My Travel Kit
Here is a list of things I would never dream of leaving England without!
1. Digital SLR + Lenses
Sony Alpha 37+ 18 - 55mm Sony lens
+ 70 - 300mm lens
I recently managed to add this wonderful camera to my kit and I love it. I primarily bought this for wildlife photography, and the Tamron telephoto lens makes genuine 'wild' photography possible in many cases where it used to be impossible ("you see that spec in the center of that photo....?"). It also boasts continuous autofocus and 7 frames per second (check this), making it fantastic for shooting moving animals (or people!) and it's a very good all-round camera as well. It has a panorama function that is just fantastic.
I use the camera primarily with the 18 - 55mm lens that came with it, which is a good all-rounder. Additionally, for wildlife photography I use a Tamron 70 - 300mm lens which I adore; it takes beautiful photos right to the end of its range and it has a great macro function.
Since I bought this SLR they've released a newer model of the same camera - the Sony Alpha 58 - I can't directly vouch for it but it has very similar features and a similar price tag, so I would expect similar things from this camera.
2. Compact Camera
Canon Ixus 114 HSThis little camera is what I take when I'm going out for the evening, or when I am concerned about safety where I'm visiting. Obviously the image quality is lower, but I absolutely adore this little Canon compact, it takes surprisingly good photos and was my main camera for years before I bought my SLR. There are enough settings that you can take control of your own images, and the auto-shoot mode takes very nice pictures if you don't want to fiddle.
This camera boasts a 4x optical zoom and 12 Megapixels. It can record HD movies, too! It's light-weight, fits easily in a pocket and is a really good camera for travel.
3. Camera Accessories
Integral SD Single Slot Reader
This is small, cheap and a great way to get images straight from your camera onto your laptop or another computer. I usually take two of these with me, just incase!
32GB MicroSDHC Memory Card with SD Adapter
This is a fantastically versatile form of memory - it works in both my cameras with the SD adapter, and then it slots into my tablet as a MicroSD card. It stores loads of photos, too!
4. Travel Towel
Lifeventure Soft Fiber Expedition Trek Towel
I tried this towel out for the first time on my most recent trip around Asia and I absolutely love it. Ok, so no travel towel is going to have the soft, comforting feel of a normal towel, but then again they take up a fraction of the space (and weight!). I opted to buy quite a large travel towel as it seemed a luxury worth having, and I definitely think that was wise. This towel is a full length one (measures 123 x 80cm), it's very soft and it dries unbelievably quickly - perfect for backpacking. It has also been treated with an anti-bacterial formula so it won't start to smell after months of backpacking (I can vouch for that!). It comes in a case that I never managed to get it to fit back into as neatly as when it arrived, but it was useful nonetheless.City Hopping Essentials
Essential gear for traveling around cities and large towns.1. Scarfs and Wraps
I usually take several light weight scarfs and wraps with me whenever I go away. They take up very little space in your bag but solve a variety of problems - they can cover up your shoulders for visiting temples and religious sites (or if you're sunburnt!) giving you a flexible outfit, especially useful in hot climates; they can turn a casual outfit into a fancier evening outfit if you need it, larger wraps and sarongs are also very useful at the beach and beach resorts. They're also great for increasing the diversity of your wardrobe without adding lots of extra weight to your bag - one outfit becomes 3 with 3 different scarfs :)
2. Lifeventure Fabric Wash Leaves
Great for getting some laundry done on the go! Into the Jungle
Everything you need for trekking, trips into remote areas and outdoor activities.1. Day Rucksack
