I traveled through Australia and
Indonesia back in February for an underwater shoot. I had so much fun (and the fare from Australia to
Bali/Jakarta was so inexpensive), that I decided to repeat the trip with my old
friend, Andy Day, as a working vacation.
Andy and I have been friends since the second grade, and we grew up
hunting snakes in the woods of Atlanta, Georgia. We’ve since traveled to numerous places in pursuit of
wildlife photographs. I am the
underwater and photography expert, and Andy is a bird and reptile expert, so he
shows me things in the topside world that I would never otherwise see or know
about.
One of my biggest concerns when
traveling overseas is how much I will be charged for my baggage. As an underwater photographer, I travel
with a lot of gear. I brought an
absolute minimum of gear on this trip, but it still amounted to three large
bags at 50 pounds each. I attach a
list at the end of this blog that describes what I put in my bags.
Traveling by airline in Australia is
always especially worrisome, since airlines there, especially Qantas, are
legendary for their strict baggage policies, and the exorbitant rates that they
charge for excess baggage.
I’ll describe some of the tips I’ve
learned over the years to keep my baggage charges to a minimum.
1. Use an
airline-affiliated credit card that gives you free bags.
I applied for a Continental Airlines Presidential Plus
Mastercard for the first time this year.
This card has since been replaced by the United MileagePlus Club
Card. Both of these credit cards
offer cardholders two free checked bags for free. They also give the cardholder membership in United’s airport
clubs, which is a $475 value. I
paid the annual fee of $395 for this card, the first time I’ve ever decided to
pay so much for a card. Chase does
offer another United card that costs only $95 per year and gives one checked
bag for free.
This card offers good value for the $395 fee, although I
will be evaluating the fee each year.
Beyond the free checked bags and United Club access, the card does not
charge foreign transaction fees.
This means that if I charge a meal or hotel room on the card in
Australia, I won’t get hit with the 2% to 3% foreign transaction fee that other
credit cards apply to purchases.
This can be a pretty big savings also. I use this card (along with a no-annual-fee Capital One
credit card that also does not charge foreign transaction fees) exclusively
when traveling outside of the US.
Many other airlines, such as American, have partnered with
credit card companies to offer credit cards with similar benefits. I also have a Citibank credit card that
gives me one free bag on American Airlines, and has a $95 annual fee that was
waived for my first year. Often,
credit card companies will waive or discount annual fees for good customers who
ask.
2. Try to
attain “elite status” on a preferred airline.
United Airlines, which I prefer to use for most travel,
allows its “elite flyers”-- those customers who fly over 25,000 miles per year
on United and its partner airlines, to check in two bags at 50 pounds for free
on international flights. I would
also get these two bags for free since I carry the Continental Presidential
Plus credit card. Almost every
airline has programs for loyal travelers that give a host of perks when a
customer flies over a certain threshold per year. Among those perks are free checked bags.
3. Research
what luggage best meets your needs and is also lightweight and flexible.
When I started out as an underwater photographer, I was
always allowed two bags at 70 pounds for free, when traveling
internationally. Now, the standard
is two bags at 50 pound for free for international travel, with a charge for
the third bag. No matter how much
I try, I still have about 140 pounds of gear including the weight of the bags
themselves.
What’s the solution?
I use flexible packing. For
my two main bags, I use Eagle Creek ORV Super Trunks, which are rolling duffel
bags. These bags carry an enormous
amount of gear (their capacity is about 8500 cubic inches) and weigh only 12 to
13 pounds. These bags have a main
compartment for my diving gear and things like clothes, wetsuits, tripods, and
smaller cases containing underwater housings and camera gear. They have three smaller pockets on top
which I use to store receipts, sandals, socks, insect repellant, sunscreen, and
other smaller items that I may need to get at frequently.
I’ll pack my two Eagle Creek rolling duffels to the 50 pound
limit, then bring fairly lightweight items like a rain jacket, towels, a
Scottevest vest, and sweatpants in a separate large duffel bag (no wheels or
structure to this bag). Many
times, when I arrive at an airport, the airline agent will be pleased to see
that I have packed two bags right at the 50-pound limit, and that I am
knowledgeable and polite about the airline’s baggage policies. Since I have both a credit card
allowing me two bags, and I am also an elite member of the airline, the agent
will more often that not let me check this duffel bag at no charge.
If, however, the agent is a stickler and wishes to charge me
for this third bag, then I have the following plan if the excess baggage fee is
outrageous. I’ve never had to do
this, but it’s my last option. I
will take out the Scottevest vest, which has 24 hidden pockets. I’ll repack quickly right at the ticket
counter, taking out what small, heavy items (such as dive regulators, camera
bodies, lenses) I can from the Eagle Creek rolling duffels and putting them in
the vest or my carry-on bags (more on these bags in a minute). Because the duffel is just a bag with
no hard sides or wheels, I can completely empty this bag, then stuff it and all
its contents into my two big rolling duffels, while placing small, dense items
in my carry-on luggage or Scottevest.
Please note that you should NOT try to carry on any tools,
pocketknives, too many batteries, or any items that could be construed or used
as a weapon, like a tripod.
4. Chooose Carry-on Baggage That Can Carry a Lot of Gear.
I’ve probably spent more time
researching the best carryon bags for my needs than anything else. I’ve settled on several products from
Lowepro that are superbly designed for carrying my gear on the plane. I’ve used these bags from Lowepro to
decrease my excess baggage costs and to travel efficiently. Here’s a list of what I carry on the
plane:
Lowepro Magnum 200 AW: a shoulder bag
that has a luggage sleeve, allowing it to be carried easily and efficiently on
top of the Pro Roller Lite.
