My routine is to find an interesting city that's one overnight bus ride away, spend the day, and then take another overnight bus back. It's cheaper than a hotel – and can really make for an interesting what-I-did-last-weekend story. With four trips behind me and another coming up, here are the bigger lessons that I've learned.
Pack light. If I'm not distraught over leaving something at home, then I'm carrying too much. Ten pounds for everything is my usual limit.
Minimize. Do you really need your lens caps? If they stay at home then they can't get lost and it's one less thing to fiddle with. Pare down your routine to the essentials.
Non-photographic items can take a significant amount of space and weight. Make efforts to minimize this as well, and get the most value from what you carry.
Know what you want. The most important thing to know when going to war is what "victory" will look like. Have both a specific photographic goal as well as an overall ambition.
Have a 'rain day' alternative. I'll use a bag that's small enough to bring into art galleries and museums, and will switch the second lens for my audio recorder if the weather looks bad.
Plan for being tired. Sleeping on the outbound leg is difficult, and then it's followed by a long day. Prefer simple over elaborate whenever possible, and have reasonable expectations.
Do a trial run. Pack everything except your passport, ride public transit until you're numb, and head to the same sort of environment to take the same kind of photos.
Be realistic. The way it is at home will be the way it is on the road. This isn't the time to finally use a tripod for every shot, or work on some new technique.
Finally: Don't bring home empty film containers, either physically or metaphorically.
Coming up next: more specific ideas to deal with the trip.
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