So, your iPhone is all packed in your bag and you’re ready to embark on the travel journey ahead.

From getting the right light to taking those scenic panorama shots — we’ve put together a list of 12 tips and tricks that will help you get the best travel snaps possible!

1. Learn the Basics.

When it comes to iPhone photography, there are a few basic (but essential) rules that should be brought along in your back pocket while traveling and used for capturing great images. Let’s cover some of the most useful ones.

The Rule of Thirds

Apply the Rule of Thirds by using the grid lines on your iPhone to align your subject. To switch your grid lines on, simply go to Settings – Photos & Camera – Grid Image. Your image will be divided into nine equal parts (two vertical lines and two horizontal lines).

To achieve a compositionally beautiful photo, just place your subject along the places where the lines intersect.

Leading Lines

The use of Leading Lines is extremely powerful for creating travel images that engage the viewer and draw them into your scene. You can use bridges, painted yellow road lines, trees — anything that forms lines and leads people to your subject.

These lines will add symmetry, depth, and intrigue to your travel snaps.

Diagonal Rule

With the Diagonal Rule, one side of your photo is divided into two parts — and each of those halves is then divided into three parts.

The lines connect the points and lead to a diagonal frame. According to this rule, crucial parts of your photo are then placed along the diagonals.

Lines and diagonals in the same picture

When you’re traveling, you’ll find elements like waves, fences, bridges, rocks and more. If you place them diagonally in the image, rather than horizontally, the elements are said to become more dynamic and visually interesting.

2. Don’t Zoom In.

This is an easy but important tip to keep in mind when you’re traveling — don’t zoom in!

iPhones have a fixed lens and do not feature optical zoom (expect for IPhone 7-8 Plus and IPhone X). Digital zoom just crops the image and causes it to be pixelated. Instead, snag your photo as you normally would — then crop later.

3. Get the Light Right.

When it comes to the iPhone flash, you might notice using it tends to wash your images out. To avoid this, go for natural light when shooting.

During the daytime, this is easy! But as the evening progresses, you might find you need to get creative with what’s offered in your environment.

Use objects like twinkle lights, candles, and street lamps.

4. Focus.

Setting focus on the iPhone is one super easy way to ensure a better-looking image.

To do so, just tap on your screen at the point where you’d like the camera to focus — hold — and watch elements of your photo become crystal clear from there.

5. Adjust exposure.

You may or may not have come home from your travels abroad only to find an assortment of under and overexposed travel shots. The under-exposed images look too dark — the overexposed ones look too bright.

Even though the iPhone featured a fixed aperture, you can still manually adjust your exposure. With iOS 8, tap and hold the phone screen to focus then opt for using the small slider with the sun icon to adjust from there.

Sun icon is for the exposure; square is for the focus.

As you swipe, you’ll notice the exposure slider moving, and your image becoming magically more enticing.

6. Try HDR.

You might have noticed the letters HDR written out on your iPhone when you’re snapping your shots.

But are you utilizing it? With the iPhone, HDR photography combines three different exposures of the same setting to create one perfectly exposed final image.

Give it a try in your close-up photos or for scenes where there are both dark and light elements.

7. Create Depth.

The technology within the iPhone is capable of creating rich scenes full of dynamic depth that help to draw your viewer into the photo.

To add some depth to your images, try using leading lines or including certain elements in the foreground of your photo to frame the scene.

Say, for example, you’re shooting a horizontal landscape of the ocean. Why not experiment with a couple palm trees in the foreground to frame those alluring teal waters?

8. Think of Different Angles.

The great thing about shooting with an iPhone is that the shots can easily be taken from a whole bunch of different angles. Try getting low to the ground and shooting up into the trees. Or standing on a chair and shooting your plate of food from the top down.

If you want to test yourself and your creativity, stand with your feet fixed in one place and see how many different angles you can capture.

9. Experiment with Filters.

Filters are a fun way to bring creativity to your images. Filters for iPhone on the app store offer 800 ways to quickly (and radically) transform your photos.

From vintage film and black and white, to vibrant hand-painted textures — there are a lot of different ways to enhance your photos depending on the vibe and feel you’re looking to create.

The best news? If you change your mind after applying your filter, simply tap edit and select the “No Filter” option to try again.

