How do you plan your (photographic) trips?`

Lounge
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Sounds obvious, maybe, but I’d like to reduce the nagging feeling of “what am I missing just around the corner?” Given I’m in the US, other US members will likely be able better able to offer specific details but I welcome any input.

Now that my wife and I are both retired, I (at least – ha!) would like to do some road-trip travel. Not flying but driving because we like the flexibility to go off-route if the feeling hits us and seeing the countryside is a big part of the enjoyment. Although we want to visit beautiful outdoor / natural places and I definitely want to do landscape photography if at all possible, this is not about exclusively photography-dedicated trips.

But therein lies the rub…

Planning a typical tourist trip is easy enough: Find the destination, plot the route and see / visit what the tourism websites tell you to see / visit.

Well, that’s what I don’t want to do!

I’m fine with visiting “those places” but I rather not do it with 500,000 of my closest friends. And TBH good photos rarely come from those situations. Problem is, in my experience most online photographic location recommendations (especially landscape) are from non-photographers who think in mid-day-bright-sun cellphone camera terms (IYKWIM). And the relatively rarer “real” photographer recommendations far too often assume youth and the ability to do long / difficult hikes. I totally understand the reality of what it takes to get “good” off-the-beaten-path photos, but I also have to be realistic. I’m a 67 year old flatlander who’s generally OK health-wise, but most definitely not an athlete! :smiley:

So are there any specific tools, websites, forums, (techniques) etc., that have proven to be useful and reasonably truthful (for lack of a better term) in assessing what is or isn’t worth visiting? Do you just start with an idea and web-research it to death?

Part of the inherent difficulty is our location. We’re literally about a thousand miles minimum from even the nearest of the “nice” places I’d like to visit and photograph. For example, our recent trip to West Virginia was 1,004 miles from departure to destination one way, never mind side trips. I don’t mind the distance (at all!) but it means I know nothing of these areas so I’m at the mercy of whatever is online. And that’s overwhelming to filter down to a usable, trustworthy level.

I’m starting to idly think about a western US loop of some kind, maybe encompassing Yellowstone, Grand Teton, southern Utah’s “five”, AZ / NM and maybe more. So, you see – I’ve set up quite a Gibraltar to chip down to size with a teaspoon, as it were. :slight_smile:

Maybe what I’m asking can’t be answered, but again any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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:exploding_head:

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Where 1000 miles gets me to :smiley: The US is a big place…

I don’t have great advice. I like to look at Open Street Maps for trails, and then check google maps satellite pics for nice details or potential spots, but I rarely get to put this to practice. OSM gives you walking elevation so may be a nice way to filter out less than good spots that require high physical effort.

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Yeah and I’m kinda down here in a dark corner of it! LOL

OSM is a good idea. I’m not trying to avoid physical effort (Lord knows I need it!) but just trying to keep things in the realm of reasonable possibilities.

Thanks.

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I don’t really do landscape photography (I was never into it too much, tbh) and I live on a different continent LOL, so hard to tell if my input will be of much help :sweat_smile:

Anyways, I do mostly urban photography lately and I either go to a place I’ve physically been to, or at least close by. Google Maps with StreetView and such are quite useful for getting some extra info. OpenStreetMap based sites like Mapy.com or Freemap.sk are also quite good as I can look up if my desired location is accessible on foot.

Freemap.sk is quite good for landscapes and tourism both for the OSM-based path database, but also geotagged photos (including Wikimedia Commons). Sometimes it’s quite crazy which places have been photographed (depends on location and contributors ofc). Sadly, it’s a Slovak project and is only really usable in Slovakia and neighboring regions…

Another thing is that Slovakia is quite tiny, so you can visit a lot within some minutes of travel :laughing: and you can get away with less planning. Places are easy to access here even with public transport sometimes…

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My wife and I have vacationed and photographed in the SF Bay area, California central coast, and Sonoma county innumerable times and have suggestions for many hidden gems. (Some of the touristy spots are well worth a visit however!). We have stayed in a certain seaside vacation cottage over 40 times in the last 15 years. If you want advice on that part of the world, let me know (reply or send a PM).

I live in SoCal and basically hate it. I have felt this way since I was a little kid: born and raised here. We lived in the SF Bay area for a decade and Vancouver BC for four years and really miss those areas. We get out of SoCal as often as possible and hope to see it in our rearview mirror once and for all one of these years. Our travel efforts go into our frequent road trips to the Bay Area and Central Coast, as well as trips to Europe and Asia.

