How to Take Better Travel Photos

Whether you travel around the world or just to the beach for the weekend, taking photos is all part of the fun to document your adventures. Or is that just me?

If you’re all about sharing your journey on social media or are hoping to take your photography to the next level, these simple tips will help enhance your photos. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a phone or fancy camera, thinking about how you will compose an image, make it uniquely yours or what colour temperature you need will all go towards creating better travel photos.

I’m all about going with the flow, I didn’t learn photography from a textbook, I learnt from being in the moment and testing what works best. Call it, trial and error, or as I like to see it, finding my own way, but learning how to make your camera work for you is essential to improving your photography.

Let’s get started…

#1 COMPOSITION + CONTRAST

Creative composition can enhance your image immediately. The Rule of Thirds is a great way to help you think about where to place your subject rather than just pointing and shooting straight ahead. You can use this method of composition whether you’re photographing a building, person or landscape, it’s just about thinking outside the box and changing the focal point of the image. Using contrast with composition lets you play with colours that help each other to stand out.

#2 UNIQUE ANGLES

You know those photographers you see crouching down or climbing a wall to get ‘THE’ shot? Or the ones lying on the ground when wonder what on earth they are seeing that you aren’t?

Well…give it a go. They’re no doubt trying to create a unique angle and it’s a great way to take better photos! While it may look a little crazy, who cares if you can walk away with an angle that no one else has! My favourite angle? Photographing from the water, it’s a lot less awkward to do the photographers stance underwater

#3 SHOOT IN APERTURE MODE

To add background blur to your photograph shoot on Aperture Priority mode (A or Av) with a large Aperture like f/1.8 or similar and focus on the subject to create a beautiful bokeh (blur) behind. This is achieved best by using a prime lens like a 50mm or 85mm lens. The 50mm lens is one I never leave home without, it’s great for street photography, portraits and detail shots making it the ideal companion for travelling!

#4 KEEP IT STEADY

Ensuring you stay nice and still whilst taking a photo will avoid the dreaded blur. You don’t need a tripod to keep your camera still; balance it on the pavement, a trash can, lean against a wall, table, your friend’s head…whatever keeps it steady is just as good as a tripod most of the time! If you’re finding your images are still blurry even though the camera is still, it might be time to look at the settings…low light means you’ll need a higher ISO.

#5 WHITE BALANCE

Manually adjusting your cameras white balance will control the colour temperature so you can choose how the image turns out. Rather than set your white balance on automatic, switch it manually depending on the type of light you’re working in to ensure a more accurate reading of the scene.

The top three to focus on is ‘cloudy’ white balance which works when you’re in a rainforest or similar green environment to enrich the green colours and make them vibrant. It will also warm up most beach or city scenes too! ‘Daylight’ is best for direct sunlight during the day and ‘Flash’ will help warm up the colours when you’re using your flash both indoors or outdoors.

#6 FOCUS ON THE UNUSUAL

Keep an eye out for something interesting, colourful, quirky or cultural to include in your photograph. Rather than taking photos only at lookouts or the best vantage points, try and work with the details. When travelling you’ll no doubt see something every day that you can photograph to help give your images a sense of place. It can relate to the destination or be completely out of place.

#7 CREATE PERSPECTIVE

You have no doubt seen the hundreds of photos circulating on social media of people staring at a vast landscape and looking very small. This is how to create perspective. If you’re photographing a mountain, try to find a subject that will help showcase just how tall and imposing it really is. By placing a person in the distance you give the mountain or landscape an actual size comparison to help the viewer judge just how incredible the scenery is.

#8 LOOK FOR THE BEST LIGHT

If you’re tired of saying, ‘I wish I had my camera for that sunset!’, start planning! Researching the times for sunrise and sunset will help you plan your day around the best light for photography. The warm afternoon light is my favourite to work with. When I’m travelling I always suss out the best place to be about one hour before sunset to ensure I can capture the changing colours. Be sure to know where the sun rises and sets in the place you’re visiting too as this will help you to decide where to be at the best times.

#9 SAY HELLO AND SMILE

Learn to say at least ‘Hello’ in the language used in the destination you’ll be visiting. Attempting to communicate with the locals will increase your chances of a better photograph and make people more comfortable in your presence. Nobody wants a snap happy unfriendly tourist lurking around their town!

