Capture your travel memories with these iPhone photography tips

When I’m in a beautiful setting — like The Chin of Mount Mansfield — I’ll get out my iPhone and begin snapping photos. Some places are too striking to ignore, and I’ll want to capture the moment to share on social media or reflect on later. Over time, it’s fun to build up a library and look back on those places.

Though iPhones are technological marvels, capable of taking vivid pics, there are ways to take your photography even further. Whether adjusting phone settings or capturing pics at specific times, you can turn your travel photos into amazing images. Here’s how.

A memorable photo brings a special satisfaction

During your travels, you’ve probably snapped a memorable shot now and then. That might’ve been the result of careful planning or happened while randomly viewing the surroundings. Either way, it’s fun to create these works of art, share them with friends, and store them for later.

For me, it was capturing the total solar eclipse on the summit of Mount Mansfield, the highest point in Vermont. As the moon covered the sun, a shadow enveloped the surroundings, highlighting the peach horizon, and Lake Champlain shimmering in the distance. I felt like I was on another planet.

5 tips for optimal iPhone photography

The following tips are simple, effective ways to optimize iPhone photography. Each gives your snaps that extra edge, taking them from good to great, enhancing your social media posts, and preserving the moment.

Take pictures during the Golden Hour

The Golden Hour — the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset — creates ideal lighting for photos that glow. That’s because, during these times, the sun’s at a lower point in the sky, producing indirect light that enhances warmth, creates shadows, and optimizes exposures.

Not only that, but with light changing minute by minute, every photo is different. Over an hour, you can play photographic artist, picking from a palette of lights and hues, for a library of shots.

Use Smart HDR for the perfect exposure

The right exposure — the amount of light that reaches the camera’s sensor — is key to producing vivid, clear photos. But when you’re hiking a mountain or exploring a city, you probably don’t want to fiddle with settings like shutter speed, ISO, or aperture. Your iPhone’s HDR (high dynamic range) feature does the work for you.

In HDR mode, your iPhone takes several pictures at varying exposures and then blends them into a single image, for an ideal exposure. Though you can manually turn on HDR, you can also configure it to automatically kick in. Just go to Settings > Camera, then switch on Smart HDR.

Turn your phone upside-down for low-angle pics

Certain settings invite low-angle photos. Maybe you’re by a lake as the sun rises, and the still water shimmers just right. You could be in a bustling city and want to capture the street surface as cars and people fly by. But doing that with an iPhone presents a challenge, with the camera lenses positioned at the top.

An easy solution is flipping the phone, so the lenses skim the surface, letting you take low-angle shots with ease. With the phone mere inches above, you’ll take pictures that capture interesting perspectives and memorable moments.

Use Live Photos to create long exposure shots

Long exposure shots slow down the shutter speed to blur moving objects, while stationary subjects remain clear. Picture a heron floating under a waterfall, or a spectator watching race cars fly by. The technique adds life and energy to otherwise pedestrian shots.

On your iPhone — instead of fiddling with exposure settings — you can use the Live Photos features to create the same effect. After taking a photo in Live mode, then open it in the Photos app. At the top, open the drop-down menu, or swipe up to show “Effects”, then select “Long Exposure”.

Utilize grid lines for better composition

Just as important as a photo’s lighting and exposure are its composition. That refers to the positioning of elements within the frame, which helps create a shot’s unique feel. One type of composition uses the “rule of thirds”, which divides the frame into thirds, vertically and horizontally, and positions the central subject at the intersection of the grid lines.

Using that rule, the subject occupies about one-third of the picture, and the surroundings the other two-thirds, generally accepted to create a good-looking snap. To do that on your iPhone, click on Settings > Camera, then select Grid under Composition.

Now you can create next-level memories

Sure, your iPhone can take good photos without any special techniques or settings. But that’s not what you’re after. When you visit Maui, Hawaii, or Lake Tahoe, you want pictures that capture the moment’s every detail. Not only that, but you want the mood to shine through. These techniques can help you achieve that and more, and better yet, don’t cost a thing. So pick a spot during the Golden Hour, dial in those settings, and create some memories.

Take it from the pros.

There’s something liberating about heading out on the open road. You can pull off to look for aliens from a UFO watchtower (yes, it’s a thing), spend the afternoon picnicking at an overlook, or cruise through the night fueled by gas station coffee and snacks. All you need is a reliable car, a killer playlist, and a plan that’s flexible enough to allow for a little wiggle room — because that’s where the fun comes in.

But even the most go-with-the-flow road tripper knows that without some solid pre-trip planning and smart on-the-road know-how, the most amazing road trip can be a bust. To help, we chatted with a few experts who know what you’ll need to do (and not do) in order to make your road trip seamless.

1. Not Taking Your Car in for a Full Tune-up Before Departing

On a long road trip, your car can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. To increase your chances of the former, schedule a full tune-up a week or two before you go. Having a pro check your oil and tire pressure, and make sure your battery, brakes, and engine are working properly, will keep you from being stranded on the side of the road or calling AAA for a tow just a few hours in.

