Round The World Tickets
Videotaping your RTW trip
Only a few years ago the idea of bringing a video camera on your RTW trip would have been unthinkable unless you had a great passion for travel videos or you were that goofy dancing guy (AKA where the hell is Matt) on those sponsored trips. There were a few major reasons why this wasn’t a good idea, largely having to do with the cost of a decent camera, the size of the thing, and the amount of time it took to recharge the battery.
But now that things are changing technology-wise, it’s not quite as easy to dismiss the idea altogether. First off, the cameras are getting smaller and cheaper, along with everything else having to do with portable electronics. Only a few years ago it would cost US$1,000 for a decent video camera, and of course bringing expensive things on a RTW trip is something to avoid whenever possible. But now that better cameras are half that price the debate has changed a bit, and bringing a video camera in addition to your normal camera isn’t so crazy anymore.
Reasons not to bring a video camera anyway
The advice really stays the same in spite of the above, but for a couple different reasons now. First off, nearly every new subcompact digital camera has the ability to take decent video with sound these days, so the reasons to take a second camera are disappearing even though they are getting cheaper. The other compelling reason to just stick with a modern point-and-shoot digital camera is that these short videos they can take are already the ideal length, and the quality is fine for most viewing anyway.
Being able to post a short video to Youtube while you are traveling is great, and adding a link to it from your blog will be a great feature for most of the people who are following your trip from home. Shoot a minute or two and people will be thrilled to see it, but if your video loads and people see that it’s 10 minutes long you’ll get people clicking the stop button as soon as they can.
The sad truth about our trips for people back home
Until you’ve actually taken a long trip or a RTW and then returned home it’s hard to believe the general indifference you’ll be greeted with when people finally see you again. Friends and family will be thrilled to have you back, and most of them will ask you a few questions about your trip like: What was your favorite place? Or Which place was the biggest surprise? But after you answer those types of questions most people will start to tune out. You love travel and some people love cooking or working on old cars. If someone offered to show you a video of them replacing the air filter on their hot rod would you want to see the whole 30-minute process?
It’s frustrating that you just spend 6 months or a year doing all these amazing things, and that few people will want the details about it, but that’s what happens to most RTW travelers. Posting photos while on the road, or even short videos is great, but when you tell people you will soon be editing together your SE Asia highlights down to an hour, people will just glaze over. The Floating Markets outside of Bangkok will always hold great memories for you, just don’t expect anyone to want a blow-by-blow videolog about them.
So with this in mind, it’s best to keep your videos short and few from the beginning. Make sure you have a modern camera that takes decent videos and you’ll be set. You really don’t want to be tempted to experience your trip from behind a viewfinder as it is, and when you have a special video camera along you’ll want to do just that.
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