#10 PREPARE YOUR EQUIPMENT

Having the correct lenses when travelling is essential to taking great photos. If you’re only using a telephoto lens but want to take something close-up, it’s not going to turn out well. The same for a macro lens when you want to take action photos of wildlife…it won’t work. Try and predict what type of photos you’ll want to take on your trip so you can invest in the best equipment to suit your photography. It doesn’t have to be the biggest and best camera, as I’ve said before I believe your photographic eye is more important than the camera but a simple camera kit is essential. Travelling with a zoom lens that has a wide focal range will help you cover all bases and be ready for anything. I typically use my 28-300mm lens which lets me photograph most scenes without the need to change. If you’re going to be around water then prepare for some underwater photos too…I can never pass up an opportunity to jump in the sea to capture some photos so my underwater housing or GoPro is never far away!

To put the above tips into practice, teach yourself how to use your camera so once you’re travelling you can whip it out and photograph like a pro.

The basic buttons you’ll need to locate on your camera are the following –

• ISO: Most cameras will have a button readily available to allow you to change your ISO quickly. If you can’t find it, there should also be a place to manually change your ISO in the menu section of your camera. If you shoot on automatic it won’t be necessary to change your ISO but any other mode such as Aperture or Manual will require you to select what ISO is best. As a general guide ISO 100-400 is best for sunlight, ISO 400-800 is good for shade or cloudy days, ISO 800+ is necessary once the light starts to get low or dark.
• White Balance: On DSLR cameras you’ll find this button (WB) located somewhere accessible and you can adjust with the dial and watch the little icons appear on your screen to select between. Just like ISO, you can also adjust it manually in the menu of most cameras and the little picture icons are very self explanatory.
• Exposure: The button typically has a little +/- sign on it and you use it in conjunction with the dial to add more or less exposure. I love using the exposure button along with my ISO to change the brightness of a photo.

I’ll be posting a guide to camera buttons and settings soon so keep an eye out if you’re keen to learn more about them!

In December of 2018, I retired from practicing medicine. As an anesthesiologist, I spent my days in an operating room putting people to sleep and waking them up when their surgeries were finished. It’s a package deal that I was happy to deliver to several thousand patients over the course of my 26-year career.

I have traveled at every opportunity, including several times this past year. I’m going to share the tips I follow to stay healthy while traveling — tips I used pre-COVID and during the pandemic.

Regarding COVID-19, I’m not going to weigh in on the pros and cons of the COVID vaccines or of wearing a mask — I think you can find enough opinions on both already.

And with respect to any vitamin, supplement, medication, or non-COVID vaccine advice that follows, please use this as a starting point for a discussion with your healthcare provider. This is not meant to be a substitute for a visit with someone who knows you and your medical conditions.

Here are nine tips for staying healthy while traveling.

1. Stay Hydrated

Since your body is about 60 percent water, hydration is a key component to feeling your best. Travel is dehydrating. The air on a plane is at most half as humid as the air in your home (10 to 25 percent on a plane and around 50 percent in your house, depending on where you live).

Then there’s that issue of cutting back on your water intake because you don’t know when or where you’ll use the restroom next. This might be in the back of your mind if you’re on an organized tour and not in control of the comfort stops you make.

So what’s recommended? If you’re traveling by air, try to drink 8 ounces of water an hour. If you drink alcohol, you’ll have to increase the amount of water you drink to make up for alcohol’s dehydrating effects. Try to avoid alcohol during your flight. If you must drink, do so only in moderation.

On the ground, aim for about eight glasses of water a day, but let your thirst guide you.

2. Get Plenty Of Sleep

The importance of sleeping at least 7 hours a night can’t be underestimated, whether you’re at home or traveling. Recent studies link sleep deprivation to obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, dementia, and early death.

I am awful when it comes to this one. I know I would be better if I stopped drinking caffeine well before bedtime and shut off my phone and laptop earlier, too. Here are some additional habits to adopt for better sleep.

If you’re planning on a long international trip across many time zones, you might want to consider adding an overnight stay in a city where you’ll be catching a connecting flight. Hotels adjoining airports make this fairly easy to do, and often there is little difference in the fare with a prolonged layover.

3. Stretch Your Legs

Long car and plane trips increase your risk of a blood clot in your legs because you’re sitting for prolonged periods of time. This video shows some simple exercises you can do in your seat to prevent clotting.

If possible, stop the car every hour or so to walk. On flights, I opt for an aisle seat so I’m free to walk up and down the aisle when the seat belt sign is off. Consider wearing compression stockings that minimize blood pooling in your legs.

If you’ve had a blood clot before, consult with your physician about the need for blood thinners or medical-grade compression stockings before you travel.

