Ten years ago I made the choice to go on my first journey that required a passport. In May of 2007 I was slated to fly from Houston to Birmingham, United Kingdom for a one month stay and then another few weeks in London after that. I had been to Eleuthera, Bahamas in high school but made it in with only a birth certificate at the tiniest airport I’ve ever seen. Now I needed governmental approval to travel. That first trip really cemented in me a love of finding new things. Birmingham, which is not most people’s ideal first travel experience, was eye-opening for me. I’ve long been obsessed with British culture and just being around university students that had completely different life experiences than I was invigorating. These students holidayed in Spain or Germany for fun because it was accessible. I, on the other hand, had yet to visit Canada or Mexico.

Starting Out Small

In Birmingham , UK in 2007 (I’m on the far right.) Photo by Zack Russell.

Taking my first trip in an English speaking country was the best thing for me. I needed to ease myself into a different culture and with the diversity represented in Birmingham, there was nothing short of a million things to see. The trip was so amazing that I actually did it again in 2008, followed by another month in London. To date, it’s the most time I’ve ever spent in the UK and I miss it terribly. That’s part of why I chose to propose to my wife in London. There’s just something about the city and culture that has captured my soul.

No matter how many times I go back, there’s always something new to be acquainted with. That’s the beauty of travel, it always affords you new eyes.

Taking a plunge

With my now two-year old passport, I decided to try my mettle at a bit more long term adventure. I signed up for a program that allowed me to teach English to university students in Paris. My teammate and I lived in a tiny room in the 16th Arrondissement and I spent my time letting Paris change me. I was fresh out of university and needed something new in my life. I let my hair grow long, read books by French philosophers and spent every Wednesday playing music at an Open Mic in a Scottish pub. It was a beautiful, stressful and life-altering time.

There was no turning back for me. Travel was exactly what I wanted. Well, travel was more the conduit for experience. I’m a firm believer that you can find what you’re looking for anywhere as long as you’re ready to find it.

Homebound

After returning home to Houston, life set in. I got a job, started dating someone seriously and moved into the city. Whatever I had wanted from my life in Paris was quickly gone. This is something that happens to every traveler at some point. You lose focus of what you wanted to do, sometimes for very good reasons, and then five years passes. For me, I wanted to be normal. The problem is, normal is a myth and I never knew how to find it. To sate my wanderlust I talked about traveling with my girlfriend, who was pretty lukewarm on the idea. I planned imaginary trips that we would never go on and spent my free time pricing airfares.

I was stuck between two worlds with a girlfriend I wasn’t being fair to. So, as expected, the relationship ended. Meanwhile, my passport sat in my desk collecting dust.

Finding the Perfect Travel Companion

passport

It was now 2012 and I had no idea when I was going to travel outside of the United States again. Then the best thing that ever could have happened walked into my life. I found my traveling partner. In five years I had only been to Las Vegas, Seattle or on trips to see family or friends. Within one year of dating my now wife, we’d gone to New York City, all over Texas and planned all the trips to our dream destinations. So when we had the chance to lead a pilgrimage to London and Canterbury in 2014, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I’ll save the whole story for another time, but in short, she said yes as we sat right outside St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Since then we’ve been to Italy, France, and England, with shorter trips to lots of US cities. The last trip on my passport was with my wife and parents to Paris for 10 days. Now I have to start the renewal process so we can have some fresh pages to stamp on our next adventures!

My first ten years of travel have been the most formative years in my life. Living in different cultures taught me to appreciate the “other,” whether thats a different religion, race, lifestyle, sexual orientation or simply an attitude. That’s what I love about the art of travel. No matter where you go you never come back the same person. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

In an article for Forbes, contributor Brett Steenbarger wrote, "I’ve never achieved a creative insight in a routine setting.” As normal sounding as that sentence may be, it’s actually pretty profound. Fresh experiences cause us to create new thoughts, ideas and insights. I spent most of my time in college studying in the exact same position. The back corner table by the bookshelf in The Mudhouse in downtown Springfield, Missouri. It was my home away from home and made me feel comfortable, welcome and caffeinated.

The college period of my life was marked by a pretty heavy creative output. I wrote more words in that coffee shop than probably in all other coffee shops I’ve been to since. It was my routine spot for five years and to this day holds many fond memories. The problem is, the more I look back, the less creative that time seems.

Passport Stamps and Scrutiny

I received my first passport in 2007 and that little government issued booklet has been more of an idea creator than any amount of time I spent at The Mudhouse. The question is, why?

"While traveling, however, I’ve experienced many fresh perspectives and generated quite a few new ideas,” Steenbarger posits in the Forbes article. "The more unique the travel destination, such as the Alaska glacier, the more likely it’s been that I’ve arrived at important realizations."

