Travelling Abroad

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Stephen
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Travelling Abroad

Post by Stephen »

going to Poland soon... I'm not very well travelled so I need to plan well head.. !!

flying by easyjet with a 20kg limit on baggage for the hold.. allowed 1 piece of hand luggage....

will I be able to take my camera in the hand luggage?... where and how would you pack your video equiment?

I have heard that the xrays for hold luggage can damage electronics... what about dv tapes, memory cards etc???

any hints and tips of peeps on recent travels appreciated
Stephen

Film making is not a matter of Life and Death
It's much more important than that.
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stingman
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Post by stingman »

WE WENT TO pARIS THE LAST two years via Eurostar. They use Airport like machines and xrays. My camera was as hand luggage and it went through the trey xray machine. No problems while captureing and filming so don`t worry.
Ian Gardner
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Dave Watterson
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Post by Dave Watterson »

I'll echo Ian's reassurance there. Take your camera as hand luggage so that you can protect it from the rough handling which other baggage often receives. The x-rays and other devices used on hand baggage are fairly low powered and if the officials are worried about something they can immediately ask you to open up the case and camcorder to show them all is well.

There are always stories about chemical films being fogged by x-rays but I've never actually met anyone who has had this problem, even when they have gone through several check-points on a long series of flights. I've never come across electronic kit that has suffered.

Have a great time, the Poles are very nice people and there is a lot to see. Be aware that the majority of the population are pretty poor by comparison with us, so there is a temptation for a few of them to steal from "rich tourists" so don't flaunt a fancy watch or diamond tie-pin. That said you are probably more at risk in London than Krakow or Warsaw.

If you are getting used to travelling - do allow plenty of time to check-in and go through security. The check-in queues for low-cost airlines can be very slow ... Jan and I have found ourselves sometimes wondering if we will get to the clerk before they call for boarding! So far we have always made it.

If you are up for more travel, and maybe a chance to see some great movies, I can give you info about amateur film festivals in various places. Jan and I will probably go to Croatia in May for the one-minute movie festival, to Austria in June for the Festival of Nations and to Slovakia in September for the UNICA festival where nations compete.

Bring back lots of great shots - take a look on the main IAC website in the Resources Section at
http://www.fvi.org.uk/training/gough/hawaii01.html
which is a masterclass in how to make a movie of a holiday and still have a holiday!

Dave
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stingman
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Post by stingman »

If one of my films get chosen then I will try and go to Croatia in May for the one-minute movie festival in June. It will same money from there kind gesture of free board and accomodation if your film is chosen. I`ve no idea of what to exspect but it will be a challenge. I saw the info pages on the IAC website and it looks good from the write up you did David.
Ian Gardner
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Michael Slowe
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Travelling Abroad

Post by Michael Slowe »

I faced exactly this problem only last month. My camera bag just complies with the new regulations and I managed to fit in four mics, three batteries, nine tapes, cables and some other kit like a mobile DVD / CD player, discs etc. I checked the tripod in as regular baggage in a locked canvas carrying bag.

No problems with X-Ray but one one flight they did want to look in the bag! Beware putting the bag down anywhere, even for a minute - I lost the lot last year in Miami airport whilst checking in!!
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen »

Great stuff Ian, Dave, Michael... many thanks

My main worry was the size of camera-bag as its just on the max dimensions posted on the easyjet website... but without trying too hard its easy to find conflicting bag sizes :cry:
I have erred on the smallest....

probably better if I can get to the airport now and try the camera bag in their bag sizer !!


promise I will bring lots of pics to show you guys and gals....

one project I intend to take up to 2 days on is Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum.... from the info on the website it looks a a place for some powerful pictures....
Stephen

Film making is not a matter of Life and Death
It's much more important than that.
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