How to Take Better Travel Photographs

Do you have to have a top of the line DSLR camera in order to take great photos? It helps, but it definitely isn't necessary to spend a fortune on brand new camera equipment. If you are in the market for a new camera, but you are on a budget, I recommend buying a camera body and lens used off of eBay. I was surprised to learn that even if a lens has a significant crack, there will not be any noticeable difference in the photo. A pretty versatile lens for traveling is the 18-55mm, though I love shooting with a 50mm lens. Unless you are a pro, plan to take only one or two lenses with you because they can become cumbersome and heavy. Not to mention, everything you bring with you traveling could end up lost, broken, or stolen.

It's important to know your camera before your trip. Before my trip to South America, I took a photography class at The Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, CT. I highly recommend taking a class if you are looking to improve your technical skills. I met a few people along the way who planned to figure out how to use their DSLR while traveling, and found themselves relying on the automatic mode, which won't give you as much control as manual. If you can't afford a class, at least read up on shutter speed, ISO, aperture and exposure - and how they interrelate. It will make it easier for you to concentrate on the creative rather than technical side of photography. Here's a quick online tutorial that I love: Understanding Your DSLR

The Golden Hour
The best time to snap photos is when the lighting is softer and warmer in hue. This happens right around sunset. Sunrise is also a great time to take photos because the light is cooler and more diffuse. It can be hard to take photos in the middle of the day when the sun is harsher and you are dealing with shadows.

 

Get Closer
As Robert Capa famously said, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." This is why I love shooting with a 50mm lens. Your feet make a great zoom. Zooming in with a telephoto lens can be a great strategy for landscapes, but when it comes to people, it's best just to stand a bit closer than you would normally think. This improves the quality and clarity of the photo. When you are closer, the photo can focus in on details that would otherwise be missed.

Get Farther Away
A go to travel picture for me is always the rooftop view of a city. When taking this type of photo, try to think about what the sun is doing. Is it nearing sunset? Am I shooting into direct sunlight and creating a strange sun flare? No matter what, the key to this type of photo is to be far enough away to capture the most interesting features of the city.

Know Where the Sun Is
Photos of people are almost always most flattering when the sun is shining on the subject's face. The same is true when photographing buildings. If you want to catch the glistening of light on the ocean, take the photo when the sun is low enough to reflect off the waves. Here is a trick for taking a great photo when the sun is behind your subject: Use your flash!

Take the Road Less Traveled
Walking through the main square will give you the same picture everyone else has. Avoiding obvious routes and taking the back roads might lead you to some more interesting subjects or perspectives. 

Watch the Edges and Corners
Be mindful that your photo might come out more interesting if you capture not only your intended subject, but also something interesting in the background.

Remember to Photograph the People You are Traveling With
It can be easy to get caught up in photographing landscapes and buildings, but it is important to capture the people you are traveling with as well. Include them in photos of scenery so that you remember not only where you went, but who went with you. It doesn't always have to be the traditional front-facing photograph, either. Spice it up with some nontraditional candids.

Create a Story with Sequential Photos
Taking a bunch of photos in a row can help capture the "bigger picture."

 

 

Why Take a Mid-Life Gap Year?

Many people take a gap year between college and their first job. I took mine after 5 years. Here's why I took a mid-life gap year.


What have I done with my gap year? 

I visited 3 countries, traveled the East Coast by sleeper train, visited 6 states (FL, CT, MA, CA, HI, NJ, NY), started a travel blog, volunteered at an after school program in Peru, worked at a hostel bar and restaurant in Cusco, rode horses in Ecuador, started selling earrings at a local salon, made new friends and connections across the globe, took cooking classes, photography classes, yoga classes, Spanish classes, and became conversationally fluent in Spanish.

It might seem like my super productive gap year wasn't really a break at all, but for me it was. The flexible schedule allowed me to explore my interests and to build stronger connections with those around me. I saw the time off as a chance to regroup and to make sure that I was on the track I wanted to be on.