Anyway:

When we go overseas to Europe or Asia, we plan everything ourselves, and rarely take any kind of tour (maybe one or two half-day tours per trip–mostly to avoid having to drive). For some trips like Spain, where EVERYTHING has to be booked in advance (for good reason), doing it all yourself is a LOT of work–almost like having a second job. However, this approach provides a lot of freedom and leads to many unexpected discoveries away from the tourist crowds.

Although we are nature, history, and art enthusiasts, and have a good idea of what we want to see before deciding on a destination, we do read the guide books thoroughly–Lonely Planet, Eyewitness guides, and Rick Steves are your friends. We also seek out advice from friends who have been to our upcoming destination, as well as various forums (including this one!), including Trip Advisor forums. In addition, we look for interesting YouTube channels that give a more personalized look at the area. For our recent trip to Japan, we really enjoyed a channel called Japan by Food.

Many of touristy places are worth the effort (hey, I LIKE the Eiffel Tower!), but the discoveries we make on our own really provide some of the best memories and photographs! Many of these come from just allowing ourselves time to just wander around at our own pace without making the whole trip about checking off boxes. We are not afraid to pass up on some “Must See” attractions if we don’t find them interesting. So many of the Japan guide books go on and on about the very, very touristy areas of Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza in Tokyo. These did not sound all that interesting to us so we just passed through, had a look and decided to keep on moving in favor of other things.

Anyway, I think the best pieces of advice are to spend a lot of time in research, be curious, talk to locals, and allow time to explore on your own!

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I’d say ask here. We have people from all over the place, and pretty much guaranteed that we are all photographers.

For me, I like being close to the desert here in SoCal. My trip planning involves a lot of looking at google maps or other satalite views. I also follow some other social media tags or keywords for the style of photography I do. I look at those occasionally. Its crazy how easy it is to find some places once you see a single photo.

I have also been pinning places in my maps app for years of possible places. So if I haven’t been doing research or have no where in mind, I just pick the place with the biggest cluster of pins and go.

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Here in Ontario (Canada), we have a lot of reference material, including books that catalog off the beaten track locations, like “Waterfalls of Ontario” (which has a companion web site), “Ontario Abandoned Places”, and “Ontario Back Roads”. There are web sites for national parks and provincial parks, including hundreds of “non-operating parks” which can be entered but are not maintained. It might be worthwhile to check whether your state has similar resources.

I have been experimenting with CoMaps, Organic Maps and OSM, but it’s unfortunately still hard to top Google Maps as a virtual exploration tool. AllTrails is good for determining how easy or tough a trail is.

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I’ve been in Louisiana all my life and would LOVE to move, but the downside of the relatively lower cost of living here (other than insurance) is that those lower numbers are reflected across the economy: Income as well as expenses are generally lower. As long as you’re inside it, it’s OK (and I have no justification to complain from that viewpoint), but if you want to move out it’s $$$$$$$$. So Louisiana (and some other place as well) can be a financial roach motel.

I can identify: Behind the wheel is my Happy Place and the best road in my home state is whichever one gets me out of it quickest.

But back on the topic of vacation… :slight_smile:

Yep - I did that with a photographer friend in Tennessee, and it worked out well. Unfortunately I know no one in Wyoming. LOL

Thanks for the ideas.

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I’ve sort of been doing that to some degree for a few years, but mostly for reference in places I already go. But just yesterday I started a new map specifically for this trip, should it ever happen.

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Excellent advice! But I already know my state has virtually nothing (seriously :worried:).

Good for me I’m not thinking of a trip to my state! :smiley: I suspect CO, WY, MT, UT, AZ, NV, NM … may well have something so I’ll check it out.

Thanks.

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Sell the house and hit 'em all!

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Hi Len,

As I recall you are in Lousiana. For a photographer, the Bayou’s could be of interest. And of course there is always NOLA. Up north in Arkansas, there are the Osarks, which are lovely. And if your spouse wants to see tourist stuff you could spend a couple of days in Branson. Just don’t stay too long, it is very touristy.

To the east of La, there is Mobile, and to the northeast there is Nashville. If you are a music fan there is plenty to see and do there.

