Vacation photography: what to bring, what to leave behind

How to pack light and come home with photos you'll actually print. Camera choice, lens strategy, beach and night shooting, and protecting your gear on the road.

Every photographer has come home from a holiday with one memory that stings: the moment they didn't get because the camera was in the hotel room. Or the back that ached from carrying too much. Or the lens they changed on a windy beach and later found had sensor dust.

Vacation photography is about trade-offs. Here's how to make the right ones.

The one camera, one lens argument

The best travel kit is the one you actually carry. Before you pack a camera bag full of options, ask honestly: on this trip, what will I actually shoot?

If the answer is "people, markets, food, architecture, and maybe a beach" — one camera with a 18–55mm zoom covers all of it. Fujifilm's X-T30 II with the 18–55mm f/2.8–4 weighs 693g total and fits in a jacket pocket. That's the whole kit.

The case for a second lens: if you're visiting a wildlife reserve, a national park, or you know you want portraits with serious background blur, bring a second lens. Just bring one second lens.

Which camera for vacation?

Weather sealing matters more than megapixels. You will shoot in rain. You will be near water. You will shoot on dusty roads. A weather-sealed body gives you confidence to shoot in conditions where an unsealed camera stays in the bag.

The OM System OM-5 is the most travel-optimised camera we test. Splash-proof, dust-proof, freeze-proof, with 7.5 stops of IBIS that makes handheld shooting in dark markets and restaurants genuinely reliable. The MFT sensor means the whole system is smaller and lighter than equivalent APS-C kits.

The Fujifilm X-S20 gives you IBIS, a fully articulating screen, and Fujifilm's film simulations — which mean your holiday photos have a warmth and character straight out of camera. Not weather sealed, but its build quality is solid.

The Canon EOS R50 is the right choice if budget matters and you're new to photography. Light, reliable autofocus, and the kit lens covers everything. Use the 18–150mm kit option if you want a single-lens solution for the whole trip.

Flying with camera gear

Carry your camera, lenses, and batteries in your cabin bag. Always. Checked luggage is rough-handled, and lithium batteries are not permitted in hold luggage on most airlines.

Declare nothing special at security — camera gear is not a special category. Remove the camera from the bag at security as you would a laptop. If agents want to inspect a lens, let them; they may swab for explosive residue.

Travel insurance: check your policy specifically for cameras. Many travel policies exclude electronics over €500 or require a separate rider. Check before you go, not after something happens.

Shooting at the beach: protecting your gear

Sand and salt are the two enemies. Sand gets into everything — lens mounts, card slots, dials. Salt spray is corrosive and the residue it leaves on optics is difficult to remove.

Never change lenses on a beach. If you need a different lens, walk well away from the water and any wind, and make the change as quickly as possible with the body facing down.

UV or protection filters: on a beach, this is one of the few situations where a quality protection filter genuinely earns its place. Not for UV protection (digital sensors don't care about UV) but because a grain of sand hitting a filter costs €30 to replace. A grain of sand hitting the front element costs considerably more. Use a multicoated filter from B+W or Hoya — cheap filters degrade your image quality measurably.

After a beach day, wipe down the outside of the camera and lens with a slightly damp microfibre cloth. Pay attention to crevices around buttons and the lens mount.

Night markets, restaurants, and low light

This is where IBIS earns its place. A camera with good IBIS can shoot at 1/15s handheld reliably — three or four stops of advantage over a camera without it. That means acceptable shots in candlelit restaurants without flash, without a tripod.

At night markets: shoot at f/2 or wider if you have it, ISO 3200–6400 (modern cameras handle this well), and let the shutter speed be what it needs to be. Subject motion is usually more of a problem than camera shake.

A small LED panel (the size of a credit card, ~€25) is a better travel light than a flash. It's continuous, you can see the effect before you shoot, and it doesn't announce itself with a burst of light.

Golden hour on holiday

The quality of light at golden hour — the hour after sunrise and before sunset — changes dramatically depending on latitude and season. In Scandinavia in summer, golden hour can last for hours. In tropical countries near the equator, sunset is fast and the transition from harsh midday light to dusk takes minutes.

Check the Golden Hour app (or Photopills) for your destination before you travel. Plan one shoot specifically around it. One golden-hour portrait or landscape will likely be the best photo from your trip.

What to leave at home

A tripod: unless you're specifically planning landscape long exposures, it adds weight and gets confiscated at many heritage sites. A small GorillaPod (flexible mini-tripod, 240g) is a better travel option if you need stable shots.

A full camera bag: a sling bag or small shoulder bag draws less attention and is less tiring. Cameras in obvious cases invite theft in busy tourist areas.

Multiple cameras: one camera. That's it.

What trusted reviewers say

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