I don’t really know why I started exposing all my mistakes to my cadre of Cruiseboysians, but I’m a creature of habit – so here we go. These are the things I’d do different if I were to take this cruise again.
Suspenders
This one is simple. The rain trousers I bought were very simple, with an elastic waistband. Therefore, I needed suspenders to keep them up. I used a pair of office-dress suspenders, and they worked when I test fitted everything a month before my trip. However, in the wild, windy cold days, getting into and out of zodiacs moving with the waves, combined with my decades-old (oh, so many decades) suspender did not cut it. I ended up double-folding the waistband, which helped.
Solution – like I said, simple. Buy a newer, sports-oriented set of suspenders. Maybe something used for skiing.
Glasses + Rain
I stopped wearing contact lenses when I stopped playing “serious” sports. I don’t mind glasses. However, trying to work with them in the wet, cold Antarctic, especially in the rain or wind-driven-from-glaciers sleet, it was a pain to even scan for wild life or cool landscapes to take a picture of. Contacts have their own issues – for example, if I were on a safari in a dry, dusty area.
Solution – Depending on the type of travel I’m doing, it may be worth getting a contact prescription. It’s not like when I was in the Army – I fully expect to be in a clean, comfortable environment at least every two days, more likely daily. I’ve maintained contacts in the past. I just need to include an “Eyesight Decision” in my cruise (or other travel) checklist in the future.
Camera Lens Protection
Same issue I had with glasses goes many-times more for my camera lens. I have rain gear for the camera as a whole. But it does not do much for keeping the water off my lens. There are lens hoods, but they really exist to keep the sun (or other light sources) from causing flare on your image.
I’ve never liked them because they took so much space and are cumbersome to walk with as they extend the length of my already very long lens. However, they make rubber collapsible lens hoods.
Solution – Before my next camera-oriented trip I need to visit a local big camera store (per-requisite: find local big camera store) and experiment with different collapsible lens hoods.
Tidbits
I take an absurd pride in my international electrical plug adapter kit. I research where I’m traveling and take the plugs I need. However, I messed up on my Iguazu add-on trip. I don’t know if I was lazy when reading the marketing material or what, but I thought I was going to the Brazil side of the falls. Nope, it was Argentina. And of course, they have different plug standards. Since I knew the falls were shared between the countries, I should have taken both plugs. Be flexible.
I carry a desktop-replacement laptop, so I can use the more-powerful CPU and GPU for image and video processing. I also use a travel mouse. Fun fact – computer mice do not enjoy glass-topped desks. Of which 4 out of the five hotels I used on the trip had. I need a small, travel mouse pad in my kit.
Not too bad, I consider the camera lens hood the biggest lesson from this trip. Next post – final thoughts of the trip.