
Written by Drew Evans
Traveling internationally can be a nightmare. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a first-timer, heading abroad often requires a lot of planning, budget, and time.
As a photographer, it can turn into more of a headache, as you’re lugging very expensive and fragile gear across borders.
I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Europe, where I spent twelve days eating great food, taking in beautiful sights, and photographing more than I have in a while.
And while the trip was unforgettable, it wasn’t without turbulence (sorry, the pun was too easy to turn down). I was worried about what to bring, where to go, how to shoot, and everything in between.
Here are a few lessons I learned throughout my recent travels and a bit of advice for any film photographers planning on traveling this holiday season:

1. Less Can Actually Be More
If you’re anything like me, the paradox of choice can limit your fun. As a somewhat frequent sufferer of FOMO, I certainly didn’t want to create an opportunity where I’d miss out if I didn’t have the right gear.
Ahead of my trip, I was crowdsourcing advice and going back and forth on what gear to bring. Do I travel light with my Leica M6 or do I pack my Mamiya 7? How many lenses should I bring? Do I want the incredible detail of 120 film or the flexibility and ease of 35mm?
But I kept coming back to the same thought – if you’re going to be out and about, bring the camera that will be the best balance of high quality and portability. My answer became more and more obvious: bring your Leica M6 + 35mm lens.
As it turned out, packing light was the best possible decision.
Every morning, I wasn’t worried about what camera to bring or which lens would best serve what I might want to shoot. The simplicity of my kit made the trip so much more enjoyable. Every time I put the viewfinder to my eye, I knew exactly what to expect – a set of 35mm framelines.
My general advice would be to keep it simple. You’ll be less worried about changing lenses or swapping cameras and more focused on your subject and your surroundings.
Read more about the benefits of traveling with minimal gear here.



2. Bring Film Stocks You Know
The night before we left, I was rummaging through my refrigerator trying to figure out my film selection for the following weeks. I found myself going back and forth on what to bring. Maybe it was finally time to load up the roll of Portra 400 VC that I’ve been saving for close to a year.
But I was given some advice by a good friend when it comes to film: trust what you know.
While it’s good to try new things and experiment, I’d recommend bringing film (and gear) you trust. Since you’ll already be in unfamiliar territory on your travels, it’s probably better to use film that you know well already.
I wound up loading up on Kodak Portra 160, Portra 400, and Cinestill BwXX. I knew how to use them well, which made it easier to walk into any scenario and have a good sense of what the results may look like.
Bright sunlight in the middle of the day? I’d opt for BwXX for high contrast black and white images. Soft morning light? I’d grab Portra 160. Most other situations, I’d load Portra 400.
I brought a few extra rolls just in case, which gave me the flexibility to experiment if I felt the desire. But much like the simplicity of my camera and lens choice, it was nice to not spend time going back and forth on what to load just to regret it.


3. Pack a Tote
I’ll keep this one short: bring an extra lightweight bag to make the shooting experience easier. It may seem silly, but it is extremely noticeable when you only have your large backpack to carry your gear around.
I’ve made the mistake before of bringing my big camera bag on the plane with all of my gear, travel essentials, computer, headphones, and more, only to need to use that as my everyday bag while on my trip. It was big, bulky, and made things just that much more difficult.
Throw a small tote bag or a collapsible backpack into your luggage – you’ll be happy you did.