Instead of filters, you can always edit you’re your photos right on your iPhone by adjusting some setting. For that, open your picture and tap “Edit” to choose from the options given.

Try different ones to improve your picture!

10. Try Shooting Panoramas.

Panoramic images are perfect for those moments when you find yourself thinking, “How can I fit all this into one photo?” The panoramic feature is often underutilized on the iPhone — but the end results it creates are incredible.

To use this feature, switch to PANO when you open your camera and tap the shutter to begin capturing your scene. Try using PANO with ocean images, sunset shots, and horizontal street snaps that seem to stretch for miles.

11. Try Burst Mode.

Burst mode works wonderfully if you’re looking to capture golden candid moments or images with moving subjects. If you hold down the shutter while in burst mode, your iPhone will capture an assortment (or a burst) of images.

Then, choose your favorite from there! Using burst mode can make the difference between capturing an epic shot of someone mid-air — or capturing a shot of them on the ground, instead.

12. Sharpen Your Photos.

If you’re looking for an excellent way to make your travel images clear and blur-free — try the self-timer. By clicking on the clock in the upper section of your iPhone, you’ll be able to select the amount of time you’d like.

As you press down the shutter, you’ll be given a few extra seconds to get that shake-free selfie or steady landscape image you’ve been dreaming of.

Whether you’re shooting close-up photos of your breakfast or wide-angle shots of long, green forests — we hope these 12 tips and tricks have given you the necessary tools to get out there and snag the best travel photos you can.

Whether it’s trying new things or appreciating our surroundings, we can all do more to connect with the places we visit. Happiness Research Institute CEO Meik Wiking shares how we can make the most of our time on the road.

1. Go to a New Place Every Year

Travel is about being brought out of your routine,” Wiking says. “It’s experiencing new things, new culture, new food, new people. And that’s the quick route to [making] memories: novel experiences. There’s nothing wrong with going back to the same place over and over again. But if we want a trip to stand out and be memorable, we have to seek out new experiences.”

2. Leave Your Comfort Zone

The right kind of stress can help cement moments in our memories. As Wiking explains, “People remember emotions. When they do something that frightens them a little bit, it gets the adrenaline pumping.”

3. Engage All Your Senses

Experiences that stimulate several senses have a better chance of making a memorable moment,” Wiking says. “Listening to stuff, smelling stuff, and tasting stuff—they are crucial memory triggers. Recording sound from a special place can help us remember it.”

4. Go Ahead, Buy That Souvenir

Objects that remind us of a time and place relieve our brains from having to remember everything. “It’s good to ‘outsource’ some of our memories—the photos, the soundtrack,” Wiking says. “Souvenirs are an easy fix. And I don’t mean a tacky Eiffel Tower; it can be a really nice vase you bought in Paris.”

5. End Your Trip on a High Note

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman developed the Peak-End Theory, which posits that we remember experiences by their most intense moment and how they ended. “So you might want to finish on a high,” Wiking says. “For some, it might be [eating your last meal] at a luxury Michelin restaurant; for others, it might be skydiving.”

6. Reduce the Risk of Digital Amnesia by Printing Your Pictures

Photos can trigger your memory five, 10, 20 years down the line. Pick the top photos—the happiest memories, the best experiences you had—and bring them into print.”

7. Don’t Be Afraid of Things Going Wrong When You Travel

Struggles are always annoying when we are in them, but they also make better stories, because we fought to get through them. That doesn’t help when you are in the situation, but five years down the line, that’s the story you tell.”

Visiting a museum is an educational and cultural experience that we all enjoy when traveling. Thousands of museums and galleries around the world display fine arts, precious artifacts, and historical displays.

The Louvre, Tate Modern, Uffizi Gallery, and Guggenheim Museum are just a few of the famous cultural exhibits around the world which draw thousands of visitors each day.

By its very definition, a museum is a building where articles of historical, artistic, cultural, or scientific importance are exhibited. Yet there are also some unique, lesser-known museums around the world. Many grew from a fanatic’s personal collection, while others are just plain weird.

10. Hair Museum Avanos, Turkey

In Avanos, Turkey, you will find a somewhat bizarre museum located beneath a pottery shop. Artist Chez Galip has collected locks from more than 16,000 women and displayed the tresses in his unusual “hair museum.”