The moment I stepped off my first trans-Atlantic flight in Birmingham, United Kingdom, every idea I had up until that point quickly faded. I was dutifully  singled out for scrutiny by airport security. My ability to think on my feet was now imperative. This was post-9/11 England and forgetting to bring your destination address was obviously frowned upon. No phone, no address and pretty much no clue, I somehow talked myself out of a weird situation by claiming I was just a dumb American (at that point, true) who’d never been to England before.

Creativity as Necessity

I was traveling alone, having opted to book my own flight without the group I was meeting to save money. Growing up in Houston, now the most diverse US city, had given me a chance to experience lots of different cultures. This, however, was a whole new level. Steenberger writes that “creativity seems to be a function of fresh experiencing,” and that’s exactly what I had stumbled into. Next thing I know I was watching a new friend feed her child some type of lamb stew. Everything was different. It was raining outside, as usual, and my head needed rearranging.

Early on in my stay I found a tiny cafe at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham’s city centre. For the next month that little place became a haven of new ideas, conversations and thought. I had brought along a few books on philosophy and my mind was awash with new accents and world views. I visited a church for Iranian immigrants fleeing persecution in their home country. Every sinew inside me was pushed to its limit as a brand new reality unfolded in front of me.

At that little cafe, I wrote, read and believed in things that I never would have thought possible just one month earlier. My “fresh experiences” turned on sections of my brain that I didn’t even know existed. I was hopelessly addicted to travel and the world around me.

Finding Fresh Experiences

"We become better creative thinkers when we become more emotionally creative, and we become more emotionally creative when we actively engage the world in fresh ways,” writes Steenbarger. The problem that I have is finding fresh things in the city that I live in. Houston is the fourth largest city in America and has an overabundance of culture, arts and entertainment. It’s literally around every corner. But for me, I have trouble seeing any of it.

This city has been my home for a good number of years and each day it feels exactly the same. Kim and I take little trips and go out of our way to find adventure, but the city feels the same. I crave fresh experiences and for some reason, the only place I can find them is somewhere else.

Redefining Wanderlust

That’s all well and good, but traveling can be pretty expensive and time-consuming when it isn’t your job. Just the other day I visited a piece of the Berlin Wall that is housed on the campus of Rice University. It’s been there since the 1990’s and yet I had never seen it. There’s a wide world right next to me and I can’t seem to stop looking up flights on Google Flights.

Wanderlust is a real thing, now I just need to learn how to translate that wanderlust closer to home for the in between times. After all, for the part-time traveler, the in between time is usually 90% of your life. For the sake of fresh experiences, creativity and happiness, I’ve got to open my eyes a little wider.

Those times at The Mudhouse really seemed creative at the moment, but now that I look back on it, all the end products looked the same. Angsty poetry, research papers and poorly structured song lyrics. The experience itself can't be discounted but the lack of exposure to the world left me a pretty shallow pool to fish from. The more I see the world, the more I am shaped and opened up to these fresh experiences. The creative output that comes from those times is definitely more interesting and inclusive. Steenbarger's right, "the ability to experience the world distinctively" will sharpen and enhance your worldview and your art.

The How To Make A Travel Video series looks at the different aspects of capturing travel memories on film. You’ll see great examples to inspire and learn about the gear and techniques that help make great travel videos better. You can find the rest of the series here. I've written about the effect music can have on travel and your ability to remember things. The same rings true for music in travel videos. I can't tell you how many times I've watched beautiful images fly by but don't give them another thought because they're accompanied by "Achy Breaky Heart" type songs. You end up only remembering the crappy music and not the romantic kiss beneath the Eiffel Tower. So lets take a look at how the soundtrack can shape your travel videos.

Music, Editing and Shot Length

First things first. A lot of the leg work behind the perfect music track really depends on your editing. Cutting to the beat or by dynamic moves can totally ramp up the tension and emotion of the images that are being displayed. This can be as quick or as slow as the music but it also doesn't have to be consistent. If you start off cutting shots to the beat don't feel like you're stuck with that for the whole video. Long pauses force viewers to take a breath and ponder what is happening in front of them. In the example below, "I Was Not The Fyrst" you'll find some great examples of using lulls in the rhythm and volume to accentuate landscapes.

Chehade Boulos chose a semi-ambient track to go with his mostly wide shots. At 1:23 the dynamics pick up just as the drone shot crests a ridge and shows the watery expanse below. Instead of using a cut, the beat pushes the narrative forward. The image at 3:23 of the man looking out with light guitars playing in the background is breathtaking. Now, imagine that same shot with someone singing a country song over it. Loses something, right?

A great example of editing to music can be seen in the video "A Week In Norway." The beat pushes shots into the next ones and keeps your eyes moving as the scene unfolds. Cuts take place on beat and even employ quick cuts (example at 0:27) that give only glimpses of whats to come. Editing tightly to music helps amp up the visual movement and keep viewers engaged.

