What equipment should I take on vacation is a common question. The simple answer is what are you going on vacation to try to photograph. For example, if you are going on a safari you are going to need a long telephoto lens, this will ensure that you keep your distance from some potentially dangerous wild animals, this will help you get closer while keeping your distance.

A 24-70mm can be used for a multitude of situations, it’s also convenient and usually lightweight so as not to add too much to your baggage allowance and cover just about any situation you may encounter. A teleconverter can be useful and not as expensive as a telephoto lens.

If you don’t already have a battery grip, this could save you time and trouble, especially in those isolated places. Most battery grips these days use regular batteries, of course you’ll need to check the instructions for the grips. Because when you travel, the weight will play a crucial role as you are limited by the airlines.

Make sure your camera bag is airline friendly and you can take it on the plane, the last thing you want is to check your camera bag, arrive at your destination and find your camera bag is somewhere else in the world. Be sure to pack an international travel plug adapter so you can charge the batteries with your laptop or just charge the iPod.

Since most of us don’t have small laptops, it might be worth taking a portable hard drive or one that has a viewer like Multimedia Storage Viewers, although they can be quite expensive. A circular polarizing filter can be useful for photographing skies to help reduce reflections off glass or water. These are lightweight so they won’t add too much to the final weight of your bag. Don’t forget a lightweight tripod, like a gorilla tripod, you need it for sharp images when shooting in low light, such as at dawn or dusk, or even after dark.

It may be worth using the bathroom scale to check the weight of your bags. Check your limits on the airlines’ websites as you don’t want to pay for excess baggage as it can be quite expensive.

One of the main things to remember is to only pack what you need. Find out where you’re traveling to see how to access hard-to-reach places at what time is best for photography. Google Earth before you go is excellent for checking routes and finding good vantage points. Once at your destination, check the local postcards which often show the normal tourist locations, but often have locations of much less well-known places.

Home exchange is becoming more popular now, it is a good way to stay in a cheap place, if you have a house in a good location.

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the rest. Remember not to take any work with you unless you are a professional photographer.