Rule #1 of Travel: Always Carry Your Camera

Like a face filled with the wrinkles of time, my camera’s scratches evoke a life well-lived. My trusty Canon Powershot camera has been with me for multiple years, on multiple continents, and across state borders — tucked away safely in my pocket. It’s survived drops, falls, and the occasional guy in India yelling at me to put it away. It’s not the fanciest, priciest, or most high-tech camera out there, but because it fits in my pocket and is always with me, as photographer Chase Jarvis has famously said: “the best camera is the one you have with you.”

Indeed, always having a camera with me has become my number one rule of travel. The beauty of travel is that it opens up your eyes to new ways of seeing even the most mundane things in the world. Having a camera with you — and as a result thinking of what could make an interesting shot — refocuses your mind on your travels allowing you to better connect with your surroundings. I’ve found that as much as I enjoy reliving my travels through my photos in which I took the time to compose a shot, often-times the spontaneous snapshot — the dog bathing itself in a tub of water following a rain storm, or a ridiculous sign in Russia — bring back the strongest memories. Indeed, it’s because of this that I eschew the big SLR cameras, preferring, instead, to rely upon a model that can be taken anywhere at anytime. Besides, traveling around with a huge black camera is a good way of drawing unwanted attention to yourself, and, afterall, a great photo should be all about the subject, not the means of capturing it.

So, before sharing a few of my favorite serendipitous travel photos with you, I implore you: bring your camera with you!

A dog cooling off after a rainstorm in India:

A dog cooling off after a rainstorm in India