4. Prepare for Security
One topic I get weekly messages on is how to travel with film. There are a few things to remember and ways to safely get through security, particularly x-ray machines.
First and foremost, don’t stress!
Generally speaking, most modern x-ray machines at the airport will be able to “safely” scan film at or below 800 speed. Many machines will have signs that specify that, but it can be hard to pick them out when you’re scrambling to get through security.
That said, it’s always best to not let your film go through the scanners at all, just to be sure.
Ask the agents on staff to handcheck your film, and they’ll be able to pull it aside to manually check it out. I highly recommend putting your film into a clear plastic bag and unpackaging it as much as possible. For 35mm, remove them from their plastic canisters. For 120, take them out of their boxes, and if you feel comfortable, unwrap them from their plastic wrappers (leave them taped tight though).
If you’re in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, you can find stickers and/or cards that indicate that your bag cannot be x-rayed. If you want to keep your film in your bag and avoid the hassle OR if you have film in your camera already and can’t (or don’t want to remove it), you can buy an x-ray safe bag from any camera store.
All in all, traveling with film doesn’t need to be too stressful if you know what to expect ahead of time.


5. Do Research Ahead of Time
This is another one that you might say doesn’t deserve a spot on this list, but I know many people that are woefully unprepared for travel and don’t wind up shooting in situations where they could. I’ve experienced it plenty as well, and that’s typically when regret sets in.
Take some time before you travel to figure out the general look and feel of your destination. Find a couple spots that you know you’ll want to shoot and plan to make stops along the way.
As a landscape photographer, it can be harder for me to travel in cities where I’m not as familiar with the shooting experience. Before heading to Europe this time through, I found a few locations I didn’t want to miss. I spent some time on Google Maps Street View exploring ahead of time to know what to expect.
While I didn’t map out an exact travel route, it was still nice to be prepared with camera in hand.


6. Don’t Leave Without Your Camera
When traveling, some people have a tendency to want to leave gear at the hotel when going to grab a quick coffee or have a bite to eat before starting or ending the day. If you pack light and don’t have a ton of gear to travel with, it’s much easier to be prepared for any situation.
Take advantage of every opportunity to shoot. It’s likely that you won’t travel back to these places any time soon, so you might as well be ready at any moment.
Some of my favorite shots from my recent trip were from the quick 15 minute walks to the convenience stores or a 30 minute trip to grab a coffee in the morning.


7. Don’t Rush to Develop
This last tip is my personal philosophy, so feel free to ignore.
When I first started shooting film, I would finish a roll and immediately run to my local lab to get it developed. I never wanted to wait – the move from digital made me want results as fast as possible.
But I slowly realized that this wasn’t part of the joy of shooting film for me. The process is deliberate, slow, and not about immediacy.
Over time, I would wait a day to go to the lab. Then it became a few days, which then turned into weeks. I found myself often forgetting what was on a roll of film by the time I scanned it in because it had been so long.
While it’s become a natural part of my shooting process now, I recommend waiting to all of my friends. Don’t develop your film right when you get back from a trip… I know, it’s hard to wait, and it can be extremely exciting to see what you’ve created.
But your expectations will be sky high, and it’s more likely that you’ll ignore good shots or pass over good work because you were expecting too much.
I got my film back almost six weeks after my return, and the excitement to see my images was just as high as it would have been six hours after. But instead of remembering specific scenes or shots that I took, I was able to relive my travels and be surprised with the results.
And I can safely say that a few of my favorite shots would have been ignored as “throwaways” had I developed immediately.


Thank you so much, Drew! Drew is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and you can check out his other articles here, such as CineStill BwXX: A Newfound Love and What I Wish I Knew Before Moving from Digital to Film.
You can also check out more of Drew’s work on his Instagram.
Leave your questions about traveling tips for film photographers in the comments!

Blog Comments
Gary
October 8, 2022 at 2:01 am
Thank you for this article. I wonder about one point: putting a loaded camera in an x-ray safe bag to go through security should attract the attention of the monitors. Wouldn’t it be better to carry only cameras that aren’t loaded with film?
Drew E.
October 11, 2022 at 7:26 pm
Good point – I’ve traveled with a camera (no lens attached) in an x-ray bag a few times with no issue, but I definitely try to finish rolls or unload them fully before travel.
By and large, though, putting a roll of film through a machine once most likely won’t ruin it (I’ve done that before too). So if you put a loaded camera through once without taking any of the above steps, it will hopefully be okay.