4. Practice Good Hygiene

According to the CDC’s statistics, flu cases in the United States plummeted during the 2020–2021 season. In the midst of the pandemic, not only were we not congregating with each other, but we were practicing our very best hand hygiene and covering our coughs.

Thorough hand washing and using hand sanitizer are the best ways to prevent the spread of infections.

Pro Tip: When you fly, wipe down your seat’s armrests and tray table. According to studies conducted before COVID-19 and the advanced cleaning techniques that resulted from it, the tables were dirtier than the toilet handles.

5. Guard Against Travelers’ Diarrhea

Most bacterial and viral illnesses are spread by inhalation, ingestion, or inoculation (rubbing your eyes). That being said, for travelers to developing countries, food and waterborne illnesses are common, with the incidence of diarrhea between 30 and 60 percent. Usually, diarrhea resolves without treatment in two to seven days.

The CDC’s website provides a common-sense guide to eating and drinking in countries where North Americans might be at risk. To summarize: Eat fully cooked food, wash and peel fresh fruits and vegetables with bottled water, and drink only boiled or bottled water. Avoid ice cubes, and don’t forget to brush your teeth with bottled water, too.

Pepto-Bismol (two tablets four times a day) has some mild antibacterial effects and seems to reduce the chance of getting travelers’ diarrhea. If you are allergic to aspirin, take blood thinners, or have kidney problems or gout, you’ll need to avoid Pepto-Bismol, however.

Should you take prophylactic antibiotics to prevent diarrhea? No. Should you bring antibiotics on a trip to a developing country, just in case? Yes. I recommend bringing antibiotics in case the diarrhea is severe or causes dehydration.

6. Visit A Travelers’ Clinic Before You Leave

If you’re planning on traveling internationally, a visit to a travelers’ clinic at least a month before your trip can help you get any vaccines or prophylactic antibiotics you will need (for diarrhea or malaria, for example).

If you’ve never been vaccinated against hepatitis A, I recommend that you get the vaccine. Hepatitis A is a virus that affects your liver, and it’s transmitted through contaminated food or water.

Pro Tip: Bring your immunization record to your appointment.

7. Research Doctors And Clinics At Your Destination

The CDC has a guide that covers getting healthcare on your travels. It has a number of resources on evacuation insurance (evacuation — which costs thousands of dollars — may not be included in your travel insurance, and it’s not covered by most health insurance plans), travel health insurance, and finding a doctor or clinic abroad.

Medicare does not cover care outside of the U.S. or its territories under most circumstances. For exceptions, visit their website.

Cruise ships usually have a doctor onboard. The Silk Road train I took did as well. If you are sick, seek medical attention sooner rather than later. It is much easier to treat someone in the early stages of an illness.

If I’m traveling internationally independent of a group, I jot down the names and addresses of accredited clinics with English-speaking physicians before I leave home.

8. Consider Taking Vitamins Or Supplements

It would take an entire book to talk about the pros and cons of each vitamin and supplement. Everything from ashwagandha (a stress hormone-reducing supplement) to zinc is mentioned as something that should be in your suitcase.

Mostly, studies show that vitamins and supplements like Airborne (with vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements) support your health. With respect to preventing and treating COVID-19, ongoing research is looking at how effective vitamins and supplements are.

A recent study on vitamin D suggests that a deficiency leads to a greater chance of getting COVID-19 and having a worse outcome. Many people in the northern part of the U.S. and in Canada are deficient because of less exposure to the sun.

Pro Tip: I recommend getting a vitamin D level (a blood sample) first to determine whether you need to take supplemental vitamin D. Your healthcare provider can recommend a dose based on your results.

9. Watch What You Eat

When I went to medical school in the 1980s, very little time was devoted to teaching nutrition. But I am convinced that good nutrition promotes your health at home and on the road.

We ought to feed ourselves with the best fruits, vegetables, and protein we can find. Organic is even better for foods labeled the “dirty dozen” — those that are highly contaminated with pesticides and herbicides. A manual for a high-end car will recommend that you fill the tank with premium gas. We ought to fill our tanks with the best food we can afford.

We should limit our intake of refined sugars, highly processed foods, and fast foods that are easy to grab and eat on the go. Because of wonderful things like Cheetos and chocolate and peanut butter ice cream, this is another “do as I say, not as I do” — just like getting enough sleep.

Pro Tip: If you’d like to read more about nutrition, I recommend Why We Get Fat and The Case Against Sugar, both written by Gary Taubes. He’s a lawyer who makes a convincing case against refined sugar.

