The Traveling Photographer: A Cautionary Tale
I was reading through the Ultimate Travel Photography Checklist over at Single Serving Photo and it got me thinking about a travel photography mishap that happened to me last year. I wanted to share this story with you as a warning when you travel and, perhaps, get some tips from you on how I could have avoided this.
Last year, in June, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Ireland with my father and brother. On the way back from Dublin, I had a connection in London’s Heathrow Airport. I had two carry-on bags, as is customary in the US: my backpack with my laptop and my camera gear:
- Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
- Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens
- Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens
- Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM Lens
- Canon Speedlite 580EX
- Remote wireless shutter release
- Miscellaneous accessories, filters, and cleaning equipment
A lot of stuff worth a lot of money, right?
Well, unfortunately, the European Union only allows 1 carry-on bag per person. Unless you’re a woman, of course, and you can carry a purse, too. A purse that is, of course, around the same size as my camera bag. (Sorry ladies, but this infuriates me.)
Anyway, in Dublin, they tell me I have to check one of my bags. I resist but there was nothing I could do. I decide to check the camera bag because, ultimately, my laptop (and all the information and photos on it) is more valuable. I check it at the counter for “special” and “fragile” items.
Lo and behold, I get to Washington, DC and my camera bag is nowhere to be found. I file a missing baggage report with United Airlines and go home. After two days of them not being able to locate the bag, they tell me to file another report complete with receipts of what was missing. However, in very small print on the form is a disclaimer that says, essentially, “Please note that we are not responsible for the following items:” which is immediately followed by a list of anything that could have any value at all. Computers, cameras, jewelry, you name it.
So, instead of going down this path, I just call my insurance company. Wait, let me stop right here…
If you don’t have insurance on your camera equipment, stop reading this and get it NOW!
OK, where was I? So, I call my insurance company (I had added all my equipment to my renter’s insurance as scheduled items on an all-risk policy) and file a claim. They collect the airline baggage info and tell me they will pursue it but they don’t expect to get very far. Within two weeks, I received a check and went out and upgraded my camera to a 5D.
They never did “find” my equipment. My suspicion is that a baggage handler somewhere has a pretty sweet set of camera equipment right now.
So with a trip to Paris coming up for me in April, I wanted to ask some of my readers how they’ve traveled through the EU with their equipment… Two carry-on bags for a photographer seems pretty standard, right? A bag with a laptop and reading material and a bag for camera stuff.
Have any of you traveled through the EU with your equipment? Did you check your equipment? How did you do it and still manage to avoid enriching a random baggage handler?
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:41 am
Shawn
You may want to take a look at the Think Tank Airport Acceleration Camera Bag. I’m using mine for the first time this weekend on a trip to Arizona. It can be carried by either of two handles or worn as backpack.
In it - I’ve packed 2 DSLR’s, four lenses, all the assorted camera stuff, my laptop, all the cables, an external hardrive - and it wasn’t full. The laptop goes in a removable bag that slips into the front of the camera bag.
According to ThinkTank - the bag meets the requirements for carry on size on EU planes. I had no problem carrying it on USAir flying out of DC.
Patty
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Thanks for the tip!
For everyone else, here’s the link.
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Actually It’s only when travelling within or from UK that you can have one carry-on bag only. (And from what I heard that rule will be abolished soon).
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Actually this rule has been recently relaxed in the UK now to allow two bags. Best check with the airlines and airports you’re using, just to be safe.
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/baggag/public/en_gb
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
That’s fantastic news! Thanks for the info guys!
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:42 am
As Gordon say’s the rules been relaxed, but only at some airports that have new scanning equipment installed i believe Shawn?
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:59 am
OK cool.. that makes sense. I’m not too worried about it this time since I have non-stop flights to Paris but this is definitely good to know for future European trips.
Thanks!
February 23rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Shawn,
That’s a drag. You lost a lot of nice stuff. I’ve had a similar experience with camera equipment while traveling, gives you a real lump in the throat. Insurance is a smart idea, as is listing it specifically. I’m going to call my insurance company to do that myself. Good tip. I’ve used a LowePro CompuTrekker Plus AW backpack when traveling both in the US and to Germany with great success. Either will easily hold all the gear you’ve described, plus a notebook, charger, and external HDD. I’m upgrading to a Rolling CompuTrekker Plus AW this year for when I’m just too tired to hoist that pack on my back. It’s big, but I’ve had no trouble getting the CompuTrekker Plus through security.
February 24th, 2008 at 4:44 am
Its been while, since I’ve traveled with laptop, but I believe that even in Europe laptop is exception to the one carry-on bag rule. If one wants/needs to travel with camera gear AND laptop, then I would seriously recommend that s/he looks for one of those camera backpacks with separate pocket for laptop. If we are talking about two weeks vacation or shorter, I would leave laptop home and take more memory cards with me. Less gear to worry about and in addition to that it would make your bags smaller and lighter.
Even though I don’t normally take laptop with me, I’ve been thinking about getting camera backpack with laptop compartment. I would use that laptop compartment for storing books/magazines, etc.
February 24th, 2008 at 7:21 am
@Shawn: Yeah, it sucked big time… Definitely get the insurance, though. And get an all-risk policy so even if YOU drop it, it’s covered. I have about $5500 worth of equipment but the cost to insure it was negligible.
@Juha: Thanks for the tips! It sounds like from you and everyone else that the EU rule was, in fact, just UK and even they’re relaxing it. Great! As for leaving the laptop at home… I’m not sure I’d do that. I’m too addicted. I need to have the laptop with me so I can stay connected without having to go to an internet cafe. But it would make sense though, if you all you’re using it for is storing photos.
Thanks!!
February 26th, 2008 at 11:53 am
As I live in the UK I have/had this problem. My solution was to buy a bag (Crumpler’s Pjama Pride) that holds camera equipment and a laptop.
A bit silly as my original setup was overall smaller than the one bag.
Hopefully the whole UK will be back to 2 bags soon!
February 26th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I hope so too! If I have to go through that again, even with insurance, I think I’d have to kill someone…
Thanks!
March 7th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I have run into the same issue with one carry-on, and had at the last minute to stuff my more expensive and fragile camera stuff into the laptop bag at the last minute.
I eventually switched over to a bigger carry-on backpack from Vctorinox Swiss Army that could hold both the camera gear and laptop. Then I carry the mostly empty camera bag I use for day-to-day work in my larger checked luggage (usually packed with clothes). I then re-pack to switch the camera gear over to that camera bag once I am in the hotel at the destination.
March 8th, 2008 at 8:54 am
I think that’s what I’m going to end up doing as well… Just a slightly bigger bag. Though, from some of the previous comments, it looks like the one-bag restriction might be lifted soon! Let’s hope!
Thanks for the comment!
April 17th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
[...] and foremost, get insurance!! Worldwide, all-risk insurance for ALL of your gear! Back in February, I recounted a tale of a photographer (me) who had $5000 worth of gear “lost” by an airline on the [...]