Day: October 28, 2015

This post is a little random but I have some thoughts about what to carry while you’re out and about.

Traditionally, I carry a large handbag or backpack when we are out sightseeing. It holds my (large) wallet, the camera, a guidebook, maybe a water bottle, sometimes a sweater. It’s convenient in case we make a couple of purchases while we’re out, because they could be tossed in the bag, too.

Back when the kids were little and we had one in a stroller, we would stow that backpack under the stroller and our hands and back were free. I think I just never backed away from the large bag even though I certainly didn’t have diapers to carry around!

A couple of weeks ago in Barcelona, though, I left the big bag in the hotel room, and carried a tiny cross-body bag along with my camera. Inside my bag I put a few essentials and my Moleskin (more on that in a sec). It was awesome! My hands were free, my camera was always ready, and my shoulders were never tired.

I highly, highly recommend trying this on your next trip. I loved not having a huge bag full of things I didn’t even need. In a city, if you decide you need water or a quick snack, you can always duck in somewhere and buy something. I’ve decided that we just don’t need to be prepared for every single thing that could happen. The difference I felt in just carrying my camera, and wearing my tiny bag, was amazing. I was just so much less tired at the end of the day. Plus, many of those cross-body bags are really cute.

So here’s exactly what I needed to carry with me. I recommend all of it:

• Money of some sort–credit cards and a tiny bit of cash work well.
• Some form of ID–I am always surprised how often I’m asked to show my ID when I use my credit card.
• Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm–no need for a mirror, but a quick pick-me-up.
• Phone–I hope I don’t need to explain this one.
• Moleskine and a pen–This needs more explanation.

In my everyday life, I always have one of these little Moleskine notebooks with me. I jot lists, notes, anything I need to remember, on a day-to-day basis. When we go on vacation, I just pop it in my bag. I make notes every day of what we did, a place we ate, the weather…anything that helps me remember our trip later on. I’ll slide business cards from our restaurants inside so I can write TripAdvisor reviews later. And they even come in handy for games of tic-tac-toe or dots, or for scoring our card games. I love Moleskines because they are flat (no spiral binding) and they are sturdy. This is just an indispensable item for travel and for life.

If you MUST carry a backpack with a few more things, share the load. Make it the “family” bag and pass it around so everyone has to carry it. Mom (and Dad) aren’t the sherpas and this is a great opportunity to share carry the burden!

You, Mom. Yes. YOU.

Of all the ways to remember our trips, photos have always been the best way to preserve those memories. And I am in almost none of them.

My number one photography tip is to make sure that the photographer gets in front of the camera a little bit every single day. In my family, I’m the shutterbug. That means that I have tons of shots of things that I’m interested in, and of course tons of shots of my family. But they have almost none of me. And now, years later, I wish we had more.

It doesn’t matter if you feel ugly or fat. First of all, you aren’t, and second of all, ten-years-older-you will just be glad to have the pictures. I have a feeling she will be a lot kinder to you than you are right now, too. And if Dad is the photographer in your family, take the camera out of his hands once in a while. I promise, PROMISE, the day will come when you will be so grateful for those shots.

Good equipment makes a difference, but it just depends on what you are most interested in. I love the artistry in learning to take photographs, so I’ve invested in a decent DSLR and very good lenses over the years. (Be warned! This is a never-ending spiral!) Plenty of people are happy with their iPhone shots, too. But use that equipment. Don’t let it languish in your pocket or over your shoulder.

Take a class! You’ll be surprised at how a very little bit of effort can yield much better pictures. I’ve never taken a class in person, but I’ve taken Karen’s class on-line. I can’t say enough good things about it. You can even find classes on Craftsy, and those classes are entirely on your own schedule.

Take pictures of the really mundane things. Food, restaurants, where you stay, the funny car you rented…I forget to take pictures of these, but they are so much fun to have in later years.

Take pictures of faces! I’m bad about getting pictures from too far away. Aim for a mix of close-ups and landscapes. Don’t underestimate the selfie.

Finally, don’t freak out that you don’t produce a beautiful scrapbook or photobook immediately upon returning home. We went to London in the summer of 2014, and I have just started putting that photobook together on Shutterfly. It has brought me so much joy to go through those pictures and remember all the fun things we did, the great food, the beautiful sights. All of the bad parts of that vacation have receded and what is left are the very best parts of our English adventure. I feel like I’m reliving a wonderful vacation–merely looking through the book won’t give me that.

Enjoy the process. These memories are worth preserving.