A healthy lifestyle involves both choice and action. The choices you make each day, and the actions you take on those choices, can lead to a healthier lifestyle. Making positive choices in the areas of physical fitness, stress, and nutrition – and then acting on those choices – promotes a sense of better self-worth, happiness and overall well-being.

We live in a world satisfied by instant gratification and adversed to discomfort. We value material goods over personal health and often welcome dis-ease into the body by creating and maintaining an environment for disease to thrive. We have magic pills at our fingertips and professionals endorsing them. I get it. It’s easy. It’s convenient. It provides quick relief and doesn’t require the discomfort of change. The pros are there, but do you ever stop to truly consider the cons of accepting the short-cuts being offered?

Below you’ll find 5 benefits experienced when long term health is pursued.

1. Decreased risk of disease. Dis-ease in the body occurs when it’s stressed, nutritionally imbalanced, and/or neglected of self-care. Often times, these occur simultaneously. To bring the body back into a state of balance, it’s essential we begin to adopt more sustainable behaviors. These behaviors are by no means difficult, they’re just different than the ones you currently subscribe to. Remember, life is a practice, not a performance.

2. More life-force energy. It is physically impossible for the body to have optimal energy when inundated with poor quality foods, chemicals, and long term stress. Each of these respond negatively in the body and inhibit its ability to sustain energy levels for extended periods of time. Give the body what it requires and desires, such as wholesome nourishment, sunlight, clean water, and movement, and you will experience a dramatic shift in your daily energy levels.

3. Increased happiness, less depression. The gut contains 100 million neurons and is responsible for secreting major neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine and nitric oxide. When we nurture the health of our gut, we invite these feel-good chemicals to be secreted more easily and more frequently, thus influencing the state of our mood.

4. Increased feelings of self-worth. As you begin to experience mood shifts and desirable body changes, you will begin to make self-care a priority. Simple as that.

5. Save money. Leading a lifestyle of healthy behaviors allows for more money in your pocket by increasing work productivity, eradicating doctor visits, and decreasing missed work due to feeling ill and unwell. You’ll have extra funds to do things you love with those you love!

Quite literally, there are infinite benefits one will receive by way of pursuing a healthy lifestyle. I have chosen to showcase these 5 benefits for I feel they are most applicable to the quality of a human being’s life on a day-to-day basis.

Drink water, eat well, move the body, and choose to be grateful for this gift of Life!

From a diner inside a laundromat to a tiki bar with an indoor lagoon, these are the best themed restaurants in the US

No one expects Michelin quality food at themed restaurants – it’s all about the experience: From quirky to over-the-top to downright weird. You can get an amazing burger in cities all across America, but where else but Las Vegas can you get an eight-patty-high, bacon-slathered, cardiac-arrest-inducing burger? Many cities have top-notch tiki bars, but you’ll have to head to San Francisco to sip your Mai Tai while being serenaded by a band that’s floating in an indoor lagoon.

These themed restaurants offer more than just themed decor. You’re not just dining out, you’re part of the action. And themes can fit your mood to make an extra special night out. Whether you’re reveling in a post-apocalyptic world that happens to have some pretty tasty food, watching mermaids perform or being served by a mish-mash of classic comic book characters, these unique restaurants will make your night out memorable.

If you’re looking for a romantic night out or a celebratory meal at a fine dining destination,, look elsewhere. But for a kooky, quirky, oddball experience, take a road trip and give these themed restaurants a whirl.

1. Big Nose Kate’s Saloon | Tombstone, AZ

Tombstone should be considered a compulsory stopover for any true Wild West enthusiast and along with all the history to be absorbed is Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. The establishment is reportedly haunted and features an underground level where a worker spent years tunneling a secret entrance into a nearby silver mine. Visitors are welcome to dress up in period-style attire and you can freely snap selfies on the bar… or draped across the piano should you be so inclined. The Wyatt Earp-esque experience is accompanied by nightly live music and the equally-themed menu includes burger, brisket, and homemade chili. And the movie Tombstone plays on an endless loop on screens behind the bar.

2. Harvey Washbanger’s | College Station, TX

Only in Texas, folks. This perennially packed spot combines a state of the art laundromat with a gourmet burger joint and craft beer bar. Tote your whites and colors to the 80-machine washing room; toss them in a high-efficiency washer; then grab a seat in the dining room next door where you can chow down on oversized, juicy burgers like the Cajun, an andouille-and-Angus patty topped with pepper jack and fried crawfish, and sip locally brewed suds. And don’t worry about your laundry – a light board will let you know when it’s time to transfer your clothes to the dryer.