Saddened by a friend’s departure from Avanos back in the late 1970s, Galip asked for a remembrance and the woman apparently gave him a lock of her hair in response.

Over the next few decades, he collected locks of hair from visiting females around the world. The multicolored hair samples, tagged with each donor’s name and address, hang from every spare surface within the museum.

Visitors are not obliged to donate their hair to the growing display. However, participants have the opportunity twice a year to win an all-expenses-paid holiday.

9. Icelandic Phallological Museum

Iceland has a number of museums dedicated to a range of historic and cultural themes. However, the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik may well be the weirdest museum in the world. It is dedicated entirely to penises.

According to the official website, it is “the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens belonging to all the various types of mammal found in a single country.”

The museum displays over 200 penile specimens from whales, seals, polar bears, and 20 other land mammals. A 170-centimeter (67 in) whale penis preserved in glass is the largest specimen on display. There are also human samples on view. In fact, visitors are given the opportunity to sign up to donate specimens after their deaths.

Among the more unusual artistic displays are lampshades fashioned from bull scrotums as well as toys and utensils related to the museum’s theme.

8. Toilet Museum South Korea

You certainly won’t have difficulty finding the public restrooms in this South Korean facility. Haewoojae is an entire museum dedicated to the history of toilets and sanitation.

Despite the obvious lavatory humor, the museum actually has serious origins. Sim Jae-duck, or “Mr Toilet” as he became known, worked to improve the city toilets during his time as mayor of Suwon City, South Korea. He also aimed to improve sanitation around the world with the “World Toilet Association.”

He even built a toilet-shaped house which was turned into a museum after his 2009 death. The original museum was predominately toilet-themed signage and educational material on the importance of clean toilet facilities.

Since 2012, the museum has expanded to display a history of water closets, squat toilets, and public urinals from around the world.

7. Cup Noodles Museum Osaka

Cup noodles are seen as a rather boring foodstuff that is traditionally eaten by poor students trying to pay their way through college. With over 100 billion servings of instant noodles consumed globally each year, it probably isn’t surprising that a cup noodles museum exists.

In Osaka, Japan, you can visit a museum entirely devoted to the 60-year history of such noodles. The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum tells the history of instant noodles from the first Chicken Ramen noodles in the 1950s to the many varieties available today.

Exhibits include a re-creation of the inventor’s work shed where the first cup noodles were developed as well as displays of noodles sent into space to feed astronauts. The “Instant Noodles Tunnel” displays packaging from over 800 varieties of noodles, providing a great “selfie” opportunity for ramen lovers.

Visitors even have the opportunity to attend a workshop to create and package their own variety of ramen noodles.

6. Kansas Barbed Wire Museum

Travel through any rural area in the world, and you are likely to find stretches of barbed wire fencing surrounding properties. You may expect to find samples of this spiky fencing wire in an agricultural museum.

Yet in La Crosse, Kansas, you will discover an entire museum dedicated to barbed wire. You’ll be amazed to find over 2,400 versions of barbed wire on display there.

The museum covers the history of barbed wire from its invention during the 1870s to help protect holdings in America’s Midwest to its uses during the war years and in modern fencing applications.

You can also explore exhibits of fencing tools and equipment. A whole museum dedicated to fencing wire may sound uninteresting. However, the impact of this basic fencing material throughout its history makes for a fascinating display.

5. Spam Museum Austin, Minnesota

Many of us shudder at the thought of eating “Spam,” the highly processed tinned pork that Hormel Foods first introduced to the US market in 1937. While the long-life convenience food certainly had its place as a staple for troops during World War II, the square tin of meat has become a much-maligned product in more recent years.

Yet there is actually a Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. Hormel Foods first established a small museum in a mall in 1991 before moving to a bigger, more accessible site in recent years.

Here you can learn the history of Spam production and its role during the war years. You can even taste Spam varieties. Yes, there are different types sold throughout the world. Visitors can even pick up some Spam recipes for their next dinner party.

4. Bata Shoe Museum Canada

Shoe collecting has been a popular female hobby for centuries. From basic “flip-flops” and sandals to elaborate fashion footwear, the humble shoe is something most of us wear daily.

In Toronto, Canada, you can actually enter a shoebox-shaped museum to explore the history of footwear. The wife of Bata Shoe Company founder Thomas Bata outdid even Imelda Marcos’s infamous shoe collection.

