I've been trying to find the perfect journal to take on our trip. We are super picky about the type of journal we take with us on adventures. Karen is left handed and I am right handed. When we are on trips, we both like to write in the journal and we both like the type of journal with a cover that opens flat. I prefer spiral bound if it's the type that you can open all the way around, not a half-spiral. We like to do drawings in our journal so the pages don't have to be lined but my dream journal would be a combo of both. Or paper lined on one side. I'm bringing a container to hold all our ephemera so that I can use it later. My greatest souvenirs from places are not things I have purchased, but lovely ticket stubs and menus attached to memories. The other important thing about the journal is it has to fit in my bag.
Comfy shoes are important, the journal is important, and the right bag you carry all day is important. A few months ago I ordered a custom camera bag that I love. At fist I thought it would be THE bag. Karen got one, too. It's really good because it does not look like a camera bag. To me, a good bag has to be easy to wear while moving around and it can't have a strap that might even slightly make me think it might for a second choke me to death. Also, it has to be able to hold my bottle of water without spilling. I am not the type of person who travels around on a bus taking photos while seated all day. I need a bag that doesn't get in my WAY. While I was waiting for my custom bag to arrive, I'd been going on and on to the point of annoyance on twitter and facebook about looking for a bag when my friend Nadia said she had a great bag she recently used in Italy and she'd send it to me. Of course being me, I was all is it gonna choke me to death? I mean, thank you!
The custom bag and Nadia's bag both arrived around the same time and they are both totally different. On a weekend when I had to be cooking and cleaning and running around like a crazy person, I wore each bag fully loaded with my camera, iPhone, a bottle of water, a map, tampons, gum, a hair clip, and a bag with an empty gelato container while I did stuff. After five minutes, I wanted to kill the custom bag. The custom bag would be great if you are not roaming the streets of Europe. It will be great while I am at home doing my normal photo shoot things. I do love the custom bag in theory. But, Nadia's bag won and it didn't choke me at all and it was very comfy. I could move around easily and the bag did not get in my way, it didn't get stuck on anything, and it didn't make me feel like a hippo. Coincidentally, I noticed my other BFF was posting photos of herself in Europe a few weeks ago wearing the same bag Nadia had. No need to tell me twice. The Ameribag is the winner!
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To celebrate my feet and back being in Harmony while we Do-Ray-Me- on the Alps of Austria, I am happy to offer FREE domestic shipping on all art and books in my shop! Use coupon code AUSTRIA. Or if you are not in the USA, save 10% with coupon code ITALY. Thanks for looking! My shop will be closed from July 27th- August 16th.