The past couple of years I have been using a travel planning app called Wanderlog. The free tier is plenty for me. I used it last year to plan a 2-1.2 week trip to Italy. I used it to plan a trip to California later this week, and to Utah in October.

to @Kadsura, I’ll send a private message for recommendations for my trip. I don’t want to derail this thread.

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In search of beautiful nature, I look for unusual concentrations of hiking trails on openstreetmap, and campgrounds (which are usually in pretty places).

I generally favor pretty areas that I can explore on my own, over singular landmarks with that one photo everyone has taken already.

I’m currently planning a vaguely photography shaped trip with a friend. He is prolifically using AI to plan everything. I kind of hate it. I need some freedom to roam and explore and discover.

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Yes, ask here. I received many informative, interesting replies in my thread on Japan travel. I also was fortunate enough to talk to Gerd prior to and during our trip. He was kind enough to provide much valuable advice on Japan and Kyoto culture and photographic sites. We even got together with him and his wife for dinner one night.

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I don’t have much of an answer for you regarding landscape photography but my wife travels for work quite a bit and I’ll often accompany her since I can get a mini vacation with a free hotel. Since she’s in conferences or meetings I have most of the day to walk around on my own. I’ll pick out on or two things I want to check out, usually not photography related, and let things follow from there.

In Boise, Idaho, this led me to the Boise River, just a few minutes from our hotel, where I found a guy fly fishing. In Chicago, the bean was a good landmark but walking around the area I found an apiary in the courtyard of a big corporate skyscraper of all places. I think the less expectations I have, the more open I am to whatever I happen to come across.

If you do come to AZ I can definitely suggest some things.

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Actually this possible trip is to get away from Louisiana. :grin: I’ve exhausted pretty much all the minimal subject matter here that’s of interest to me. I was middle wondering about how others plan trips, not as much specifically where.

My dad was from the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, so we’ve been there many, many times… and there’s still LOTS more to see. Arkansas is about the only exception to the “thousand mile rule” for me. I’ve spent several days in Jasper, AR but want to go back.

Thanks.

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Yeah, that almost guarantees you’ll see only the most popular places, by nature.

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I dont have much to add about finding sites to shoot at, except to say I will sometimes check out The Photographer’s Ephemeris or Photopills to get some idea of where the light is going to be coming from (since it changes during the year). Also, I keep an assortment of weather related sites/apps for when I am there.

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I usually like to hike during holidays. I do not make very rigid plans, just collect places I would like to visit, and information about them, usually with an area-specific book which I annotate with highlighters and sticky notes.

The idea is that I don’t make a fixed plan in advance, but once I am there, I have all the information to make choices. I like Rother walking guides best, but they only have a few volumes for the US. Maybe you can find something similar.

I plan for hiking. Photography just happens, if I see something interesting I take photos. I never plan for capturing a scene many captured before me, I like serendipity, also I am not patient enough to devote a day to a specific landscape photo — usually you have to be in the spot at the right time, \pm 1 hour max. I still get plenty of photos I like; I think that “top 10” and “must see” lists are overrated, each location has a lot of beauty and (thank heavens) it is mostly unknown to the world, the locals may know about these spots but you have to discover them yourself, net searches will not help you much.

I don’t reserve accomodation in advance. With a car, you can usually always find something within a 60 minute radius. This means that if I like an area and just want to stay a bit more, I just do. This way I can also react to weather.

I spend every 3rd–5th day taking a break from hiking, usually in a city that has sights, or a beach, depending on the season. I usually take a break from photography on these days, which means that I have to see something really, really interesting to unpack my camera.

The exceptions to the above are hikes that require permits in advance. But I found that only about 20% are worth it, usually they introduce a permit when the route becomes overcrowded. I would rather go somewhere less popular and be away from the crowds.

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Addendum: I use a bunch of travel blogs from like-minded people for inspiration too. Eg when planning for location X, I search for “hiking in X blog”, where X is a concrete place, not an area (eg it would be Kláštorisko, not Slovensky Raj or Slovakia), wade through the first two pages of SEO (“top 10 things to do within the 500km radius of X”), read and compare. If my impressions after agree with them and the advice was useful I save the blog and check their other notes about other places. But sometimes, occasionally, I find them in advance and then they are a goldmine. With machine translation it is easy to read foreign-language sources too, though for your particular case this is not an issue.

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