Welcome to TravelingWatergirls adventures
Join my adventures around the world as I share travel tips, stunning photos, and expert insights gathered from 17 years of non-stop exploration.
https://www.youtube.com/@TravelingWatergirl
About me
My mission is to inspire and guide fellow travel enthusiasts through my unique adventures and valuable insights.
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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TravelingWatergirl
A typical setup of filming
The Itinerary
The route will start in Lima, then I will go by bus to Huancayo where I will stay for a couple of days with an emphasis on traveling and photography.
Then it's back to Lima and further down to the south to Arequipa in a sixteen hour bus ride, driving through Ica and Nasczka where I will stay a few days again.
Then it's off to Cusco also by bus which will take me another ten hours, and from there to Machu Picchu and back to Cusco by train.
From Cusco I will then travel by mini bus to Ollantaytambo for a few hiking days and from there even further south to the famous Titicaca lake to Puno.
This is a sketch of the shape of the country from the early stages of my travel planning to get an overview over the geography, the prices and distances.
This is an edited map of the previous one where you can see in a better overview what the costs and distances are like.
31.12.24 16:59pm MST Moving around by train
The plan for me is to take the route from Cusco to Machu Picchu either in a day trip or with one overnight stop in Machu Picchu (which is really cheap), to have the ride in daylight two times. According to pictures on the internet and youtube it's a wonderful scenic ride of four hours each way. The fact that only a daypack is allowed on board is a bit of a pain since I guess almost everybody has a bigger luggage piece stashed somewhere if they are traveling in South America. Apparently the hotels take care of the big backpacks and suitcases as far as I could see in the net as long as you stay there before and after the trip.
Possibly I will also take one train ride from Cusco to Puno and back if that is not too much on the budget for january. It is supossed to be different than the ride to Macchu Pichu, with more landscape views in the distance but just as beatiful. I am looking forward to seeing the grand landscape of those mountains!
The little disadvantage for me personally, since it's not my thing, is the "entertainment program" with permanent background music, food and drink service (to pay). I just want to enjoy the scenery in front of the window, but I know that is what the majority of people want from a tourist attraction, so I take it as a price to pay.
30.12.24 21:12 pm
Source: https://www.perurail.com/
This is an image of the only currently running trains mainly for the tourists, which cost a lot for the locals but it's still affordable for western tourists compared to many other countries.
Those are typical prices for the destination Cusco to Macchu Picchu that I want to ride
The train goes for four hours per direction
Source: https://book.perurail.com/Reservas/Trenes?SessionID=rxsm4zlptwhgfufs5obgre5t
Source: https://book.perurail.com/Reservas/Trenes?SessionID=rxsm4zlptwhgfufs5obgre5t
The train station in Machu Picchu
Back to the roots of planning:
In the beginning I lay every item on a flat surface that I intent to take, then everything is weighed and written down in a list and packed in the bag I want to take. In most cases it's too much for the bag or the suitcase. Then it's time to see which items may be duplicates or unnecessary luxury on that specific journey. These are removed then. If it is still too much or too heavy the next round is to rule the items out which are not absolutley nessasary. The basics really needed are generally packed first, and if there is space left I add nice to have items.
Electronics generally go in a separate smaller bag which stays on my body all the time, in fact in front of my body in cities and other crowds. Mostly that is a 20 L backpack because that size of bag goes through security and in the airplaine almost anywhere in the world.
My "tec bag" contains at least: A tablet with a keyboard attached, a Gopro including several batteries, a bridge camera, a 20,000 maH Powerbank, a 10,000 maH powerbank, a little kit with a USB C to USB A adapter, two blocks for USB charging cords, my garmin watch, my big headphones with good noise canceling, my small noise canceling in ear headphones, a new edition, a monocular to magnify pictures and videos on the smartphone and last but not least a second smartphone to use as either a spare phone or with a local SIM card and a Gimbal.
In recent years, since I have always enjoyed documenting my travel, I have continued to add photo and video equipment.