3. Heart Attack Grill | Las Vegas, NV

Leave it to Vegas to host this over-the-top restaurant where waitresses dress up as nurses and the kitchen serves the most unhealthy, heart attack-inducing food you can possibly imagine. Customers don hospital gowns as they await towering, loaded burgers that range from ‘Single Bypass’ (one patty, various strips of bacon) to an awe-inspiring ‘Octuple Bypass’ (eight patties, 40 strips of bacon). Fries are cooked, unsurprisingly, in pure lard, and shots are served in those little plastic prescription pill containers. Customers weighing over 350 lbs eat for free and, if you dine here regularly, that goal begins to seem attainable.

4. The Proud Bird | Los Angeles, CA

This LAX-adjacent spot began life in 1967 as an aviation-themed restaurant but was reborn as a modern food hall in 2017 featuring six food stalls serving Asian, Italian, American fare and more. The aviation theme has been preserved: Giant model planes hang from the ceiling and the lingo echoes travel language (‘Arrival’ is where you place your order, ‘Departure’ where you pick it up). Don’t forget to visit the Mile High Club bar to pick up a cocktail or a glass of wine and admire the view.

5. Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar | San Francisco, CA

Few other tiki bars, if any, in the nation show as much obsessive dedication to the form as Nob Hill’s classic watering hole Tonga Room. Located inside the iconic Fairmont hotel, the Polynesian-inspired bar-slash-restaurant has been pouring mai tais since 1945, but in 2010 benefited from a $1 million renovation and facelift. While we love the balanced drinks and indulgent finger foods, it’s the ambience at Tonga Room that’s unparalleled. Built around a ‘lagoon’ that was formerly the hotel’s swimming pool, it features a floating stage that’s occupied nightly by a live orchestra.

6. Aquarium Restaurant | Nashville, TN

This unique restaurant with locations in Nashville, Denver, Kemah and Houston, combines an aquarium visit with a seafood restaurant. (Yes, we also think it’s a bit strange to chow down on the very creatures you’re observing but, hey, whatever works.) Diners are seated around a 200,000-gallon aquarium, where they can take in tropical fish, sharks, stingrays and more. Fish is at the center of the menu, too, with offerings such as clam chowder, a lobster tower with avocado and black beans, and crab-stuffed shrimp. Several times a month, guests are treated to a ‘Mystic Mermaid’ show, where ‘mermaids’ dive into the tank and put on a choreographed-to-music performance.

7. Clifton’s Republic | Los Angeles, CA

Founded in 1931 as a pay-what-you-can cafeteria, Clifton’s now serves as a multi-level drinking den with a jaw-dropping forest theme. At the center of the space stands a 40ft-tall fake redwood tree; Its base is located near the Monarch Bar on the second level and it reaches up to the ceiling with reinforced branches designed to hold aerialists. On the third level you’ll find the Gothic Bar, a repurposed 19th-century altar, and on the fourth floor offices were transformed into two more bars spaces, Treetops and the tiki-themed Pacific Seas.

8. Magic Time Machine | San Antonio, TX

Anything goes at this San Antonio classic open since 1973. The theme is broad, embracing everything from Marvel comics to Pirates of the Caribbean and the dining room is a hodgepodge of seating areas, including the attic, a tiki hut and even an old refrigerator. Servers are dressed as all kinds of characters: Spider Man, Robin Hood, Jack Sparrow and more. The fun is clearly aimed at kids, though grownups will enjoy the post-10pm saloon featuring a full bar and live music.

9. The Airplane Restaurant | Colorado Springs, CO

Located within a stone’s throw of Colorado Springs’ small city-owned airport, the Airplane Restaurant is housed within a converted KC-97 U.S. Air Force tanker. Diners can sit at small tables within the plane itself or in ‘the terminal,’ an attached dining room. While the food isn’t anything special—don’t expect much more than burgers, fries and a few straightforward salads—the fun involved in chowing down on non-airplane food while inside an airplane is, well, totally worth it.

10. Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant | Kansas City, MO

This railroad-themed restaurant (with a second location in Kansas City, Kansas) has been delighting diners since it opened in KC in the mid-60s. At cherry-red vinyl booths among RR memorabilia like wooden train sets and crossroads sign, visitors order tried-and-true burgers, crinkle-cut fries and thick milkshakes, then wait for a ceiling-mounted ‘train’ that runs on tracks to deliver the order right to the table. It’s an old-fashioned good time that kids, in particular, are sure to love.