Here are some of the advantages of using a digital camera:

1) You don’t need to pay for film or developing. A digital camera requires no film. The photographs are stored on a small removal chip inside the camera. You can then transfer (or “download”) the pictures from the chip onto your computer. If you don’t take your computer on your travels, you might want to invest in an additional chip. Be sure to find out how many images can be stored on the each chip.

2) Digital pictures can be viewed and discarded on the spot. With a conventional camera you’re never sure of the quality of the photograph until it has come back from being developed. This is not true of digital photography. You can view the image immediately and decide if you want to retake the shot. You can also delete images you don’t want along the way.

3) Digital images can be e-mailed while you’re still traveling. When we were in Alaska I transferred Eve’s digital pictures to my computer. Then I attached a select few to e-mails so my friends and family could get an immediate view of what we were seeing. Pretty amazing!

4) Once your digital images are stored in your computer you can then make adjustments to the image (i.e. crop it, remove the red eye, etc.) before you print and frame it. Be sure to invest in good photo quality paper or your image won’t be as clear as you expect. The quality of the picture is also going to depend on the quality of your printer.

Instead of carrying rolls and rolls of film Eve carried a spare set of batteries for her digital camera. Much less cumbersome and not nearly as expensive. Before you invest in a digital camera try out a friend’s or have a salesperson give you a demonstration. Even with a digital camera I can still cut off people’s heads, but at least I didn’t have to pay to see my disastrous photo attempts developed.

The first half of our trip was spent on a cruise ship where I wasn’t able to connect my laptop for Internet access. The ship did offer Internet access on their computers at $7.50 for 15 minutes. (Ouch!)

Read below for helpful hints on accessing e-mail while away and how to avoid hefty Internet fees: 

• It is important you know what company you use for your e-mail (i.e. your Internet Service Provider or ISP). It will be their web site that you’ll visit for your e-mail. For example, if you’re an AOL user, you’ll go to www.aol.com to check for new e-mail. Some ISPs do not allow access from outside computers. Call or e-mail your ISP to find out what they offer.
• Write your e-mail password down and bring it on your trip. You will not be able to access your e-mail without your password. Many people think they can remember their password, but it is always safer to write it down.
• Bring the e-mail addresses of the folks you want to e-mail while you’re traveling. Just in case your ISP doesn’t let you access your e-mail address book, always bring the addresses that you think you may want to send e-mail.
• Take advantage of the public library at your destination. To avoid the hefty Internet fees on the cruise ship I visited the local library when we were in port. I was able to access the Internet for free!

Being away no longer means being out of touch. I’ve been able to receive and send e-mail no matter how remote our location. I’ve even been able to send e-mail to my grandmother every day so she can experience our adventures almost as they happen.