Clothes wise it's very much depending on the climate. Generally it's prefereably thiner lighter clothing that can be layered up. It doesn't have to be the most expensive clothing with brand names on it and matching colors ( dear fellow German travelers ;)). It should much rather be comfortable clothing, fitting for the climate. If it's not a totally dry area you intend to go to, rain gear helps even if you might not expect rain. A high emphasis for me are good quality shoes which are NOT brand new but not completly done too. Do yourself a favor and walk in your shoes quite a few miles or km before you take them to a longer trip or you will pay with potentially painfull blisters ;).
In this case I take my good old heavy duty full leather ankle high mountain boots, since I intend to spend a lot of time off track and high in the mountains in non touristy areas.
Yes they are really heavy and bulky, but they are also totally ( proven many times) waterproof as well as breathable in cold and warm weather. But they are worth carrying only if I anticipate rough terrain or high elevation.
The second pair of shoes I will take are running shoes. It's nice to have a softer shoe after a long day in hiking boots.
The choice of clothing for me mainly comes down to a couple of questions:
- Which kind of clothing can I not find in the destination or just with a lot of effort?
Good quality rain gear and sun blocker are expensive in many countries, so might want to bring them with you.
- Do I have multiple uses for the piece of clothing or is it just looking good but nothing else?
-> If you plan to visit cities, one ( and only one!) piece of an elegant blouse or shirt can really pay off.
4.1.25 9:46 pm MST Further travelling ahead after Peru:
Today I started the further planning for one of the other countries I want to visit. The next place to go after Peru will be Bolivia.
It's a poorer country where travelling is cheaper; the standards are generally lower. I just started my research into this part of the journey, so there will be many more details coming up. As much as I read, it's possible to basically do what you want at your own risk. There are not many countries where that is possible today anymore.
There are options for booking organized tours as well as a relatively sophisticated bus and train system, at least in the southern part of the country.
I would love to take the trains since they are not only super cheap but also very scenic in many cases.
If it is possible to get into contact with locals to a degree, it always gives a deeper insight into the culture.
I will give a fair warning, generally speaking, for all I read so far, to not give away sensitive information and be aware of the usual safety measurements when travelling in non-Western countries.
- Don't carry open bags. use bags with zippers.
- Carry ALL your valuables with you at ALL TIMES (also in the bathroom, etc., if necessary, in a waterproof bag) in FRONT of your body, and don't leave anything hanging off (it can easily be cut off without you even recognizing it in seconds).
- If you don't carry it, put anything valuable in a safe or a safe! locker.
- Your passport remains ON your body if you are out and about AND in your accommodation in a belt bag protected against electronic theft of credit card data. I always wear the belt under my underwear when I feel unsafe and take out only as much money as I need for the day. The belt stays here; it is once I am outside of my room, or, for instance, a toilet where I can take out my credit card or more money if needed.
- If theft is a problem, have at least a second, if not a third, credit card that is debit for daily use and have one in reserve in the belt bag that is NEVER used in public as an emergency card.
- When you pay online, ALWAYS make sure nobody can see your card data; if possible, protect the card with your hands.
- NO payments in public transport whatsoever when the bus, train, etc., is crowded! Consider rather taking the next one and paying your ticket in pieces and with time (with the debit card).
-DON'T TRUST the supposedly friendly local in taking care of your stuff "for a few minutes while you..." I research beforehand if a bigger backpack is allowed or not if I visit a place like a museum, and if only a small bag is allowed, I plan accordingly or make it a separate trip.
- Have one digital copy of your passport in at least one mail account (better two) and two physical copies that are NOT at the same place as your actual passport. The same goes for the birth certificate if you have it, your travel health care documents, emergency contacts in a list, and the address + phone number of your country's embassy.
- Carry spare money in different places in your big and small places so you can get by if everything is stolen from you.
- If you travel in a vehicle, the bag with your valuables is ALWAYS with you (yes, also on the toilet!). Items that look nonvaluable to you might not be seen the same way by others.