2 Leaving Without Getting Your Home in Order

Sanna Boman, editor-in-chief at Roadtrippers, told Travel + Leisure by email that she recommends making “a list of the things that need taking care of when you’re gone, including your mail, lawn and garden, and house plants.” If you’re worried about leaving the house empty for multiple days (or weeks), she said, “Installing a home security system before you leave can offer peace of mind.”

3. Forgetting to Download Maps, Entertainment, and Road Trip Apps

If you want to avoid data charges at the end of your trip, you’ll need to download everything over Wi-Fi before you leave. Andrew Moore-Crispin, director of content at Ting Mobile, recommends downloading your maps on Google Maps in advance, so you don’t have to use data (or need it) to navigate. The same goes for Spotify playlists and any shows or movies you’ll need to keep young road trippers entertained. “Apps like Netflix, Spotify, and Facebook all see upticks through extensive usage. Control your data in the app’s setting. You can set how much data the app can use, and you can prevent photos from loading in your feed until you’re on Wi-Fi,” he said.

In addition to recommending their Roadtrippers planning app, Boman suggests road trippers download Waze for real-time traffic updates, GasBuddy for finding gas and comparing prices, and Recreation.gov for managing your campground reservations.

4. Overlooking the Tech Accessories You Need to Stay Online and in Control

Pack your car phone charger, and make sure to have a place to put your phone, so you can check the directions without fumbling or looking down. This universal magnetic car mount from WizGear hooks into your car’s air vent to keep your phone in view at all times — and it’s less than $10.

5. Leaving Home Without a Cooler of Snacks and Drinks

Chances are, there are plenty of gas stations and fast food joints along the way, but a trip sustained by burgers, fries, candy, and chips will get old fast. Pack a cooler with pre-cut veggies and fruit, nuts, sandwiches, and of course, some healthy snacks. To keep you hydrated and lightly caffeinated on a long day, try Gojai’s caffeinated sparkling water.

6. Not Keeping Things Organized and Clean During the Trip

When you’re living in your car, things can get messy quickly. Bring along wet wipes, paper towels, and hand sanitizer, and stow everything in a seat back organizer. When packing the car, load things you won’t need until later first, so the items you’ll use throughout the drive are more accessible.

7. Planning Everything so There’s No Room for Spontaneity

One of the best parts of road tripping is having the freedom to stop, explore, and reroute at any moment. “Once you plan out your trip, you can always deviate from your plan, but it’s a good idea to do some research ahead of time to get the most out of your trip,” said Boman. “Road trips are all about the journey — of course, time or budget constraints can dictate the route, but detours and unexpected stops are often the most memorable moments from a trip.”

8. Not Stopping to Stretch Your Legs Often Enough

If you have a final destination in mind, it may be tempting to drive straight through, but if you do, you’ll miss everything that makes a road trip fun. Side trips and highway attractions are a big part of road tripping — you never know when you’ll come across an Airbnb that’s shaped like a giant beagle or pass a beautiful hike that’s right off the road.

“When hitting the road, the biggest mistake that people make is not stopping often enough to stretch their legs and walk. To keep your mind fresh to focus on driving safely, I recommend stopping once an hour to move around and stretch, whether that means getting gas or grabbing a cup of coffee, then enjoying a 30-minute break every four to five hours for a short walk or hike,” said Dr. Suzanne Bartlett-Hackenmiller, an integrative medicine physician and the medical advisor for AllTrails. “According to the Journal of Safety Research, 30 minutes is sufficient to help fight against fatigue during longer trips.”

9. Driving Without the Gear (or Know-how) to Change a Flat Tire

Not every car (or rental car) comes with a spare tire kit. Take the time to make sure you have a fully inflated spare and everything you’d need to put it on — a jack, lug wrench, and the owner’s manual. If you don’t have a spare tire, buy one (and the necessary tools) before taking off. You should also get a little tutorial (either in person or online) on how to change a flat tire should something come up. There’s nothing fun about relying on a Google search when you’re in the middle of nowhere.

10. Leaving Home Without a Road Trip Emergency Kit

Don’t leave home without preparing for some common road trip mishaps. A flashlight with extra batteries, a tire pressure gauge, jumper cables, a car battery charger (or spare battery), extra water, a few energy bars, and some first-aid essentials — pain reliever, bandages, and scissors — will go a long way should something go awry.

AAA predicts record car travel this Thanksgiving holiday period with over 71.7 million drivers expected to hit the road. So with car travel on the rise for the holidays mixed with more drivers in an EV this year (third quarter sales reported in October show more than 346,000 EVs sold in the U.S., an 11% increase from 2023), road safety is top of mind.

To be prepared (or prepare a loved one) here are nice-to-have items along with car safety basics and advice. Better safe than sorry.

Bring Your Own Charging Equipment

If you’re in an EV, be self-sufficient and don’t rely on charging stations or hotel and other parking lots to have the right equipment.

• Adapters: Make sure you have adapters (Tesla owners can pick up an adapter for the road for when a Supercharger isn’t available, while non-Tesla drivers should look into getting a NACS adapter to be able to use Tesla Superchargers).
• Level 1 Charging: Keep a Level 1 charging cable in your EV so that in a pinch you can plug into the outlet at grandma’s garage for a slow, but eventual charge.