Ambient Noise & Sound Effects

I'm bad at using natural sound in videos. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and when I'm out shooting I'm not worrying about audio as much as I should. Ambient noise can really bring a viewer into the visual story. In the video below, "Serbia - Land Coloured With Life," we're treated to some beautiful images but they're accompanied with some very out of place sound effects

The screeches of the chain and the wooshing effect makes me immediately want to stop watching. It effectively pulls me out of the world that is being shown. It's unnatural, overpowering and only serves to cheapen the images being shown. Now contrast that with the subtle ambient nature sounds in "Patagonia" below.

Instead of taking you out of the environment, the subtle noise plants your feet into the grass and rock of Argentina and Chile. The ambient sounds almost feel like they're a part of the music, not simply playing underneath it. So make sure to capture some of the surrounding audio, just in case.

Music As Narrative Focus

Walter Martin's song "Amsterdam" was basically made to accompany whimsical videos from the Dutch capital. It sets the scene, mood and everything else. Seriously, just go make that video. Another way to use music to set the narrative focus is to use a song that has lyrics that speak to your journey. The video below is about a couple traveling in Asia and they chose a song from Kidnap Kid that focuses on moments.

The lyrics move along with the journey like a pseudo music video for the song. Some music videos are basically travel videos, I'm looking at you Death Cab For Cutie. The beat in "Moments In Asia" helps move the journey along, taking you along for the ride. The use of a GoPro also helps by getting you up close and personal with the couple.

Another way to use music as narrative is to pick music that helps identify with a place. Think reggae beats in a video about a Caribbean trip. The ease of identity helps draw the viewer into the narrative. In this video by Jose Matos, the first notes of the song set the scene for what is coming ahead. You can practically feel the air of Paris blowing across your face as you hold a cappuccino in your hands.

Movement In Music

If you're watching a snowboarding video that is accompanied by really slow folk music, odds are you're left scratching your head. Where's the energy? Action shots call for certain types of music that match their intensity and slow moving walks require something completely different. In "The Quiet City: Winter In Paris" we see a city that seems like it's slow, languid and serene. To help get us in the mood, Arvo Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel" plays softly in the background. This also happens to be one of my favorite compositions and pairs beautifully with the slow moving pans and shots of cars gliding down cold, crowded streets.

Resources

A good soundtrack can make or break a good travel video. It can also make it much easier to edit and put together in post production. You can find great music to license at places like The Music Bed and Premium Beat. There's also free options like Free Music Archive. Check with local musicians about using their music to give your videos an indie flair and help them promote their projects. With plenty of places to find great music, don't steal something that's copyrighted. It costs a lot of money to make good music and musicians should get paid for their music and not have it ripped off. So please, get permission or a license before you put music in your video. It's better for everyone and could keep you from having your video taken down.

  The How To Make A Travel Video series looks at the different aspects of capturing travel memories on film. You'll see great examples to inspire and learn about the gear and techniques that help make great travel videos better. You can find the rest of the series here.

I recently traveled to Amsterdam by myself. It was my first bit of solo travel in a while and with my camera in hand, I didn't really know what to point it at. I had a Nikon D750 with a small Joby tripod that fit inside my backpack. The houses were there, people were everywhere and yet I had no inspiration. Every time I pointed the camera at something, I would get shy and not sure if that's what I wanted to shoot. In short, I had no focus. My regular travel companion had just flown to Pittsburgh from Paris and I was definitely short of inspiration.

So where do you find focus?  Lets take a look at a few different types of travel videos and then see what sets them apart.

Berlin and People

In this video by David Drills you get an up close and personal look at Berlin. By personal, I mean most frames are filled with a person. It's less a look at the city structurally than a gaze at its inhabitants. There's a personal feeling to the video that really captures the essence of Berlin more than other types of travel video. Drills focus was on the interactions and microcosm of Berliners. You still see shots of the city's transportation, skyline and even some street art, but they are a vehicle to break up the look at different people. If your focus is on new experiences, this a perfect type of video to create them. Why not try filming some local people on your next trip and see what adventures come out of it.

I also love that he shot the whole thing through a single 35mm lens. The wider angle caused him to have to get up close and personal with his subjects. What a great way to meet new people in a foreign city. With his focus on the people, Drills creates a stunning look at the modern city of Berlin.

Memories of Italy

If Drills looked at people, Gunther Machu went the other direction and focused completely on the beauty and aesthetic of Italy. Here you see stunning landscapes, timeless architecture and lots of sumptuous lens flare. There's no competing with the grandiose scenes of Venice and Florence. The focus is clearly on conveying beauty and the few people that show up are simply taking that beauty in. For people who are sightseers, this is a super effective way of capturing the heart and soul of the subjects history. The different sites draw you into the tourist's path and invite you to come along. These are the kind of videos that people search for before they go on a trip.