- Don't get in suspicious vehicles; instead, use official cabs (pictures and descriptions of how these look in every country are easy to find on Google or other search engines) or driving apps like Uber or others. If there is no other choice in the situation, write a message to a person you trust about where you are, where you intend to go, and what is happening right now, plus the number of the local police. If you don't get back in the estimated time, this friend should give you a call, and if nothing is happening, he or she should call the hotel you are staying in or the police. Sometimes it's easier for the local accommodation to call the police due to language barriers.
- If somebody follows you, don't show signs of fear; give away your valuables in case you are threatened verbally or with weapons. No phone or credit card is your life worth!
- This is not a must-have; it's just a trick I learned to keep my data private. I have different social media presences, but some of those are under an alias. The same goes for mail addresses. So depending on how well I know somebody, this person can see more or less information about me, and if I feel this person (mostly fellow travelers) should see more info, I will give away more info in terms of another account. The accounts are not linked!
6.1.25 MST Researching the train lines in Bolivia
Source: https://ferroviaria-andina.com.bo/bus-carril/#1506283636114-a1bd781b-8a8e
The first sketch to get an overview over the geography and the cities
The digitalized version
I still have to verify which of those train lines are still active and how dangerous they are. Just scroll down the page for more details.
This is the first train line I checked out
The first train line I research is starting 9 miles/15 km from La Paz in Viacha and goes to Charana. It's basically a bus on rails.
The details of the train line
https://ferroviaria-andina.com.bo/bus-carril/#1506283636114-a1bd781b-8a8e
https://ferroviaria-andina.com.bo/bus-carril/#1506283636114-a1bd781b-8a8e
Bus lane service
This service provides a safe, comfortable, and highly useful means of transportation for residents who reside in communities near the railroad with limited access to the highway. Currently, we offer two services in the departments of Potosí and La Paz, with the purpose of improving the quality of life of the vulnerable population in the communities located along the road network.
With the capacity to transport 32 passengers, this service has two frequencies and runs through the municipalities of Coniri, Comanche, Ballivián, Gral. Pando, Calacoto, Camacho, Campero, Gral. Pérez, Abaroa, and other communities.
The train times for this train
The second one I try to verify will be the distance between Viacha and Villazon
https://ferroviaria-andina.com.bo/
https://www.ticketsbolivia.com/train-tickets/ferroviaria-oriental.php
I added the stations El Alto and Guaqui that where not originally in my first map
6.1.25 20:58 Colorado, Pueblo No train from La Paz to Oruro?
It might be that there is a train connection. It's officially on the website of the Ferroviaria Andina, but I could not find any proof on typical booking pages for that. Tons of buses and airplanes, but no train. There might be a possibility, though, that locally there are exactly this information out, just not accessible on the internet.
The buses take three and a half hours to Oruro and cost, depending on the class, five to seven USD.
The flights are in the region of eighty USD; the flight time is two and a half hours.
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/La-Paz/Oruro#trips
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/La-Paz/Oruro#trips/transport/La-Paz/Oruro/r/Bus-via-Patacamaya
Some of the buses require a change of bus and some are direct.
https://www.busbud.com/en/bus-schedules-results/6mpd1k/6sb3bc?outbound_date=2025-01-08&adults=1&view=results
So what about the other part of the journey from Oruro to Tupiza? Let's see:
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Oruro/Villaz%C3%B3n#trips
https://ferroviaria-andina.com.bo/servicio-de-pasajeros/
The next train distance I will take into the spying glass is a short one: it's La Paz to Guaqui:
This one is a shorter one relatively close to La Paz. I watched on Youtube, and this seems to be a bit more of a local train ride through poor neighborhoods as well as a bit more distant mountain views. I think that is potentially the second most interesting ride so far to come due to the proximity to real life.
Scenic rides are cool, and I enjoy them a lot, but these rides, where you see the "real live" situations and locals, make the sugar coating on the cake.
