Travel is one of the most enjoyable aspects of photography! Reaching our destination via plane can be intimidating at first, but with proper preparation we can turn that fear into excitement and anxiety will disappear quickly. Let’s begin our discussion of traveling with gear first so that we can make informed decisions!
My travel opportunities have been wonderful over the past thirty years; each month, I travel somewhere different by plane. Unfortunately, since most flights begin and end at “feeder” airports I must find my way to hub airports to make connections before I reach my final destination. As such, I am more vigilant than ever when packing my gear and complying with overheads/carryon restrictions as well as checked luggage rules. One thing I quickly realized was that purchasing cheaper tickets can cause me unnecessary stress when packing my gear – leading me to my first recommendation: Select an airline quickly and register in their loyalty program as quickly as possible! United has been my airline of choice due to my travel needs and feeder airport needs, taking great care in accommodating me and my gear throughout my travels and flights over time. Sure there have been some bumps along the way but that comes with air travel. My second piece of advice would be: Always travel with a smile on your face!
Premier membership with United has paid dividends for my gear. When selecting my flights, I try to book the first flight of each day so as to be early in the system and avoid puddle jumpers; although this can mean paying more money up-front, but for me the peace of mind it brings is well worth the cost. Being Premiere means I board first so that overhead space won’t be an issue. Before becoming Premiere, I paid extra to board early – in doing so, I became Premiere faster! While initially it was difficult navigating my luggage within its 50lbs weight limit for checked bags, but ultimately this experience proved invaluable in life lessons learned along the way. Now that I have elite status with United, I am entitled to three 70lbs checked bags at no charge; however, I rarely take advantage of that benefit. One great feature of their app enables me to track my luggage from the moment it enters their custody. You should investigate which airline best serves your local airport so you can use their system without stressing over how to transport all your gear.
Eagle Creek Trunk 36” has been my go-to trunk for decades; in fact, this is my third one (their warranty repair is amazing!). They truly are exceptional! Checked luggage usually weighs 60-65 lbs (I have a 70lbs limit per bag) and contains any support camera gear that does not fit into a carryon bag, tripods and personal items that might need scanning by security. I pack my checked baggage knowing it will likely get checked by security. Packing vertically means I arrange items on their spin – for instance a book should not lie flat in my luggage but should rest on its spine so when scanned there won’t be a dense brick but instead narrow spins. I take similar precautions with batteries, flashes and anything that might create a signature in a scan – since then my bag hasn’t required hand security checks!
Just keep it simple – this approach reduces stress for me when traveling by air. Have I had my gear damaged during travels? Luckily, no! Has my checked luggage ever been “lost”, though delayed? Yes but only homeward bound flights were delayed; not an issue at all! Traveling tens of thousands of miles annually allows me to develop strategies for stress free travel with gear in 2024.
