By: Giorgio Nardini

Simple ways to keep from losing your travel photos!

Coliseum. Sunset. The golden hour light and a few orange clouds. Hashtag goals. Nope, hashtag "your phone is out of storage".

Avoid those awful moments and hard decisions that make you question whether to delete the photos of the weekend in Rome or the breathtaking sunsets on the Amalfi Coast.

1. CLOUD STORAGE

You've probably heard this before. If you have an iPhone, iCloud and Photo Stream will take care of the photos you took on that restaurant facing the canal in Venice, but you might want to use some other backups. For example, with Dropbox you get 2gb for free and 500gb for each friend you invite to sign up.

There are also some other tweaks to get more space, like enabling the camera upload feature that will backup your smartphone photos to the cloud automatically (3gb here!). You have a Gmail account, don’t ya? If not, sign up and get 15gb for free on Google Drive. Those “clouds” will keep your memories safe and accessible from everywhere. Plus, if you want to free up your laptop storage, you can create a new folder linked to a Google Drive or Dropbox account and your ﬁles/photos/old videos of the Harlem Shake, will be automatically uploaded up, up and away in the sky.

2. WIFI MEMORY CARD

Have you ever heard about these little magical memory cards? They will let you transfer your photos from your camera to your phone or any other wiﬁ device like a laptop. If you don't have a camera with a built-in wireless function, this is the perfect option also to share your dslr-perfect photos on social networks in just a few clicks. I suggest you to check out eyeﬁ and FlashAir (these ones are a little bit less expensive starting from $ 23 for a 16gb memory card) on Amazo.com.

3. GET A CAMERA WITH WIFI

This option here is a little bit pricey but trust me, it’s worth the money. I’ve recently made a transition from a Canon 600D to a Sony a6000. This one has a built-in wireless and I can send my photos directly on my phone. This way, your smartphone won’t blow up because who wants to take decently good photos with an iPhone 6 when you have a real dslr camera?

4. VSCO OR INSTAGRAM

You’re probably thinking those are both just social media sites, how can that be used to keep from losing photos? Well, you’re right they are social media sites, but they’re also easy apps to download to upload your photos too. But, keep in mind this is not something that is useful in storing all of your photos and shouldn’t be your first method of saving your photos. Instead these apps are great for uploading just your most treasured photos too. Did you just take 3 epic photos of a sunset in Sicily? Upload them to VSCO or Instagram. If you already have an account with one of these apps, you can use that same account or you can create a different account just for your travel photos. With Instagram having just rolled out an option to be logged into multiple accounts, the latter may be best (and easiest) for many, rather than clogging up a personal account. Once the best and most loved travel photos are uploaded you’ll not only have a way to store them, but also a cool way to share your photos with others. Hey, maybe you’ll even become one of those super awesome travel photo bloggers that has thousands of followers!

Try out these photo tips yourself during one of Travel Italian Style's authentic and scenic tours of Italy!

Our tour to the Amalfi Coast is sure to produce breathtaking photos of these coastal town's gorgeous beaches while our Puglia tour will offer opportunities to capture photos mouthwatering local cuisine!

Do you have any tips on how to avoid losing your photos while traveling? If so, share them below!

Meet Giorgio

Giorgio Velardita Nardini was born and raised outside Rome! He is joining the TIS team as International Public Relations and Branding Advisor. As a passionate amateur photographer, traveling is the thing he loves the most can’t live a day without thinking about his next destination. When not researching for TIS, Giorgio shares his photos and advice on his very own blog wanderlustdaily.com/en which is written in both in Italian and in English. His goal is to inspire people to travel more. While he loves Italy his dream is to live somewhere in the USA (every since his first visit in 2009 when he was 18 & fell in love with the American culture (and burgers). Oh yes: he is also a foodie. Say “pasta” and “pizza” and Giorgio is your friend.

By: Cassandra Santoro

Too often we put pressure on ourselves to have an experience like no other. You are convinced that fulfilling travel is being unique, different and the first to see it all!

How do you do this?

You don't--You do this instead:

"The point is not to do something nobody has ever done before, but to do something YOU have never done before." -#elizabethgilbert

Thousands of people have seen this view in sicily but my eyes capture it differently then everyone else

1. Focus on One Region in Italy

Instead of trying to conquer every major town in the whole country, how about focusing on one region.
Ex: The Amalfi Coast is not just the beaches. Remember you can find history in Pompeii & Herculaneum, Pizza and the famous Presepe during Christmas in Naples, wine tasting all throughout the region along with famous year-round festivals and shows.
This is equivalent to visiting Tuscany, Rome and Cinque Terre all in one and without the hours of travel to get from place to place!

2. Hire a Travel Consultant

Yes, I am a travel planner and tour operator but I believe in what I do! I spent 10+ years of my life researching, traveling and meeting locals so I can create a mini-version of my experiences for you. Experts like me can also show you how to live the local way of life even in the biggest tourist towns of Italy.
Getting lost and wandering is fun but this is a great way to maximize your time and see it all while still having to RELAX on your vacation.

Some locals we are proud to introduce to our clients (yes the goat is a local too):

3. Try a Meaningful or Fulfilling Day Trip // Do Something that Scares You!

Get on vespa, learn to sail, help out in a nearby community or finally order that anchovy dish--try something that will make you feel exhilarated! Putting meaning and a goal behind your trip will bring your vacation to another level. You do not have to be an adventurist to take a small steps past your comfort zone. It can be as simple as speaking the language with a local, Try it.

For the theory behind this check out Matt Cutt's TED TALK for inspiration.

4. Journaling

Everyone says they will do it but how many times have you actually sat down and wrote your exact feelings at the end of a day during your travels. To be able to return to that moment well after the vacation is over is another way to savor your travel memories forever. So write, photograph or keep notes of the adventures with the new app Stiya.

thanks to journaling i can always remember this tuscan dinner  and then recreate for clients — thanks to journaling i can always remember this tuscan dinner and then recreate for clients

5. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to see it all // Be Flexible

In Italy there is a concept called 'kilometer zero' or what we call here: slow-travel. Take the time to deeply experience each and every place you go. If you can't make it to a museum because you spent an extra 2 hours at that organic farm enjoying lunch then so be it! You can always go back or switch your your day around.
Stressing out about this also puts a damper on your energy so pinpoint your three most important highlights of the trip and make sure you do that! If you can not get to the rest don't worry, if it is that important you will return again soon!

Helping out in a Sicilian Salt Marsh for the day!

What advice do you have for experiencing a trip of a lifetime? I would love to hear more in the comments below:

Want to create a memorable trip to Italy? Start planning with our travel experts today

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4 Tips To Help You Avoid Losing Photos While Traveling