The mix makes it in the end.
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/La-Paz/Guaqui#trips/transport/La-Paz/Guaqui/r/Train/s/0
8.1.25 MST Pueblo, Colorado Finally there will be another train line to investigate.
Unfortunatley in this case its bad news for me -the train is not longer running and the there are no plans to repair that train line. The reason apparently is the collapse of a bridge six or seven years ago.
https://www.rome2rio.com/de/map/Sucre/Don-Diego-Bolivien?search=Sucre,Don-Diego-Bolivien#trips/transport/Sucre/Don-Diego-Bolivia/r/Buscarril/s/0
https://www.rome2rio.com/de/map/Sucre/Don-Diego-Bolivien?search=Sucre,Don-Diego-Bolivien#trips/transport/Sucre/Don-Diego-Bolivia/r/Buscarril/s/0
Those were the stations on the way to Potossi
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294071-i4810-k11414666-o10-Potosi_to_Sucre_train-Bolivia.html
Well, let's move to other possibilities to cover that distance:
Probably the most common one is the bus; it's cost-effective and faster as well as mostly reliable.
https://www.rome2rio.com/de/map/Sucre/Potosi-Bus-Terminal#trips/transport/Sucre/Potosi-Bus-Terminal/r/Bus/s/0
https://www.rome2rio.com/de/map/Sucre/Potosi-Bus-Terminal#trips/transport/Sucre/Potosi-Bus-Terminal/r/Bus/s/0
The bus ride is not as beautiful but still not bad.
The remaining part of the former train line, according to my map, is Potasi-Mulato-Uyuni-Avaora. Let's see if I can find a train running actively there.
Since the map I found of the railways seems to be not accurate anymore, I will abandon this approach to follow the train lines on that document and instead use the map on the website of Ferroviaria Andina.
https://ferroviaria-andina.com.bo/servicio-de-pasajeros/
| Day | Train direction |
|---|---|
| Monday | Oruro- Uyuni: 9:30 pm- 4:23 am / Bus carril: Atocha- Tupiza :6:00 am-9:15 am/ Tupiza- Atocha: 7:00 pm-10:40 pm |
| Tuesday | Uyumi- Atocha: 6:00 am-8:08 am/ Bus carril: Atocha- Tupiza: 8:28 am- 11:43 am/ Tupiza- Villazon: 13:23 pm- 16:30 pm/ Charana- Viacha: 9:00 am-14:40 pm |
| Wendsday | |
| Thursday | Villazon- Tupiza: 14:30 pm - 17:20 pm/ Bus carril: Atocha- Tupiza: 6:00 am- 9:15 am/ Tupiza- Atocha: 7:00 pm- 10:40 pm |
| Friday | Atocha- Uyuni: 9:55 pm- 0:03 am/ Uyuni- Oruro: 1:00 am- 7:55 am/ Bus carril: Charana- Viacha 9:00 am- 14:40 pm |
An exemplary video produced by the railway itself on how to work with the railway buses = Bus carril:
(I don't own this video!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhFnaqcchGQ
I will take mainly trains in the daytime due to the fact that my main interest in riding these trains is to see more of the landscape of the country and to get to know more of the local travel culture.
A blog I really appreciate! for its richness in information!
https://ticketsbolivia.wordpress.com/category/train-travel/
Welcome!
A little excerpt in another direction than train details but just as important: Vaccinations
In South America, there are many more important things than when you travel to most parts of Europe. The sanitary circumstances are not always comparable, and many diseases and infections are easier to catch than you think, most commonly by infections in wounds and bites by mosquitos.
Therefore I can only highly recommend it, even so I would never force anybody to do it to get at least:
- A yellow fever vaccination
- A tetanus vaccination
- Hepatitis A and B
I will definitely get the yellow fever vaccination as well as a renewed tetanus shot.
Since Covid is still there, I might as well get a renewed Corona shot.
The cost: I am very much depending on the country! Here in Colorado, for what I want, between 300 and 500 USD.
