Travelling internationally is tough enough. Travelling internationally with thousands of dollars worth of photography gear is tougher. As most people already know, never check in your photography gear. Tripods, monopods, and rocket blowers can sometimes be pulled aside by the TSA and they will ask you to check them in. So I usually do not keep these items in my carry on. Everything else is in my carry on and with me at all times. My favorite carry-on bag is the Think Tank Airport Security V 2.0 which you can get from Amazon.com.

I used to carry a Lowepro Pro Runner 350 AW Backpack but once it’s filled up with 20+ lbs of gear, it’s tough on the back and shoulders with all the walking you have to do in airports, waiting around in lines, getting to the hotel, etc. So I have completely switched to a roller bag when flying now. So much more comfortable.

One thing I worry about is being forced to gate check my bag. What this means is you get through the TSA checkpoint and are waiting for your flight at the gate. But then the airline makes an announcement there is limited space for carry-on luggage and starts taking carry-ons away from people and moving them to the belly of the plane as you board. I’ve had this happen on smaller domestic flights several times (luckily just clothes, not photo gear) but never have had it happen on an international flight. If you are ever asked to gate check, try and explain nicely to the airline attendant you are carrying several thousand dollars worth of delicate photography gear and glass and would like to hang on to it. Ask them if they have any spare room for it in the flight attendants or pilot’s luggage section. If they don’t budge, you’re in trouble. So I always pack a small Under Armour Sackpack gym sack bag I roll up and stick in my carry-on bag in the event of an issue like this.

If they force you to check your carry-on bag, open it up and transfer all your bodies and lenses into this gym sack. This way all your expensive gears remains with you in a bag the size of a purse which they will have no issue with. You can easily put it under the seat in front of you. There is no padding and you have to be very careful with stuff shifting but at least all your gear is with you and not being knocked around below somewhere or god forbid stolen.

If you’re worried about gear being knocked around using the gym sack and really don’t want to check your camera bag, then try a photographers vest. Sometimes due to your carry on being overweight (easy to do with camera gear) and because of 1 bag maximum requirements, you can’t use the gym sack because it will be counted as a second bag and they won’t gate check because of time constraints so they ask you to pay a fee for being overweight (more money in their pockets). US flights are usually not bad about this but some international flights are very strict and will hassle you over it. So I always keep a photographer’s vest in my bag. Gear that you “wear” on board is not counted against you. I use the Domke Photogs Vest for this. If I’m ever told I need to check the bag or pay fees due to being overweight, I just pull out this vest, put it on, and put my body and lenses in the pockets until the bag makes weight. After I board, I just put it all back in the bag and I’m set.

The last thing is dealing with international or US Customs when entering or returning from the country. Though it has never happened to me yet, they might suspect you are buying and selling the gear an not a professional photographer. So they’ll try to make you pay duty tax on your gear. Especially true if you take good care of your gear and it all looks brand new. To mitigate this, I always have an envelope in my gear bags with the following:

1. A business card (DUH! Always have business cards!)
2. A copy of my gear insurance policy with schedule of items (itemized list with serial numbers)
3. US Customs Form 4457 filled out and stamped by a Customs agent – http://forms.cbp.gov/pdf/CBP_Form_4457.pdf
4. Keep all the above synced in a Dropbox account and have the Dropbox mobile app installed on your phone
5. Keep all the above on a USB key in your carry on. Password protected in a zip file or use disk encryption to keep it safe

A business card helps identify you as a professional photographer. The insurance policy/gear list shows that you purchased and own all the gear for your own personal use. Form 4457 shows that US Customs is aware of what you are taking so you shouldn’t have any trouble on the return trip. Just print out a couple of these forms and cram in as much gear as possible into them. Then when you are getting your passport looked at, ask the agent to sign and stamp these for you. They may need you to open your bag and inspect your items but usually this is pretty quick. You don’t have to pull everything out. You can even do this ahead of time at your local US Customs office. You can find the nearest one here: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/ports/. When you get back home, make sure to take scan a copy of your form. They are good for all future trips. Put an electronic copy/PDF version of all these items in a Dropbox account. Then install the Dropbox mobile app on your phone. In a pinch you can’t find your documents, you can always pull it up on your phone and show the Customs official.

You can also get an ATA Carnet which is a document that says your gear is yours and is valid in many countries but this is usually not required unless you have a lot of gear in Pelican cases you’re trying to bring into a country and you look like you’re shooting a movie. In those cases they are absolutely required or they won’t let you in to the country. Carnets are expensive and only last for 1 year so only look into one if you’re bringing a lot of gear along. You can find more info on their website: http://www.atacarnet.com/

Hope this info helps you in your travels! Please do comment if you have any travel tips to add.