Now lets take a look at a totally different, and much more involved type of travel video.

Travel Where You Live

In this video, which was sponsored, concepted and probably scripted, we see Sebastian Linda create a compelling argument for traveling where you live. This is a much higher concept piece than the last two, but is easily repeatable with a little bit of time and brainstorming. The focus here, like with Berlin 35, is on people but the difference lies with what those people are doing. Not only is a narrator talking about a particular subject, the people in the shot are interacting with their surroundings. It's a marriage of the first two video concepts built around a specific purpose.

The narrative structure puts the experience in focus, with the people and the destination acting together. Berlin 35 shows the people. Memories of Italy shows the place. Travel Where You Live shows the people experiencing the place. The difference in focus is small but the resulting footage is vastly different.

Finding Your Focus

All three of these videos work. They have many similarities in style, execution and subject but it's their focus that sets them apart. When you're filming your travel, remember that the memories are what's important. If you're a people person, Berlin 35 probably speaks to you more than Memories of Italy. If you want to remember the stunning beauty of the destination, Memories of Italy will definitely be the type of focus you look for. If you want to show others the experiences they can have, the Travel Where You Live model makes the most sense for you. The important thing is to keep your focus in mind when you start. Don't close yourself off to a narrative structure change, but just be aware of what you want to capture. It'll make the experience more enjoyable and probably result in more professional footage.

What other types of narrative focus do you like to use in travel videos?

  A few months ago I stumbled across a camera/travel bag from a new company called Vinta. Billed as a bag for the "modern traveler", the Vinta S Series fits somewhere between a less canvas version of a Bradley Mountain backpack and a functional camera bag. I ordered mine in the Forest Green color-way with tan leather handles and accents. In pictures it looked rugged and refined, calling back to a woodsman's sensibilities but in a bit more of a functional fashion.

Green With Envy

Right out of the box the S Series was everything I wanted it to be. The Forest Green color really pops when paired with the leather accents. At only 2.2 pounds, it is super comfortable on your back, even when fully loaded down. For my purposes that includes a Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm lens, Nikkor 85mm lens, battery grip, two batteries and chargers, Rode VideoMic Go, and a lens filter kit. At full capacity, the S Series never felt too full or heavy. The weight distribution over the small footprint bag was perfect and makes carrying it all day a breeze.

Small Size Rules

The S Series is a pretty small feeling bag, which worried me at first. At 11.5 x 15.75 x 5.5 in., it's definitely smaller than my Tenba DNA 15. As I began wearing it fully loaded, I realized the small footprint led to a more comfortable experience. It sits pretty high up on your back but leaves room at the bottom of the bag to attach a tripod comfortably.

Rugged Look

The looks of the Vinta S Series is easily one of its best qualities. I'm not sure I've ever received compliments on my camera bag before, until now. The S Series doesn't necessarily look like a camera bag, which helps with urban commuting and not advertising that it has a few thousand dollars worth of gear inside. On weekends I'm a jeans and t-shirt guy and the S Series blends in seamlessly and fashionably. The back load zipper feature also keeps your gear protected from theft while wearing it.

Digital Nomad Issues

My one issue with the S Series comes not from it's small size but in its ability to carry my 15" MacBook Pro. Namely because it really can't without making it hard to access any of the other gear that I've stored. With all my gear fit inside, the 15" MacBook Pro barely fits into the slot unless you load it from the front, meaning you can't access the camera gear without taking the laptop out first from a different pocket. Yes my 15" MacBook Pro is a beast and I should probably get something a bit more portable. I tried lightening the load and adding it in and that mostly worked, but it was still too tall to open from the back. So if you're looking to use this as a camera and computer bag, make sure you're using a 13" laptop for optimal fit.

Overall

The Vinta S Series is a perfect bag for traveling lightly with your camera. It carries the essentials, especially if you shoot with a mirrorless camera, and looks great while doing it. The small size makes it super comfortable for long days of carrying. I do wish I could fit my 15" MacBook Pro more comfortably, but that's a minor issue for me. I need a smaller laptop anyway. Overall, I'm really happy with the Vinta S Series and can't wait to take it on more photo adventures. You can order the S Series from Vinta here and from Amazon here. To see more specs on the Vinta S Series, check out my earlier post.

Photos: All photos were taken by my lovely wife Kim at Rice University in Houston, TX.

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post and did not receive my Vinta S Series bag as compensation for this review. I genuinely love this bag and bought it with my own cash. The opinions are my own and are unsolicited. The Amazon link is an affiliate link that allows me to earn commission from any referral sales. This is a way to help support the ongoing effort of I Create Nothing to bring relevant travel, creativity and lifestyle content to you.