Make Sure Your Lights Are Bright

While checking all your lighting inside and outside the car before putting in 400 miles, consider extra light kits in case of an emergency. Automotive product supplier Nilight offers different types of light kits to prep and have on hand for your next roadtrip:

• Hazard lights: Ranging from $20 to $60, different kits can help with visibility to other drivers and for emergency crews to spot you beyond the hazards already blinking.
• Spot Flood LED Light Pods: When things get hairy, these bright lights can light up a dark area even as the temperature drops.

Prepare For Inclement Weather

Thanksgiving and the winter holidays line up with wintertime driving, which can include anything from rain, sleet, wind to full-on snow storms. Many EVs have different drive modes, like Snow Mode on the Kia EV6, so make sure you switch to any snow or ice settings available.

• Rain guards: Deflect rain, snow and other debris from your windows and keep inside a dry space.
• Snow products: Chains, snow socks, whatever you need to be able to drive through snow, have on hand and make sure work with your vehicle—before you set out.
• Battery blanket: If going to frigid temperatures consider a battery blanket to warm the battery pack, but most EVs have heaters that turn on in negative temps so you can charge without damaging the battery.
• Snow/ice brush and scraper: Don’t let visibility be an issue on the windshield, windows, mirrors and lights with overnight temperature drops or a sudden snow dump.

Check Your Tires

It can be helpful to have a spare when a flat tire happens, and during holiday travel tire preparedness can help you reach the destination.

• Tire inflator air compressor: For the truly prepared, re-inflate tires on your own. This device takes 2 minutes to inflate car tires to your desired pressure. Perfect for when the check tire pressure light turns on in the middle of nowhere.
• Winter tires: Look into winter tires specifically for EVs. EVs wear out faster because of the heavy battery weight and that speedy torque. Michelin has a guide about selecting winter tires specifically for an EV.

Use High-Tech Safety Features

The sensor systems in most entry-level EVs like the Chevy Bolt EV or Nissan Leaf are already robust with warnings about blind spots, forward and rear collisions, automatic emergency braking and more.

For an additional layer of protection, consider adding a device upfront.

• Dash cams: With night vision, location tracking, voice guidance and high-res footage, a dash camera can be helpful after an incident with recordings and info for authorities and insurance.
• Crash sensors: Often included in a dash cam, the crash sensor detects when something is off and can contact emergency crews for you. Some use your phone with an app that measures the built-in accelerometer for a perceived crash.

Go Low-Tech To Stay Safe

Just because you’re in an EV with the latest connected car technology and built-in sensors doesn’t mean you can forgo basic safety equipment. Make sure a first aid kit and roadside safety products are tucked into the trunk. Luckily an EV means you don’t have to worry about jumper cables or a portable battery pack.

• First aid kit: This works for car camping as well and is good to keep around all the time. Make sure everything is stocked before the trip.

As travellers prepare for the upcoming holiday travel season, they may be anticipating the worst. With air travel guaranteed to become busier, delayed and cancelled flights may be expected.

Thankfully, the travel experts at Bounce have compiled their top tips to help you deal with flight delays and ensure your airport experience is less stressful. Cody Candee, CEO and Founder of Bounce comments:

Monitor your flight

It is more important than ever to carefully monitor your journey, with both delays and cancellations becoming more frequent in recent years. Before heading to the airport, consider downloading your airline’s app to your mobile phone so that you can closely monitor the status of your flight. You can also sign up for text updates and alerts if your flight is going to be delayed or cancelled. As soon as you hear of flight delays or cancellations be sure to contact the airline’s customer service team directly, they will be able to assist you with what to do next.

Source alternative flights & refunds

For flights covered by UK law, your airline must let you choose between a refund or an alternative flight if yours is cancelled. These options must be provided regardless of how far in advance the cancellation was made. If you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight. Similarly, if your flight is cancelled, your airline must provide vouchers for you to purchase food and drink. And, if you require accommodation, they may book a hotel and arrange transportation for you.

Check for compensation

If your flight is cancelled you may be entitled to compensation, however, compensation can depend upon the cause of cancellation. For circumstances which fall to the fault of the airline, you have compensation rights under UK law. Disruptions such as extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other extraordinary circumstances are not eligible for compensation. Take the time to double-check your rights as a passenger before submitting a claim.

Purchase travel insurance

For all trips, both long and short-haul, you should consider purchasing travel insurance that covers both flight delays and cancellations. Although your airline is required to look after you after a specific delay duration in some countries, most travel insurance packages offer additional coverage for travel uncertainty.

Consider Taking Hand Luggage

Lost luggage has become an increasingly common issue in airports over the past few months, and the last thing you want following a flight delay or cancellation is for your luggage to go missing too! For those who don’t want to risk their luggage getting lost in baggage operations, carrying hand luggage only may be your best bet. However, be sure to check the airline’s regulations on what you can carry in your hand luggage, including liquid restrictions.