In Peru, at the airport, approximately 40 USD.
Don't forget your vaccine book!
There are many countries that are not allowing you to cross their borders without certain Vaccinations.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294316-i819-k11886223-o20-Yellow_Fever_Vaccine_Lima_Airport-Lima_Lima_Region.html
I will put the link for the website Passport Health here, where you can check for more background information on the vaccines and the common illnesses in the countries:
https://www.passporthealthusa.com/destination-advice/central-and-south-america/#vaccines
Picture:https://healthpolicy.usc.edu/article/covid-vaccine-lives-saved-study/
10.1.25 20:28 MST Pueblo: Back to planning: This time organizing the first days in La Paz
https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/discounted-outdoor-gear/
Buying outdoor gear in Lima?
I thought I would save money if I bought a sleeping bag and a backpack in Lima.
Well, I changed my mind after reading that outdoor gear is more expensive there than where I live and will just bring my old backpack with a cheap sleeping bag from Walmart, which I will leave in the last hostel.
Of course that brings the question: Why are these items in a country that is otherwise relatively low in price?
Picture: https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/discounted-outdoor-gear/
I found a couple of different opinions: Some travelers say it's expensive; some say it's cheap, but the quality is sometimes questionable.
For me that means I will bring a lightweight sleeping bag, a good rain jacket and rain trousers, good well-broken-in hiking shoes, a second daypack, warm socks, and a warm jacket and long underwear (shirt and trousers) as well as a good hiking trousers. Additionally, a good wool hat, sunglasses with UV protection, and gloves.
It's difficult to pack due to the different climate zones, which are extremely cold to super hot, and it can be really wet.
I found a couple of different opinions: Some travelers say it's expensive; some say it's cheap, but the quality is sometimes questionable.
For me that means I will bring a lightweight sleeping bag, a good rain jacket and rain trousers, good well-broken-in hiking shoes, a second daypack, warm socks, and a warm jacket and long underwear (shirt and trousers) as well as a good hiking trousers. Additionally, a good wool hat, sunglasses with UV protection, and gloves.
It's difficult to pack due to the different climate zones, which are extremely cold to super hot, and it can be really wet.
Attention: Great detail if you are not interested in packing; just skip the black part! After this section I will continue to document traveling routes, so stay tuned!
5:18 p.m. MST Pueblo, Colorado Now it's getting a bit nerdy, so if you are NOT interested in gear details, just skip this section!
A little introduction before I start: I am NOT a minimalistic traveler, so if that is what you are looking for, just take one-fourth of what I take, and it will be minimalistic. ;).
Yes, I am aware of the limitations of bag sizes that are allowed in airplanes and buses, and giant bags are not my taste either.
Now there comes the BUT: I do like to document my trips well in pictures and videos and in good quality, so that causes a bit more weight and more items to my packing.
Further down here I will list what I take.
I do pack and unpack many times before I have my final setup, and YES, I reduce the volume quite a bit in my preparation.
In this case, clothes had to go, as well as the sketchbook and smaller items.
Documenting like I do it here and on YouTube in good quality requires a few gadgets, which, of course, take up room and weigh me a bit more down.
Is it worth it for me?
Yes, for sure! My creativity flourishes in the last years in terms of photos and videos.
I will start with the backpacks and storage bags:
Here you will find the following information:
- What purpose the bag has on this trip
- Which size the bag has
- What kind of bag I would not take for this specific trip and why
That is the main compartment of the pack. On the upper part you see my packing cubes containing my clothes. In the bottom part is the zipper compartment as described above. As you can see, everything is pretty organized.
This is the first journey with this type of backpack, so I will keep you updated on how I like it.
My packing cubes for 92 days:
- Three warm long-sleeve shirts
- Three medium warm long-sleeve shirts
- Four T-shirts
- Six pieces of underwear
- Two Bras
- Three pairs of socks one of these woolen socks
- One pair of jeans, one very light hiking trouser, and one pair of training pants.