Why did I take a gap year?

I worked constantly throughout college. I worked long hours not only in class, but in numerous work-study jobs to begin paying off huge college loans. I had a lot of opportunities to develop professionally, but fewer opportunities to explore my interests and develop personally. After college, I went to work (3 jobs simultaneously including one full-time position, a part-time sales job, and a small consulting and advertising company that I started) and had very little spare time. This cycle of working multiple jobs and having very little work-life balance continued for years until I stumbled into the opportunity to travel abroad to volunteer and learn Spanish.

How did it go?

For the first couple of days, I found the blank schedule to be daunting and was unsure of how to spend my time. I watched an entire season of Orange is the New Black in less than a couple of days. But I soon realized that this is not how I wanted to spend my time. I  took the same approach to my schedule as I always had. Fill it up with the things that interest me and the people I value. Soon, I found myself enrolled in numerous classes and planning various trips.

Time off isn't for everyone. I think it's great for people who are productive and find it easy to stay busy without a 8-6 work schedule. I don't think the gap year always has to be a year long, either. For me, 6 months was plenty of time. You also have to be ready to take on the costs and risks. I was lucky to have saved enough to take off 6 months of work and still be able to afford health insurance and to have a cushion if I am not hired for a full-time position immediately after the 6 months. But I think with planning, foresight, determination, and effort, these costs and risks can be mitigated and a gap period can be an incredibly valuable experience. Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

What would you do with a gap year?

Amtrak's East Coast Car Train Adventure

My brother AJ decided to move from Florida back to Massachusetts, so I flew out to Florida to keep him company on the trip.

I had really great luck booking a last minute one-way ticket from Connecticut to Florida. I assume that since most people travel for the holidays between December 20 and January 3,  tickets early in December are really inexpensive. People don't want to fly multiple times in one month.

AJ picked me up at the airport, and since he already moved out of his house we headed to the Clarion hotel in Kissimmee, which is right outside of Orlando. The hotel was less than 2 miles from Disneyworld, and yet, it only cost us $50 a night to stay in a two bed suite with kitchenette and a free buffet breakfast. My favorite area of the hotel was the enormous free form pool. I spent the majority of my time in the pool, as the area surrounding the hotel was strip mall hell. It's amazing how many Carrabba's restaurants one city needs.

We spent about 24 hours in Kissimmee, then drove an hour to Stanford, where we caught the auto train. The entire process of boarding the train was a breeze. We dropped off the car in front of the station just before 2 P.M., then walked over to the check-in desk to get our tickets. At the check-in, we asked about gluten free meal options, and the attendant was so helpful that she called over the chef to talk to us directly.

We waited a few minutes at the station and then boarded the train at 2:30. When we saw our accommodations in the sleeper car, we were a bit surprised. The car was in daytime mode, so there were two seats facing each other. While it was comfortable, the room was tight. Feeling a little claustrophobic, we headed to the lounge car, where there was a free wine tasting and snacks. The lounge car was terrific and it was great talking to the staff about their experiences on the train. Apparently Shaq's dad is a frequent customer!

The time was flying by, and at 7:00 P.M., we headed from the lounge into the dining car, where we took our seats across from some very opinionated travelers. I spent the dinner in a heated debate about educational inequality. You can imagine which side of the discussion I was on. I am surprised the Teach For America water bottle I was carrying didn't give me away.

While the discussion was heated, the dinner was enjoyable. AJ had steak tips, and I ate roasted chicken. I made sure to tell the staff that the 14th is AJ's birthday, so they brought out a bowl of jello and ice cream and the entire dining car sang happy birthday at an embarrassing volume while I video taped.

