[stylgeo]

Hi, I am getting organised for a road trip around Europe and was wandering about a few things and I'd like your help guys.
1)Should I purchase a portable storage and viewing device or should I just tell one of my friends that are coming with to bring their laptop with them? Sold mine to get a new desktop. I don't know if I'll be able to charge the laptop as often as i would charge the portable storage in the car.
2)I've been meaning to get insurance for my gear (Canon 400D, EF-S 18-55 kit, EF 35-105, 50mm 1.8, Sigma 10-20 EX, Sigma 70-300 APO, Lensbaby 2.0, Canon 100-400L (purchase before the trip), Sigma EF-500DG Super, Manfrotto 055PROB). Will the insurance cover me if the gear is stolen a)from the boot of the car - Ford Mondeo Estate- or 2)from a hotel room.
3) Should I bring ALL my gear with me?
4)Any advice in general? Any recommendations on places, I am open to suggestions, the plan is to go to Dover-Calais and just hit the road. We'll have two EOS 400D, one Canon S5 IS, one Canon IXUS850 and a Panasonic HD Video Camera, so we would all like to capture a lot of beauty.

Thank you for your time
George

[robpyle]

1. If you get the appropriate adapter (or an Inverter) you can charge the laptop in car.

2. Insurance...I'd check with your insurer regarding T's & C's, but make sure you have the parcel shelf in place at least.

3. I'll leave this to someone more educated!

4. I'm rather jealous! So many amazing places to visit in Europe. Pyrenees, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris etc. I'd love to get a good shot of the Milau Bridge in France which is close to the Tarn Gorge, another beautiful place.

Happy travelling!

[stylgeo]

Hey rob,
thanks for the reply. Is it safe to charge a laptop through an adaptor in the car? I am no electrician, and this may sound stupid, but is there an adaptor that can convert the battery charge to alternating current of 240V?
Anyway, I am so glad you mentioned Millau Bridge as i was looking a documentary about it a few months ago and I forgot all about that. That's a must actually!
Thanks for your reply.
As for other advice, anything essential for a long photographic road trip that I am forgetting?

[dfrear]

There are adapters available to convert to 240v and I dont see this being a problem, but id suggest buying a quality adapter and not one off ebay or something similar - better safe than sorry!

Don't know if it's your kind of thing but the war memorials across Franch and Belgium offer some good photographic opportunities and are something you should visit at least once in a lifetime, its a very moving experience.

As for taking all your kit I would probably say no, just take between 2 and 4 lenses to cover a certain range. E.g. the 10-20 Sigma for landscape shots, EF 35-105, Sigma 70-300 APO and the Canon 100-400L if you need that sort of range. (more of an opinion than anything, im sure someone else will be able to tell you if im wrong)

[stylgeo]

thanks dfrear for your reply! I don't think i'll be taking both the 70-300 and the 100-400, besides I'll probably sell the first one. I'll be looking for insurance coverage for the car though, as I think that some insurance companies don't cover your gear if it was stolen from the boot of your car if it is accesible by the car cabin. The car is an estate so it's a bit tricky actually.

Going through google maps for now, looking for gps to buy etc

[Tobers]

I'd get some specific travel insurance and ensure that all your gear is specified in the cover otherwise I think you'll not be covered for theft from the car. Incidentally, it's worth never ever leaving your kit in the back of the car anyway - always take it with you. After all, you might see something you want to take a pic of.

You can get 240V chargers to charge a laptop, but I'd be really tempted to get a backup device with a nice screen on it. I'm sure there was a test in one of the mags this month and the Epson won. Another idea is to take a USB card reader and when you stop off at an internet cafe, upload all your pics to a suitable internet photo store (e.g. smugmug). You'd need to take jpegs not RAW though as I dont think most internet services will upload RAWs. Worth a check though.

Not sure how long you are going for, but get off the beaten track whenever possible. I do regular motorbike trips around Europe and there are some stunning locations if you just follow your instincts. Assume you'll have a GPS so you wont ever get lost, which gives lots of freedom to doodle about all over the place.

[dfrear]

Getting lost is half the fun!

[stylgeo]

Hehe, true, getting robbed and raped by albanian mobsters is not! :P

[stylgeo]

Thanks Tobers, I am going for insurance hunting today, as I know you can get much more from talking face to face than just on the phone.

I love motorbike road-trips. I got to get round Greece on a Honda a couple of years ago. It was amazing really.

Looking for a gps now. Don't know if it's best to have a GPS installed on the car or just purchase a GPS adaptor with maps for the PDA

[Tobers]

I'd buy a separate one you can take with you so you can use it once your car has been stolen

[stylgeo]

and some rollerskates to come back home!