- One pair of windproof thin gloves
- A woolen hat
- A baseball cap
- A wide-brimmed hat
- Good light rain gear (trousers + jacket)
- A wind- and waterproof light winter jacket
This is my main backpack it's a:
Three day military tactical backpack with 50 liters.
-It has one big main compartment with strapps like in a suitcase.
- On the other side of the main comparment has two pockets with a zipper for small items that tents to end up anywhere in the backpack.
- There is also a compartment located in the front of the backpack.
- On the sides there are two small zipper pockets as well as one on the bottom on the pack.
The pack is defenetly on the heavy side at 2.7 kg, but the departments make that up for me. The material is really sturdy, wind- and rainproof (when impregnated), as well as cut-proof for knives (important for me in countries that are not super safe).
The zippers are generally pretty tough and durable.
Many packs are narrow and high to be close to the bag. This one is not high but stretches in its width. The result is that the bag looks smaller than it is when only the main compartment is used. Practical when you fly with only a 10 kg bag.
With the weight of it now, I would not want to carry that bag over longer distances because I need clothes from approximately plus five degrees Celsius to plus thirty-five degrees Celsius.
The packing cubes are really practical to save a lot of space. Mine are just relatively cheap from Walmart and totally do the job they are supposed to do.
My hiking backpack from Walmart
That backpack is almost empty when I travel by air and comes into action when I am hiking or travelling in a train or bus, travelling light. To give an example, the Peruvian railway will only allow a daypack if you purchase the cheaper ticket.
The backpack again is not on the super light side but is water resistant, durable, and expandable with straps on the side. The hip belt is really thick. I think that is an important aspect of a hiking backpack for me. A good hip belt takes so much weight from the shoulders. The small bags on the hip belt contain my food items for the flights.
A zipper to reach the main compartment is underneath the front part.
I want to keep this bag relatively empty when I fly since I have the grey backpack (as a carry-on) and the black one as a checked bag.
So why do I want to take three backpacks instead of two?
Well, it's simple: I will have to leave my big luggage at hotel storages sometimes for up to two days and just take the daypack. I don't want to unpack the grey one for that purpose every time, nor do I want to take less technique or clothes at this time of the trip when I am above 9,000 feet most of the time.
If this were to be a pure hotel-based trip where I never went off-grid and would just transfer by bus, it would be fine to have less stuff.
As it is, there will be many hiking trips, cheap hostels, and long train and bus travels, not necessarily in comfortable or warm vehicles.
This adventure will be the best-documented trip with the most sophisticated technique so far, so it's worth carrying a bit more stuff.
Let me introduce candidate number three, a Tatonka 30-liter pack.
This is my good old friend, the 30-liter Tatonka storm, who has seen many, many countries with me. I have a one-compartment hiking pack that has been proven to be really sturdy over the years. On this journey it will serve as a backup bag.
Many South American countries have rainy seasons in their summertime with heavy rain showers almost daily. So be prepared and bring waterproof wet bags for your clothes and valuables as well as backpack rain covers.
Last but not least, my 10 L bag for days spent in cities
Officially this is a 10 L running vest produced by Evadict but this travel mate is used as a smaller hiking backpack or city pack numerous times. It's incredibly comfortable to wear; it's surprisingly expandable and doesn't take much room folded in a bigger bag.
Specific items I take with me:
Liquids and meds:
My liquids for the carry-on are shampoo for curly hair, deodorant, toothpaste, disinfectant for wounds and hands, and sun cream. In my checked bag I have slightly bigger containers to refill the shampoo and the sun protection.
The bigger liquids contain sun protection and shampoo as well as body lotion to refill.
My meds for this trip: anti-diarrhea medication, painkillers, allergy relief, and an inhaler for my asthma, anti travel sickness medication and a stick to free your nose for colds.
I am lactose intolerant, so this is my medication.
