Vacations are great opportunities to capture beautiful images, whether you fly to a tropical island, take a winter trip to the mountains, or simply enjoy a long weekend away to capture the fall colors. And with powerful cameras in phones like the iPhone 16 Pro and the Galaxy S24Ultraalong with an abundance of great mirrorless cameras from Canon, Sony and Fujifilm: getting stunning photos packed with memories doesn’t require carrying heavy bags of gear everywhere.
I have been a professional photographer for over ten years and have traveled the world taking photos in all conditions. Here, I’ll take you through the essential gear you’ll need on your trip. I’ll also recommend some extras to consider if you want to go home with creative works of art, rather than just holiday snaps.
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Choose the right camera
While you’re unlikely to buy a brand new camera system just for an upcoming trip, an upcoming vacation is a good excuse to invest if you’re already in the market for a new camera. Traveling with a camera used to mean lugging a big, heavy DSLR in your backpack everywhere, but luckily modern mirrorless cameras tend to be much smaller and lighter, making them great for travel. I took just my Canon R5 and a small, lightweight 50mm f1.8 lens on a three-week trip to Sicily and loved the photos I captured with this compact setup.
The R5 isn’t cheap, nor is it the smallest camera out there, but it offers stunning image quality thanks to its full-frame sensor, great video skills, and has pro features like in-body image stabilization that meant I didn’t have to also bring a tripod. Do you want something smaller? Take a look at a micro four-thirds camera like the Fujifilm X-S10 or the fantastic fixed-lens X100VI. Check out my guide to the best cameras if you want inspiration for which model you should choose.
Keeping your lens choice to a minimum can help reduce weight. A standard zoom lens such as a 24-70mm offers a long reach for capturing wide, sweeping vistas, while providing enough zoom to get closer to your subjects. I also recommend taking a small prime lens with you (like the aforementioned 50mm f1.8), as these are typically light and compact enough to always have in your bag or slung on your shoulder, ready to go when inspiration strikes.
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But maybe you don’t need a camera at all: Today’s best phones can take great photos and record them in raw format, allowing the same kind of editing you normally do with images from regular cameras. The iPhone 16 Pro Max takes beautiful photos (especially with Apple’s ProRaw format), and the multiple lenses on the back offer creative shooting options for whatever scene you encounter.
Canon’s EOS RP offers full-frame quality, but in a very compact size, especially when combined with the small 50mm f1.8 lens.
The best travel tripod
A tripod is certainly not essential for all travel photography, but when the light fades and you need to slow the shutter speed down to a few seconds to get a good exposure, you’ll need one to steady your camera. You’ll definitely need a tripod if you want to take those nighttime shots overlooking a beautiful bay, capture the stars above those snow-capped mountains, or take those artful long exposures of waterfalls.
By using a sturdy tripod I was able to slow the shutter speed all the way down to capture the movement of the water and clouds above the Forth Bridge.
Again, size matters and you should look for a compact travel tripod that can easily fit in your backpack – or attach to the outside of it. Modern materials like carbon fiber keep the weight down, but they’re also often more expensive, so you’ll have to decide how much you’re willing to spend.
As the name suggests, the Peak Design travel tripod is a great tripod for travel, thanks to its small size when collapsed and its light weight. I’ve gone on walks all day with this strapped to my back and barely noticed its presence – something I can’t say for most tripods. Be sure to check out my full review of the best tripods you can buy. Or, if weight is really an issue, you can even try using your own weight DIY tripod.
A real adventure backpack
A dedicated camera bag should be high on your list. After all, you don’t want your fancy new gear to break and break, do you? A good bag has compartments in which you can safely store your camera, but also ensures that you can access it quickly. It’s also important to find one that also has enough space to store other items you need while on the road.
If you’re going to be out and about all day, I recommend a backpack with two shoulder straps, rather than a shoulder bag with one strap. It distributes that weight across both of your shoulders and keeps you comfortable for longer. Look for things like side zippers so you can quickly pull out your camera when inspiration strikes; many extra compartments for batteries and snacks; weather-resistant materials; and mounting points to help carry your tripod.
I did a lot of work for you in completing mine top photography backpacks. There are opportunities for all kinds of photography, from short city trips to multi-day hikes with lots of equipment. Read through that list and make sure what you bring is appropriate for where you are going.
If you always have your camera at hand, you’ll always be ready to shoot when you see a good opportunity.
The important extras
The above list basically contains the essential items that you need to take with you. How much more you bring depends on how seriously you take your photography and the type of photos you hope to take. For example, those of you going on safari in the wild will benefit from taking a large telephoto zoom lens with you. Always consider carrying several spare batteries and a charger, as even the best cameras typically only provide a day’s worth of photos – or much less if you shoot a lot of video. There’s nothing worse than arriving at a beautiful afternoon destination and looking completely exhausted in the morning. If you have at least a few spares in your bag, you can swap them out and keep shooting all night long.
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The same goes for storage. It’s easy to take hundreds of raw photos a day in a beautiful location and all those photos can quickly fill up your card. Luckily, SD cards are pretty cheap these days, so it’s worth buying a few 64GB or 128GB cards to keep with you.
Then there’s the wide range of photographic filters that allow you to get creative. A circular polarizer can be used to make blue skies more vivid or reduce reflection on water, while a neutral density filter darkens the image, allowing you to use long exposures to blur the movement of water, cars or people.
By using a neutral density filter I was able to blur the movement of the water until it became a smooth and silky surface.
If you want to record video on the go, you may need additional equipment such as microphones, faster, higher capacity memory cards, and maybe even video tripods or gimbals for smoother, professional-looking footage. Check out my guide to the best video production accessories if you want to make professional videos during your travels.
I’m blown away by these photos I took with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra
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