After all of this excitement, I headed back to our sleeper car. The staff had already transitioned the car from day to night, and this time, I found two bunk beds made up with pillows and blankets. The sleep on the train was very comfortable. I woke up a few times, mainly because AJ was unknowingly dropping things (a bag of M&M's, a glow stick, and his wallet) onto my head from the top bunk, but overall had a great night's rest. 

In the morning, we woke up to beautiful views of the sunrise and to continental breakfast that was being served in the dining car. We also found out that we would be arriving an hour ahead of schedule. The morning went by in a flash, and we were already off the train and in Lorton, Virginia by 8:15 A.M. From there, we drove the remaining miles back home.

I still think flying is my favorite mode of transportation when it comes to long distances, but this is a great option for being able to transport your car.

Why Get Travel Insurance

I have traveled abroad a number of times, but this past trip to South America was the first time that I purchased an insurance policy. While there are a lot of great options out there, I went with the company that Lonely Planet suggested - World Nomads. More information about the company can be found at http://www.worldnomads.com/

The decision to invest in insurance was made primarily because I was concerned about having a health issue abroad. Little did I know that what I would be using it for would be to cover the cost of a new phone after my iPhone 5 was stolen in Cusco. 

After my phone was stolen, I worried that the insurance would only cover the initial price of the phone ($200) and wouldn't cover the cost of a new phone without contract (more than $400). I also worried that I never saved my receipt and wouldn't be able to provide proof of purchase. Neither of these concerns turned out to be actual problems.

World nomads allows you 90 days after the termination date of your policy to write a claim, so once I got back to the States, I immediately went to the Apple store and asked if they could reprint my receipt. Within minutes, that issue was resolved. Plus, I was able to purchase a new iPhone while I waited. Next, I photographed my police report from Cusco, and both the old receipt and the new one right from my phone and uploaded them to my claims page on World Nomad. It was a very simple and straightforward process. I waited a couple of days and found out that they would be sending a check for the cost of the new phone ($400) to my house, and that I should receive it within 30 days. I waited 5, and the check was already in the mail!

I couldn't be more grateful that I purchased an insurance plan. I would recommend one for any long-term trip abroad. I don't think it's necessary for traveling in the US or while traveling for short trips, but it definitely came in handy for me! I do recommend keeping photos of your receipts for big ticket items in dropbox or in the cloud. They would have been handy to have had while I was traveling. I also want to caution that their policy does not cover any cash that is stolen. That's just something you'll have to be extra careful about.

You never know!

Last Day in South America

While waiting for the taxi to Lima airport this morning, I saw Peter and he told me about how he was robbed at gunpoint yesterday in broad daylight and lost his camera.

I was constantly aware of the risks of traveling here, particularly of traveling alone... And I was cautious (probably overly cautious at points, which Ali can attest to)... But I was also lucky. I am fortunate that my experience was a positive one. My phone was robbed, but it was the most tranquil robbery possible. I was lucky. I heard crazy horror stories. Stories I didn't write about because I didn't want to think about them and because they would have painted a very incomplete and incorrect picture of my experience here. I didn't really run into trouble. I escaped the devil's dust that Sing Sing encountered, the knife stuck into Laura's wrist in the park, and the gun Peter escaped just yesterday. I was lucky.

As I leave, I am grateful that what I will remember will not be these isolated terrors, the events that happen infrequently but are most talked about. Instead, I will look back on my teachers who took me in as though I were family, the kids who let me teach them, even though I couldn't even speak their language, the new traveler friends who I feel like I have known for far longer than a couple weeks, the strangers who helped me find a restaurant, the people on planes or buses who patiently talked to me, waiting for me to find the words in Spanish, and all of the other locals who were kind, generous and helpful. I also can't leave out the memories of terrific food, strong pisco sours, getting way too many massages, seeing spectacular views, the long, but beautiful bus rides through the Andes, and the vibrant colors of the markets. Most importantly, I learned that the only way to be rich is to want little.