Sonja Bata began amusing herself by shopping for shoes when accompanying her husband on business trips. Her collection started back in the 1940s. By the 1970s, it had outgrown their home, so the Bata Shoe Museum was established in 1992. In 1995, it moved to its current location.[7]

Visitors to the museum can view over 13,000 shoes spanning over 4,500 years of footwear history. From Chinese “foot bound” shoes to basic sandals and ludicrous fashion items, visitors can learn about the background of these items as well as the changes in shoemaking across the centuries.

3. Dog Collar Museum Kent, England

Dog collars have been a basic canine accessory since medieval times. Spiked leather collars were originally used to protect hunting dogs from predators, while more privileged pooches donned elaborate bejeweled ornamental collars.

Even today, we clip on a nylon collar to attach a lead or identification tag. Any pet store has a range of doggie neckwear for your canine companion.

At Leeds Castle in Kent, you will find a museum dedicated to dog collars across the ages. Since 1976, the museum has displayed about 100 dog collars dating from medieval to Victorian times. The exhibit has collars that would seem barbaric by modern standards as well as elaborate royal collars decorated with each owner’s coat of arms.

An estimated 500,000 individuals visit the museum each year to browse through five centuries of doggie fashion.

2. Skull Tower Of Nis Serbia

Serbia’s somewhat gruesome “Skull Tower of Nis” dates back to the Battle of Cegar in 1809. With Turkish forces fast closing in, Serbian commander Stevan Sindelic blew up a gunpowder store, killing himself and fellow soldiers to save them from torture by their captors.

Vizier Hurshid Pasha had the deceased rebels decapitated. Then the heads were skinned and stuffed. Finally, a 4.6-meter (15 ft) tower using the skulls of the 952 fallen Serbian soldiers was erected as a clear message to rebels.

Over time, some skulls fell from the wall while others were taken by relatives for burial. As of 2013, 58 skulls remained on display, including a glass-encased exhibit said to hold the skull of Sindelic.

A chapel was built around the tower in 1892 to preserve it as a monument to the fallen troops and a reminder of the barbarities of war.

1. Lunchbox Museum Columbus, Georgia

Over the years, we’ve all had our favorite lunchboxes—those utilitarian little objects that safely carried our sandwiches and fruit to school or work. Some of us will remember the metal boxes of the 1950s and 1960s—from the black-and-red plaid tins to those decorated with decals of our favorite folk heroes.

In more recent years, we shifted to plastic containers. These included the simple lidded plastic boxes and the trendy pop culture or Disney varieties that every school child “has to have.”

But did you know that there is actually a museum dedicated to lunchboxes? Above a country music station in Columbus, Georgia, you will find a museum displaying thousands of lunchboxes, thermoses, and coolers.

Owner Allen Woodall first began collecting lunchboxes in the 1990s. His museum collection is open to the public and displays the history of this humble container from the 1950s to the present.

The secret to more frequent travel? It’s simple: Learn how to plan ahead, research your options, lean into deals, and time it right—and you’ll be amazed how far you can stretch your vacation budget.

Do you find yourself daydreaming of your next vacation…right after your last vacation? Whether you long to explore far-flung cities, relax on sandy beaches, or gather with family at a lakeside cabin, traveling more often is possible—and no, you don’t have to become a millionaire to pull it off.

The secret to more frequent travel? It’s simple: Spend less money on each trip you take, and you can stretch your annual vacation budget into more frequent trips. Learn how to plan ahead, research your options, lean into deals, and time it right, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can get out of your vacation budget.

So if you’re ready to hit the open road or the friendly skies, check out these easy ways to be a frugal traveler and get out of town more often.

1. Travel during the off-season.

One of the easiest ways to be a frugal traveler is to travel during the off-season. When you visit your vacation destination during the non-peak travel dates, flight and hotel prices are often slashed.

For instance, Florida’s off-season is July to August (which may seem strange since it’s known as the Sunshine State, but there is such thing as too much sun). The main FL tourist season runs from December to the end of April, so vacationing during the extra-hot summer will save you a ton if you can handle that sun. Flip this script if you want to visit, say, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; this beach town’s peak season is summertime, and rates will plummet during the winter.

