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1 Dec, 2012

Camera Insurance – Top Tips for Using a Camera Abroad

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(PRWEB UK) 30 November 2012 — With winter upon us, the Camera Insurance team were discussing holidays, and how often people take cameras abroad with them. Whilst getting great photographs of a trip is important, it is also important to remember some basic safety advice. Here are some top tips to protecting photography equipment whilst on holiday:

  • Use the cameras carrying strap. This helps to stop accidental drops or falls that could cause the camera damage. Using a wrist or neck strap can also help to prevent the camera being stolen whilst on holiday, as it makes it much harder for pickpockets or thieves to steal a camera that is attached to someone!
  • Wear a belt pack with the pouch at the front. This will give the best protection when the camera is not in use. Make sure not to take the belt pack off in public, and keep it on even whilst eating and especially on public transport. This should help to prevent potential grab & run thieves.
  • Try to avoid drawing attention to the camera by being overly dramatic with keeping it hidden or safe.
  • Never give a camera to a stranger so that they can take a picture of you in front of anything. Even if they look like another tourist! It is quite common abroad for thieves to offer to take the photograph and then run off with the camera!
  • When the camera memory card is full, store it in a luggage bag or in the hotel room safe rather than in the camera bag. That way even if the camera does get stolen, the photos taken so far will still be safe!
  • If taking a laptop abroad, try to upload the holiday photos as often as possible. If the camera is stolen before the memory card is filled up, at least the holiday photos that have been taken up to that point will be safely stored on the laptop. It is worth considering also regularly backing up the laptop photos on a USB storage device and storing that in the hotel room safe.
  • On trains and at train stations, be alert at stops, where thieves can quickly run on and off, leaving with the camera! When sleeping on a train, at the airport, or anywhere else public, be sure to secure all bags to a sturdy seat, luggage rack, or ideally to yourself. Most thieves will be deterred by the idea of having to unfasten a bag from a sleeping person.
  • Thieves will often recognise tourists’ cars and will target them first, especially at night. Never leave anything of value in open view in a parked car. Always put anything worth stealing in the locked boot, or even better keep it in the hotel room.
  • Despite all of the above, there is a risk that any camera taken abroad could be lost, damaged or stolen. Make sure that adequate Camera Insurance is in place, before taking any photography equipment on holiday.