All in all, my departure day was standard. I woke up early and shared a cab to the airport with Stephanie and Miriam who both continued on to Cusco. That was the last of the teary goodbyes. I bought some Pisco in duty free, already nostalgic for Cusco. I got my Pisco taken away in San Salvador when I switched planes and had to subject myself to a second bag search. And as I sat on the plane, I reflected on my experience in South America, realizing I took far more than I could have ever given.

And then it was over.

Going to the Movies

There isn't a ton to see in Lima, and this is my third time in the city, so I spent the day doing random things like watching a bad movie (in English!) at the movie theater, getting my nails done for $3, and stocking up on airport food at the grocery store. Lima is an anti-climactic ending to an amazing trip. The best part of the day was when Jessica, Miriam and I met up for a very nice dinner at a touristy restaurant on “Pizza Street.” I can't wait to be in a place where you don't get inundated by the restaurant hosts as your walk down the street. That tactic doesn't really work on me; in fact, it has the opposite effect. but the dinner we had was great, and it reminded me that throughout this trip, I have met the kindest people. I think the people have had as big of an impact on me as anything else.

I also spent the entire day trying to coordinate with Sebas to retrieve my suitcase. He is on Peruvian time, so I had a lot of trouble getting him to commit to a time that he would be available. Around midnight, and after a fair amount of frustration, he finally gave me his address and I headed by taxi to get my things. Miriam was super nice and came with me to keep me company. Even though it was a bit frustrating at the end, it was so nice of Sebas to hold onto my bag. It was so much easier traveling through Ecuador without it.

 

Finished reading When I Was Puerto Rican, started reading Cutting for Stone.

Last Nights in Lima

For the five minutes that I was awake on the bus, I dreamed about a sandwich from La Lucheria. So despite it only being 8am, I headed directly there for a lunch sandwich. It was exactly how I remembered it. Then, I walked around Lima for a while, only to realize nothing is open until 11 on Mondays. I retreated back to my hostel, and discovered Peter is staying there, too! It is crazy to think that I have run into some people in more than one country!

In the afternoon, I met up with Jessica, my manager from Cusco. She was in Lima to get her residency visa for the next two years. It was so nice getting a chance to see her! We waited for Miriam to arrive from the bus station, then headed to dinner at an Arabic restaurant.

Almost a Disaster

My worst fear about getting to Lima with almost a couple days to spare almost came true. When we asked our hostel to book us a bus for later tonight, she said "Well, that will be difficult," and shook her head. After looking up 4 companies, we found they were all booked and nearly ran to the travel agent down the road. Again, we were greeted with, "Hmmm.... That's not really possible." Luckily, we ended up scoring one seat for tonight and one for tomorrow morning. I jumped on the night bus, unable to suffer through another day of nothingness on the day bus.

After the stress of booking a bus, we had an easy morning eating brunch and staring at the waves. Later, we headed to Chan Chan, the ruins of an early civilization. The ruins were kind of... ruined by the backdrop of buildings and modern city life. After Cusco, it is hard to see ruins and not expect to be fully transported back to ancient times. Anyhow, we had fun taking pictures on top of mounds of sand, in front of mounds of sand, and next to mounds of sand. Lots of pictures of sand.


Dinner ran a little late, and after quickly saying goodbye to my friends, I rushed to the hostel to call a cab and to finish packing. I guess today was the day of poor planning. Even though it was 8:30, and my bus wasn't until 10, the receptionist said it would take over a half hour to get a cab here and I had better run down the street with all of my luggage and try to catch one at the intersection a quarter mile away. A little worried, I followed his advice, and after 20 minutes, finally caught a cab. I ended up arriving just in time to hop onto the most luxurious bus ever.

You know those photos in travel magazines of airplanes in Japan... The ones where instead of seats, there are beds complete with blankets and pillows? Well it is real, and it is called SuperVIP, pronounced suuuupervip (short i, not an acronym). Suuuuupervip is the best. I cuddled up to the nice lady and 7 month old baby 2 inches from my face, relishing the fact that I could eat a second dinner just because it is available all the while resting my feet horizontally, watching my personal TV, even if it is in Spanish and I am too tired to understand.