Electrolyte powder for hydration
My little first aid kit
Wipes to keep away mosquitos
The little items to make your journey more comfortable
If hostels are not adequately heated, a baby warm water bottle can be the lifesaver.
A dishwashing sponge is a lot more hygienic in many hostels. ;)
Spare glasses and spare sunglasses with prescriptions are important!
A foldable plate is practical in hostels for hygienic reasons.
For travelers like me with fair skin, a tropical hat is a must in sunny countries.
A little sleeping bag, even if I am not sleeping outside, is nice to have if you are staying in the cheap hostels, but it's not a must.
My pillow is my best friend. It takes up room, but a good sleep is worth so much! I personally like harder pillows, not the inflatable ones, but that is personal taste.
This mini towel is in my onboard backpack. It's super light and dries fast.
A good rain gear is important!
A super light jacket is practical in cold airplanes.
A few small but practical items: a lock for hostel cabinets, a sewing kit, an emergency repair kit for glasses, tape, Oropax, shoe laces, and a device to weigh your bags at the airport.
Technical gear:
Foldable headphones with noise cancelation. A must for me! I also have small in-ear ones. Good quality earphones make such a difference for me in terms of traveling quality.
A lightweight tripod that can be adjusted up to a height of 1.50 m improves the quality for objects that are far away and in the night a lot!
A gimbal is just useful when you are filming on a regular basis or you are a fan of selfies. I am not the latter one but use it for the first purpose. They stabilize the videos immensely and don't have to be expensive at all. This one is my second. The first one was a 49 USD gimbal from Walmart; this one is a cheap 20 USD gimbal from Amazon. Honestly, I don't see a difference in my video stability at all. The current one is just a bit more manual than what I actually prefer.
My best buddy with my pillow, my battered good old bridge camera. It's bulky, heavy, and has holes from falls. :D and produces the best pictures I ever had on a camera. If you are into serious photography, do yourself a favor and spend a few bucks more for an optical zoom; it means the world for the quality of the pictures and, in the long run, not for your budget. I have had my camera as the third owner for seven years, and it's over ten years old and still produces perfect pictures.
If you are not super interested in photography, just bring a half-decent phone and maybe a gimbal if you are a worshipper of the selfie mania and save yourself the trouble of carrying the rest of the stuff I carry on my back. Phones produce perfectly fine pictures and videos for the average user!! Take a good book instead.
Believe me, then tripods and cameras are dead weight, and they create when worked with a lot of work.
Excerpt: I probably spend three to four hours editing my photos and videos every single day of a trip.
All this wants to be powered up: So it's not one, not two, but three power banks I carry for trips like these where I can't charge all my devices on a daily basis.
A word of caution directed to anybody who thinks, Why not just one big one?: Most airlines just allow power banks with a maximum of 24500 mAh in the onboard luggage. If it goes bad, the security just takes your power bank, and it's gone for good for security reasons.
The very left one is an Anker power bank that is built to charge laptops with a higher power outlet.
Why three?
I am not rich and travel a lot over the year, which means I travel on a budget (and admit I love it most :)). In hostels there are mostly not many plugs, and honestly, over the years I got to a point where I was tired of chasing them down every evening. So as a consequence of my greater need for power than the average backpacker, I would rather carry more power banks than play the chasing game every evening.
And I proudly present
My newest little toy. Just recently discovered on the hunt for a decent binocular. This little (haha, non-electronic) gadget is a monocular with the possibility to hook a smartphone to it manually. The manual! zoom of the monocular will just be projected on the phone screen. Basically, the phone camera plays the role of the human eye. It takes a bit of patience to learn to adjust the phone to it, but it's so much worth it. The reach is up to 100 meters, and it's also possible to film with a phone. A possible game changer for a journey like this with lots of time to just enjoy nature.
Of course, it's also usable as a plain monoscope to observe things, haha.
I am excited to see how this thing performs! The test here in Pueblo was promising.
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Well done! Very useful Site for travellers! I follow up Svenja seine years. Have always good journeys,dear! Love Mum