Pinpointing off-season times that are cheaper but still safe (i.e., you don’t want to head to a destination during a season it’s prone to hurricanes or sandstorms just because it’s cheaper) requires a little bit of research, but it’s definitely worth the effort. When the off-season is, exactly depends on where you plan to visit.

Do your research and travel during the off-season to save money and avoid the crowds, too.

2. Use travel sites to book cheaper hotels.

Rather than booking directly with the hotel, check out travel sites such as booking.com and priceline.com for cheaper rates. These sites allow you to compare multiple hotels at once. This helps you find the best deal for your destination.

Plus, if you sign up for these companies’ rewards programs, you can save even more and earn perks. It takes only a few minutes, and the member-only savings are solid. You can even win free upgrades and comped nights at hotels. The best part? It doesn’t matter which hotels you stay at; the points count each time you book.

These sites are excellent for pet owners, too, because you can easily figure out which hotels are pet-friendly.

3. Stay with family to save on hotels.

Another great option to save money on hotels is to stay with folks you know. Got a long-lost cousin with extra space in a fun city? What about that college roommate who’s always saying “my guest room is your guest room”? Skipping hotels entirely can cut your vacation costs by hundreds of dollars.

More than likely, you have family or friends in many different locations who would be happy to host you, so why not book a fun get-away and see your favorite aunt while you’re at it? Just make sure you consult with them well in advance about what length and timing of stay they’re comfortable with. And pro tip: Don’t invite yourself to stay with friends or family who have kids, unless they’ve specifically told you you’re welcome.

4. Book flights at the right time.

Using travel sites can save you serious money, but you can double your savings if you book your flights at the right time, too. According to a 2019 study by Cheapair.com, the “prime booking window” is about four months to three weeks in advance of your travel dates.

The study also found that it didn’t really matter what day you booked your flight, but rather what days you actually traveled. In fact, Tuesday was the cheapest day of the week to fly, averaging $85 in savings. Sundays and Wednesdays are cheaper days as well. So skip the Fridays and Saturdays and travel frugally by flying when it’s cheapest.

5. Opt for a kitchen.

One way to save a ton of money and be a frugal traveler is to opt for a hotel or rental that comes with a kitchen. Of course it’s fun to dine out, but you can save quite a bit if you can cook just one or two of your meals every day.

It doesn’t have to be fancy; grocery shop for a continental breakfast or a big scramble. Even packing sandwiches for midday rather than hitting a lunch spot can save you $20 each time.

6. Find low-cost and free things to do.

The biggest way to be a frugal traveler and travel more often is to find fun, low-cost, and free things to do on your trips. While you’re planning (or even after you arrive), do a quick search online for affordable activities in your destination. Check out the local parks, historical museums, and botanical gardens.

Also, research your destination in advance to see if you can time your trip with any free events or festivals; many beach destinations will have music festivals and other events going on during the summertime.

7. Find discounts on top attractions.

Check for discounts on top attractions, whether it’s the theme park you’re dying to try or the aquarium your kids are clamoring for. Sites such as CityPASS and DestinationCoupons can save you up to 50 percent off experiences like these, which can often be more expensive than you bargained for if you don’t plan ahead. Search the state or city you’re visiting on both of these sites for epic deals on must-sees.

8. Find affordable vacation destinations.

Another tip is obvious but not to be overlooked: Simply find a more affordable destination. After all, smaller cities, lesser-known towns, and off-the-beaten-path beaches can not only be much cheaper than major destinations; they let you skip the tourist crowds in favor of unique charm.

Do you always head to Daytona Beach? Try New Smyrna Beach instead for a less crowded and less expensive option. Do you love traveling to Nashville to hear live music? Try Memphis to halve your hotel prices. Do you love to sail? Instead of Miami’s sky-high boat rental prices, try your hand in Annapolis, Md. The list goes on.

9. Use a rewards credit card.

Of course, it’s best to actually save for your vacation and not rack up debt. That said, most of the time, you will be using a credit card to reserve hotels, flights, and other travel expenses (unless you’re paying for your vacation with Bitcoin, of course). So you might as well use your card to benefit you financially and earn those perks. Get a credit card that offers rewards and travel miles, so you can earn free stuff for your travel adventures. While you’re at it, try to find a card with no annual fees and lower interest rates too.