Lowepro Vertex 300AW camera backpack,
to replace the backpack that I normally carry for my errands around town.
A. Lowepro Pro Roller Lite 250 AW
I’ve previously written about the Lowepro Pro Roller Lite
250 AW, which has become my primary and favorite wheeled carry-on bag. The Pro Roller Lite 250 AW is a rolling
case that contains Lowepro’s usual fabulous set of padded dividers, which let
you organize, pad, and separate all your gear. Unlike earlier Pro Rollers, this
model has the padded dividers within the case itself, rather than in a separate
bag that fits within the rolling case. I prefer this, as space is at an
absolute premium when traveling by air today. I used the dividers to separate,
pad, and divide my larger and heavier items.
You can see my review here:
http://norbertwu.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-of-lowepro-pro-roller-lite-250.html
I love the thoughtful and extremely convenient touches that
Lowepro puts into its products.
For instance, the Pro Roller Lite 250 AW has a small plastic “bucket” on
the bottom of the bag. This makes
picking up the case very easy and convenient. I also love the elastic pocket on the top flap of the
roller, which allows me to quickly access and store a laptop, ipad, magazines,
even thick books.
B. Magnum 200 AW shoulder bag.
This bag is a
great solution to the problems I’ve encountered with airline travel. First, it is a perfect size for an
outdoor and wildlife photographer --big enough to carry a completely topside
camera kit -- camera body along with a wide zoom, telephoto zoom, and a flash unit. It can carry all other kinds of things
as well, since it has Lowepro’s famous dividing system and numerous
pockets.
One of the best
features of this bag is the luggage or trolley sleeve on the back. This sleeve allows the bag to fit
snugly right over the handles of the Lowepro Pro Rollers and many other rolling
carts. Because both bags are black
and look alike,, airline attendants have never bothered me about carrying on an
extra bag (passengers normally are only allowed one carryon and one backpack or
purse). Once I am on location,
this bag is perfect for having a topside camera kit ready to go, or fitted out
for something else.
C. Vertex 300AW backpack:
I chose the
Vertex 300AW to replace the backpack that I normally carry for my errands
around town and have used for air travel in the past. My normal backpack, although large, is not anywhere near as
large as the Vertex 300AW, which is a bag made to carry a camera with lenses
and accessories, along with a 17" notebook computer.
The advantages
of the Vertex 300AW is that it, too, contains Lowepro’s custom-divider
solution. I carried camera gear,
hard drives, and even swimming trunks (I use running shorts) and a complete
change of clothing in this capacious backpack. I was able to put in my usual notebook of papers along with
my MacBook Pro laptop in the laptop compartment. The Vertex also has two nice “side” pockets on the front,
which I used to put in a few toiletries like a toothbrush.
There are other
camera backpacks like the Vertex 300AW out there. However, for the light weight and sturdy construction, no
other backpack comes close. The
Vertex 300AW has a professional harness system that took all the weight off my
shoulders, unlike the flimsy and thin straps that some other backpacks
feature. It was a pleasure to
wear, especially on those long hikes through an airport from the departure gate
to customs and beyond, before airports provide carts. Why ARE all those hikes over 2 miles?
The only
disadvantage of the Vertex 300AW is that it is too high to fit underneath an airline
seat. Since I often come onto
flights swaddled with many bags, it is important that I board the plane early,
before all the overhead compartments are taken. Sorry, that’s life as a photographer. I do wish that the Vertex had a third
and larger pocket after the laptop pocket, as having a third and larger pocket
would let me store things like guidebooks and an iPad. The present laptop compartment is just
wide enough for a laptop and can fit very little more. Having just one more, thicker pocket would
make this backpack into a real all-around traveling and photography pack.
Here’s a fairly
complete list of what I put in my carry-on bags:
In my Pro Roller
and Vertex 300:
Tickets
Passport
Visas
Cash (in small
bills)
American and
United frequent flyer cards
MacBook Pro
laptop computer with AC power supply
VGA and HDMI
adapters for MacBook Pro for presentations
Two-prong
(Panasonic-type) AC power cord
Cell phone and
charger
Portable hard
drives
Memory cards in
Lowepro card case
Media or PC card
reader with USB2.0 cord
Small inverter
for using computer on airplanes and in cars
two mesh pocket
cases containing all kinds of computer cables
Cradlepoint wifi
router and USB data modem
Garmin GPS
loaded with maps for places I am traveling to
one topside
camera body (currently Canon 7D or Nikon D800)
wide-angle zoom
lens
telephoto zoom
lens
set of shorts,
swimming trunks, light long pants, and T-shirt (if stranded)
shaving kit with
toothbrush, etc in case I am stranded
swim goggles
Ear plugs
eardrops to ward
off ear infections
medicine for
seasickness
large and small
ziploc bags
Pepperidge Farm
Geneva cookies or Snickers bars in case plane is stuck for hours
Postcards to
give to "grease the wheels" at airline counters
Business cards
Sunglasses
Novels
ipad loaded with e-books
airline baggage policies to challenge
excess baggage charges
small flashlight
underwater video
light heads
If forced to, I
will carry denser, heavy items like Scuba dive gauges and underwater photo
gear, but I try to remember NOT to hand-carry anything sharp, any batteries or
items that could be rejected (and therefore lost for the trip) by airport
security.
