have a few slings of different sizes for different combinations of gear. For cruises, where you can leave a lot on board every day, I bring more with a roller case that stays in the room and each day only take what I will need in a sling.

agacia

So the Iceland trip would be one where I would recommend a tripod. Gulfoss and other areas tend to be quite windy. Also if you happen on the northern lights you will need it to capture them. The ice beach is another area where a tripod was useful for longer exposures. Didn’t bring any photo filters but in the travel where strong light may affect your photo an nd filter may alleviate some post processing time.

revhen Loc: By the beautiful Hudson

I use the EF-S 18-135mm almost exclusively in my travels. Thus your 18-200 would be the best.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

All that traveling it might be cheaper to buy a new house that you like enough you don't want to leave it so much.

Or get an RV and try driving trips in the US, Canada and Mexico. North America has more than enough variety to keep you busy trying to see it all for about a century or so.

But if you think only those overseas places are worth seeing, ENJOY!
Do you have a good "house setter" available?

Take lots of memory cards and batteries with charger and charge used batteries in the hotel each night, run out of either and you will be unhappy no matter how spectacular the place you are visiting. If you have one add a small lightweight laptop so you can download and store/view your images.

Your Sony RX100 VI is good, but the RX10 IV has 600mm of reach if that is important.

But one of you use the RX100, the other use the 70D and the 10-18 and 18-200. I personally would replace the 18-200 with an 18-400 but I am into birds and wildlife and that might not be needed for travel/tourist photography.
A good travel tripod with a detachable leg that becomes a monopod would be a good addition with a backpack type carrier that can hold all that valuable gear so it isn't left in hotel rooms to tempt thieves. Or two smaller back packs and each of you carry some of the gear.

CharleM Loc: Cornwall, NY

Thanks so much for all of the advice. So I will take the 10-18 and the 18-200 (my normal go to lens). Get a sling bag from B&H. Yes I have house sitters - our 3 adult children and 6 grands (7-16) all live within 10 minutes. Yes we have an RV that has been out west - pictures of Glacier, Yellowstone, Black Hils, etc. are great. Will be hauling the RV aroung a lot more also.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I like to travel light for stuff like that.
I only took my 18-200 Iceland. Plenty of memory cards and three batteries.
(A power adapter for their line voltage connection since my chargers work on 120/240VAC.)
The only filter I took was a polarizer, but basically did not need it for that trip.
I used a messenger style bag that worked out nicely.
I did not take a tripod - I didn't want the hassle on any tour busses.

Disclaimer: But everyone's different.

Hip Coyote

Your questions are so vast that it is nearly impossible to respond. Machu Picchu is far different from a safari in Africa. I've done both. Add Galapagos and you have another shooting environment. Sometimes you will be on a ship (vibrations and movement of the boat) and sometimes not.

I am going to go out on a limb. Unless you blow up your photographs to very large sizes and view them up close, I recommend you consider getting a Sony Rx 10. Add that to your current Sony, your Tough (very smart purchase btw) and your phones. That would cover anything, anywhere. yes there are low light concerns, etc...but you are not going to be many places such as the Antarctic, Peru, or Africa where you are doing much at nite, generally. A good portion of my photographs from theses places were street photography...amazing people. Cuzco, Lima, African villages. As they say, you go to Africa for the animals and come back for the people. I found this to be true in Africa, China, Peru and nearly everywhere in the world.

I have a m43 system, with lenses, bodies, accessories...and it is customizable for each trip. But I am at the point, looking back at what I photograph and keep...and its basic photography. Its getting way too complicated. And carrying that stuff across the world is a pain. My little 16 mp system worked just fine.

Re tripods...I hate em. Even if you love em the trip operators / guides will hate them. On most trips you will be on the move if you are in a group. Certainly in Africa and Antarctic you are not going to using a tripod much, if at all. IBIS has changed the game on this. If you are going to do some astro stuff, then of course you need one. I have a travel trip that i use once in a blue moon. Handheld works just fine. I attached an example of a handheld shot from Machu Picchu...handheld, small sensor, daytime.

Search this site for Africa tips. I, along with a lot of others, have posted a lot of info.

I am not an expert photographer. But I do travel and these are my sincere thoughts. I think so many times people take so much gear they forget to BE where they are. I was at a kill site where lions were eating a buffalo...I took a few shots but put the camera down and just watched, looked at my family and was really thankful to be there.

You can pm me for added info or we can talk.

Great decision on travel. We retired and travel quite a lot. Do it now before some unexpected this pops up where you are grounded a bit.

Happy and safe travels.

agacia

I was there (Iceland) specifically for photography workshop. Ice caves and northern lights. If I had been on a regular tour bus I would not have wanted my tripod either! But getting magnificent shots of the northern lights and the ice beach were worth the trouble.

Hip Coyote

I forgot to mention that...and its on my bucket list...absolutely need it then. Same with icecaves (maybe my m43 might do ok with ibis.) But you sure are right....

And if I went to a photo workshop, I'd bring one...and protest that I had to use it!

Happy shooting and nice catch.

Hip

agacia

I always try to hire a local photographer or book a photography workshop for a part of any trip. That way I am not worrying about getting a spectacular shot for the majority of my vacations and can leave the heavy gear at the hotel. Also have a tg4. Perfect for the snorkel and dive excursions. It is a great little camera.

Hip Coyote

Diamox...a fate worse than death... makes beer taste awful.