I slept like a baby. Mostly because there was a baby next to me and I woke up every time the baby did, but also because the completely horizontal seat was amazing. The lady next to me explained that I was basically the luckiest person ever because her husband found out he had to work and cancelled his ticket right before I purchased it. She said since it is a holiday (who knew?), she had booked the tickets two weeks ago! So I guess booking a day earlier wouldn't have really helped that much... In any case, lucky me, because otherwise I would be missing my flight to the US.

The Beaches of Trujillo

We started off the morning on yet another bus, finally making our way all the way to Trujillo, staying just outside the city in a hostel called Naylamp in Huanchaco. I was so happy to see the beach and to be off the bus that I could have danced.


We headed straight to lunch after a second morning of being trapped on a bus without anything to eat. I need to go prepared with snacks from now on. Lunch was wonderful, and Kristie, the girl I worked with in Cusco also walked into the restaurant. We spent a couple hours catching up and talking about how she has been volunteering here. She found an incredibly sick dog here, and raised money to take him to the vet via Facebook. When she was at the vet's, she learned a lot about the stray dog situation here, and got connected to a woman who was building a dog shelter in town. Krystie's boyfriend, Sam actually worked in construction back in Australia, so they spent two weeks here, building the shelter from the ground up.

After lunch, Miriam and I went for a walk along the beach, taking lots of photos of the surfers and the sunset. The beach here is beautiful, and since the town isn't overly developed, there actually aren't that many tourists.

In the evening, we met back up with Nikky and split a piece of apple pie before heading back to our hostel for a proper dinner of vegetarian pizza.

Quick Stops in Puira and Chiclayo

The bus from Loja to Puira takes Forrrrevvvvver. I am totally caught up on the new seasons of Scandal and Parenthood. 7am - 6pm on the bus to Puira.

The route must be new because it is completely unpaved for much of the way, and straddles a craggy cliff you constantly worry about falling off. So many people were crossing themselves and praying that I thought maybe I should be doing it, too. Luckily, or unluckily, depending how you look at it, the bus only drove 17 miles an hour.

The border crossing itself was a breeze, once we actually reached it. The only real problem was that we had limited access to food and drinks until supper. The only food I was able to get was a bunch of bananas that I acquired by hanging my head out the window and begging a lady on the street to sell me some as we were slowly passing by. Again, no one came onto the bus to sell things, save one guy who was selling ginko pills, which Nikky bought!

Nikky is a new friend who was staying at Izhcayluma and was also traveling to Huanchaco the same day as us. She is super friendly.

In Puira, we were starving, so I told the taxi driver to take us to the reliable Rocky's for dinner. We almost got conned into taking a taxi to Chiclayo for "30 soles," but by now I have learned to get multiple second opinions before making a big travel decision like taking a taxi instead of a bus. When we asked advice at Rocky's, they said that sounded like a scam, and a better option would be to take the 9:00pm Transportes Chiclayo bus. We followed their advice, and I quickly remembered how drastically different buses are in Peru as compared to Ecuador. We upgraded to cama (bed) seats for an extra dollar, and were living in luxury. While Peru has double decker buses with plush seats and footrests, Ecuador only has go-cart buses with scratchy seats that barely have any space.

We had planned to go to Trujillo, and had booked a hostel there, but after a much longer travel day than anticipated, we opted for a 3 hour bus to Chiclayo as opposed to another 7 hours of travel. So, unprepared and without having researched a nice place to stay, we were stuck in another bizarre Lonely Planet suggestion (Hotel Sican) for the second night in a row. The beds were a bit nicer, but the three beds were crammed into the room. My bed was actually touching the other two beds. It wasn't ideal, but since we were so exhausted, we all slept well enough.