Travel pictures and the worlds 10 best travel photography cities

Kerry Hetherington    ash     australia, England, Italy, japan, RTW, scotland, Spain, travel photography, travel pictures, united kingdom, US

There are thousands of places in the world you could grab travel pictures, but which cities offer up the best travel photography opportunities for the travel mad snapper/ photography mad traveller?

We are all travel photographers. Could be with a brand new DSLR, a happy snappy or an iPhone/ mobile phone; it’s still photography.

Have camera will travel, but where?

“You can find pictures anywhere. It’s simply a matter of noticing things and organising them. You just have to care about what’s around you…” (Elliott Erwitt).

So, whether you want a great city scape, a beautiful sunset or a bustling restaurant, all corners of the globe can provide a multitude of opportunities to capture creative images.

Here’s my 10 best travel photography cities and top spots to get those shots (I’m sure there are many more!).

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Movember, Moustaches and Motor Bikes

Sophie Nicholson    ash     Alps, climbing, France, Motor cross, Motorbikes, Snowboarding, trials

In a month where men grow moustaches for charity, one blogger finds her own way to mix it with the boys. And with the snow yet to fall, she’s taking on the rough stuff…

The sun may well have shone relentlessly over the past few weeks but there’s no denying that summer is long gone here in the Alps. The sky is still brilliantly blue but the everpresent scent of burning of leaves, the early morning frost on cars and total lack of people anywhere are constant reminders that it’s definitely November.

Gripped - and no tasche

Hmmm, yes November. A strange month indeed. I mean, what really happens in Movember apart from people growing dodgy facial hair for charity? In the climbing world at least November definitely signals a time of transition. Some will just head indoors and immerse themselves in the sweaty, shirtless, self conscious world of the climbing gym. Others will pack away rock shoes and chalk bags, replacing them at the front of kit cupboard shelves with crampons and ice axes as they eagerly await favourable ice climbing temperatures and conditions.

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The Outdoors Show: its the biggest show on earth!

Mark Pawlak    ash     Adventure Sports, camping, climbing, cycling, Kayaking, MTB, Outdoors Show, travel gear, trekking, Walking

Well, we might be exaggerating a little, but it’s massive! If you are into any of the major outdoor activities then look forward to The Outdoors Show in January – and we’ve got 3 pairs of tickets to give away!

From 12 – 15 January the Excel in London hosts four separate shows all pooled together: The Outdoors Show, the London Bike Show, the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show and the Active Travel Show.

The Outdoors Show has been running for 11 years. This year it’s host to the Finlandia Vodka Travel & Adventure Stage, where adventurers like shipwreck hunter David Mearns will be sharing their exploits, and there’s also as the best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival to watch.

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Travel Laptops and Data Storage: How to keep those files safe.

Mark Pawlak    ash     Apple, cloud computing, data storage, iCloud, Overlanding, portable hard drive, RTW, Travel, travel laptops, travel technology, trekking, USB stick

Having a problem at home with your computer is frustrating, but having one on the road is truly troubling. Where did those files go? Which version am I looking at? And worse of all, where the hell is my backup? Having one of the best travel laptops of 2011 won’t help you, and taking a tablet on your travels is no protection against a virus.

Here’s three ways to keep your files save when travelling.

Backup on-line

iCloud, the cloud solution from Apple

Travelling with a cloud over your head need not be a bad thing… If you’ve still to get to grips with the concept of cloud computing, then here’s where the penny might drop. The cloud is online space. It’s a place where software can be hosted which ‘is in the cloud’, but more importantly it’s where your data can live. Google Docs works well, we love Dropbox (looks like any other folder on your computer) and there’s iCloud from the ever clever Apple people, to name just a few.

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Driving in Argentina: Car Hire or Public Transport?

Jonathan Tait    ash     Argentina, car hire in Argentina, driving, Overland tours, Overlanding, South America, VW

There are not many South American countries I would recommend driving in. Mega cities, huge distances and terrible road conditions tend to favour putting your fate in more experienced hands. Argentina however, despite featuring all of the above, has outstanding bus services and lends itself very well to a host of self-drive adventures.

A 'Gol' in Argentina: Image Flickr/travelwayoflife

If you are starting in a city, it’s easy to find car hire in Argentina with a Hertz or Avis office often easily found. Discuss your needs and whatever they are you will end up with a VW Gol {it’s a Polo, not a typo}. Handover credit card details, and ignore your guidebook if it says you must be over 25.

At around £80 a day it’s not always a cheap option, so filling your spare seats is economical and a good way to meet more people. One place where you can save money by hiring is in the Patagonian town of El Calafate. Its big draw is the monumental Perito Moreno glacier. With ice constantly crumbling off its façade and a sense of awe at its sheer expanse, it is a trip worth making.

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Can we get too close to nature?

Mark Pawlak    ash     California, canoeing, Kayaking, sea kayaking, swimming with whales, united states, Whales, whalewatching

Some sports take you closer to nature – and the closer you get, the greater your responsibility. Nature as scenery is passive; it’s usually  the weather conditions that will pose the real danger. Until you come face to face with some of the biggest animals on the planet…

The video clip here is a controversial one. There’s no denying that it’s one of the most amazing handy cam clips ever – nature documentaries take years to get this close. But when is close too close?

Image: Flickr Chris Walker Innerwealth

The International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee (IWC SC) has previously noted that “whale swims have the potential to negatively impact whales through harassment and disturbance”.

Which really is not the plan. Further reading shows that divers have their own concerns. A piece in Scuba Diving.com suggests that the best place to view whales is from the boat. But watching the video below, we can see why this guy kayaking in the US (off California) took the opportunity.

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Skiing in France: are smaller resorts better value?

Lucy Grewcock    ash     France, Skiing, Skiing Holidays, skiing in France, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays

When skiing in France I had always stuck to the Alp’s biggest resorts to get my winter kicks; hotspots like Tignes, Val d’Isere, Chamonix and Alp d’Huez not only offer hundreds of kilometres of ski terrain and a network of speedy lift connections, but also boast all-action après scenes, non-stop nightlife and a smorgasbord of restaurants and accommodation options – so, why settle for anything less?

Can you go small and get more?

Cost was the main reason that I dared to consider a ski a resort with anything less than 200km of piste and 50-odd après bars.

But, a few winters ago, after a costly MOT had left my bank account at an all-time low, I begrudgingly booked a cheap apartment in the compact resort of Les Contamines Monjoie, where 40 piste-runs and handful of bars stood in very poor comparison to the 200 plus pistes and countless bars I’d enjoyed in Val d’Isere the year before. But with ski-pass and accommodation in Les Contamines costing around half the price of last year’s splurge, it was small-resort or none at all.

Since then, I’ve tried other smaller resorts and realised there’s much more to skiing holidays in France than offered by the biggest and most famous destinations, and here’s why:

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