Updated 2026
This article is a relic of digital-camera transition. In 2026, "film" refers to camera film stock, which most travelers have replaced with digital photography. The underlying principle remains: protect your recordings.
For digital travelers: Protect your camera and storage devices. Use redundancy—multiple backup locations for important photos. Cloud storage (Google Photos, Dropbox, OneDrive) provides automatic backups.
For film photographers (the minority): Keep film in a cool, dry place. Airport X-ray machines can degrade film, especially high-speed film (ISO 800+). Ask for hand inspection at security rather than running film through X-ray machines. Put film in a separate bag with a note requesting hand inspection.
For digital photographers: Protect your camera from water, sand, and impact. Keep backup drives and SD cards in separate locations. Back up daily if possible. A single corrupted SD card losing thousands of photos is a worst-case scenario.
Modern protection strategies:
- Cloud backup (automatic daily)
- Second backup drive in separate location
- Keep original SD cards (never format until home)
- Waterproof case for camera
- Lens caps and protective filters
The principle: Your photos are irreplaceable. Invest in protection. A broken camera can be replaced; lost images cannot.