We live in the era of easily shareable images and we love it. Why shouldn’t we, when we stumble upon some astonishing images while scrolling on the internet and then decide upon our next trip? There are amazing ways to document your trip and capture your memories. You can create your own movie every time you visit a memorable place and become the director of your own adventures. This way you can transform your trip into a unique documentary that might inspire others. So here are the best travel drones for filming your trips.
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What You Need for Aerial Photography
How to Document Your Trip
How to Find the Best Travel Drones
Travel Drone Essentials
Packing Up Your Travel Drones
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What You Need for Aerial Photography
Before I begin to show you creative ways to document your trip via travel photography and videography, I need to make sure you leave home prepared. Here are the tools you need for this project.
- Travel drones for GoPro: Travel drones for GoPro cameras allow you to shoot spectacular angles and heights. They can help you take high altitude flights and compel some impressive videos. According to TodayBestDrone, the best drone for GoPro is even suitable for extreme sports photography. Before planning your luggage, check out this article to discover some of the best products, in terms of price, quality and user reviews.
- Smartphone: Your reliable smartphone works best for notes, photographs, voice recordings and even small-sized videos. You might say that you take your smartphone with you anyway. Make sure you empty its memory card before you leave and grab an external battery for recharging purposes.
- Pen and paper: The old school pen and paper will help you come up with ideas and improve your new school video documentary. Choose a small agenda which also fits in your purse and a quality pen to avoid spills.
Photo by Ian Baldwin on Unsplash
How to Document Your Trip Using the Best Drones for Photography
Build a Video Map of Your Trip
Drones will come in handy when documenting your trip. You might give into the temptation to take aerial photography or videos from everywhere. Feel free to do so. However, you organize your shooting best if you follow a concept.
Focus on creating a video map of your journey. Show a beautiful place together with how you got there and what’s nearby. Later, when you get home, you might even draw a sketch of a nearby place and add it to the map to make it more interactive.
Shoot Your Own Testimonial with Travel Drones
Imagine a testimonial shot from above. Imagine flying the drone higher once you’ve finished your line. You can play with angles, heights and even show the places and objects you’re talking about.
Testimonials add a human touch to documentaries and provide viewers with more information. According to Forbes, you don’t need to follow a script if you have a positive experience. However, you can write down some details you might want to include. There are some storytelling apps for smartphones which might be useful in building your testimonials.
Photo by Fahrul Azmi on Unsplash
Make Time for Interviews with Locals
You might find some surprising information when discussing to locals. They can reveal hidden destinations, stories behind buildings and even ways to save parts of your budget. Locals know unofficial facts about their town or city or village which you cannot find in books.
By using travel drones together with your smartphone, you can also shoot their homes, surroundings and even alternative paths to a certain place. There’s a simple rule to editing the locals’ answers. If you laugh at something they say, your viewers will also laugh.
Master Details
They say that the devil lies in details. You can master them by closely observing your trip and the aerial images you shoot. There are two ways to create stunning images.
- Use a different angle or height when flying the drone for GoPro, even if others have shot the building or place before. You will build a unique approach.
- Find some rarely seen places and shoot them with both your smartphone and drone. You will construct a detailed image of a building or area which hasn’t been shot.
Consider a playlist for your travel drone documentary. Listen to both local traditional songs and recently released ones. There’s a discrepancy between when a song is released in a country and it is available in other ones. Set up Shazam whenever you hear an interesting song and develop a list of potentially suitable soundtrack options. You can create your own playlist on spotify, for instance.
Photo by Sorry imKirk on Unsplash
How to Find the Best Travel Drones for Your Trip
- GoPro Karma is among the most popular GoPro-compatible travel drones. It even has the GoPro official approval stamp. The drone includes a stabilizer for shake-free videos. You can fly it, hold it in your hands or mount it on your body.
- Bugs3 Drone is a cheap option for those who look for wind resistance and high-flying power above all. It can shoot for 35 minutes without interruptions. The high end drone is equipped with four brushless motors which expand its flying time.
- 3DR Solo Drone allows you to set different flight modes for aerial shooting. It comes with HDMI port connectivity and can connect to iOS and Android devices. You can also purchase a 3-axis stabilizer to enhance the quality of your shootings.
- Force1 F100 comes with a HD camera and GoPro compatibility. You have full control over the drone on long-distance HD video filming. The drone has two speeds and can easily flip. It’s easy to learn by adults and children altogether.
- Coxtigo F17 comes with a 4K ultra HD camera which you can use when you want the GoPro to take a rest. The drone comes with an aluminum travel case which you can use when traveling. Also, it uses the brushless motor technology.
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Travel Drone Essentials
If you travel by plane, you can take the drone in the carry-on bag. However, you should purchase a drone case for your trips. If your drone didn’t come with a travel case, you can find some reliable models in online stores. Metallic and leather cases are the most reliable in the field. Equip the drone bags with additional batteries in cases. You can keep batteries in the carry-on bag, but make sure you follow TSA guidelines regarding Watt – hour limits.
There are local drone regulations which you should check before leaving. Most of them are available on aviation authority’s official website. Most local restrictions include prohibition against flying drones over public properties or private properties without the owner’s consent. Make sure the consent is written or video recorded before shooting. Some states or countries also forbid drone flying over critical infrastructure.
Photo by Henrique Macedo on Unsplash
Packing Up Your Travel Drones
Each location and setting is famous for a specific offering. It may offer a spectacular wellness center, natural reservations, impressive mountains or amazing lakes. So, dig into some information about your destination before you plan the trip and scout cool locations in advance. While you’re at it, check the weather reports. Flying in the wind can be detrimental.
Go even further and search for local articles (if available in English), map out an approximate budget and check potential allergy triggers and pollution warnings. These will protect you from any inconveniences that might appear during the trip. Another key information for travel drone users: Familiarize yourself with local travel drone laws and regulations to not have your drone confiscated at the airport or receive a fine for flying over restricted areas.
Photo by Raphael Koh on Unsplash
Take a week to research and purchase the best drone for GoPro and your trip. Test out the drone before using it to avoid any accidental damage. Plan, pack and get onto your next adventure.
Tell me: Have you ever tried aerial photography with travel drones?
[su_box title=”Guest Author – Gavin Hobbs” box_color=”#ef7583″ title_color=”#ffffff” radius=”4″]Gavin Hobbs is a drone enthusiast and also the Senior Editor for TodayBestDrone, a place where you will find reviews for some of the best recreational and commercial drones on the market.[/su_box]
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