Losing your travel photos is one of the worst things that can happen to a photographer on the road, far worse than a missed flight or stolen gear. Unlike equipment, lost images can’t be replaced. It doesn’t matter if you’re shooting a professional assignment or documenting a once-in-a-lifetime trip, knowing how to keep your photos safe while traveling is essential. A reliable backup system isn’t just about storage, t’s peace of mind, ensuring your captured moments survive long after the journey ends.
TL/DR: A simple daily backup routine protects your travel photos from loss, theft, and drive failure.
- Backup is essential. Lost photos are gone for good.
- Use one memory card per day.
- Carry three external hard drives in different colors.
- Back up every night to all three drives.
- Store drives separately: one on you, one in the hotel, one in transit.
- Use SSDs if you want more reliability.
- This system prevents data loss from theft, damage, or failure.
Why photo backup matters when travelling
I’ll admit it. I’m paranoid about photo loss. But that paranoia didn’t come from nowhere, it was earned the hard way.
Early in my career, after a multi-day commercial shoot, I boarded the London Underground with a camera full of images and a bag full of gear. While reviewing the photos on my camera, I decided to switch memory cards to keep the shots safe.
I removed the full card and, for reasons I still can’t explain, set it down beside me on the train seat while I fumbled with the new one. When I got home, the card was gone.
Frantic calls to lost and found led nowhere.
I had to explain the situation to the client, apologize, and reshoot the entire project for free. It was one of the most gut-wrenching mistakes I’ve made as a photographer. But it taught me something essential: no matter how careful you think you are, your images are never safe unless you have a backup plan.
Since then, I’ve followed the same digital workflow every time I travel. It’s based on redundancy, consistency, and just the right amount of paranoia.
Essential gear for photo backup on the road
Memory cards: One per day rule
I always make sure that I have enough memory cards to last me for each day of the trip. So, for example, if I am away for 10 days, I would take at least 10 memory cards (but I would usually take a couple more as spares). I rarely ever use a whole one in one day but it just makes it easier to know that I can use a fresh one each day and not accidentally delete photos that I haven’t backed up.
External hard drives: Why three is the magic number
In addition to the memory cards, I also take three passport size 1TB hard drives. I purposefully have these in different colors (I will explain why later).One thing to keep in mind when you are buying hard drives is aside from being portable you should also make sure they work just plugged into your laptop (i.e. they don’t need to be plugged into the mains as sometimes you may need to back up whilst on the move).
Choosing the right hard drives (SSD vs HDD)
Use drives that work without external power
Some drives need to be plugged into the wall. Those won’t help you on the move. Choose drives that run off your laptop’s USB port. You might need to back up in a car, on a bus, or in a remote area.
Solid-state drives are more reliable
SSDs have no moving parts. They handle bumps and drops better than HDDs. They’re also smaller and lighter. But they cost more.
Recommended model: Samsung T5 Portable SSD 1TB
Label drives for easy tracking
I use three different colored drives: black, red, and blue. This helps me tell them apart during backup and packing.
- Black stays with me in my camera bag.
- Red stays in the hotel safe.
- Blue stays in the car or my suitcase.
This color system helps reduce theft risk. Even if one is lost or stolen, two backups remain.
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Evening transfer process
Every single night after the day’s shoot I transfer all of my photos from the memory card from that day onto my three hard drives in a folder called “Day 1, Day 2, etc”.
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Copying to Multiple Drives
Next I transfer the photos from that first hard drive onto the other two as it’s usually quicker than transferring from the memory card to the hard drive. I’m basically making 2 extra copies of the photo.
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Managing and Labeling Memory Cards
I then turn over the memory card in my metal card holders so that I know that card if full of photos. This way I won’t accidentally pick it up if I need to change cards.
Redundancy Strategy – Why 3 copies aren’t too many
I have three hard drives firstly to ensure if for any reason one corrupts or is stolen, I have backups.
One drive will fail
On a trip to Bhutan, one of my drives crashed five days in. I had to reformat it. If I hadn’t had backups, those photos would be gone.
Drives fail. It’s not rare. Expect it.
Use color to stay organized
I carry three drives: black, red, and blue. Each one serves a purpose.
- Black is always with me in my day bag.
- Red stays in the hotel safe.
- Blue goes in the car or suitcase.
Color helps me avoid confusion during backup and ensures consistent separation.
Spread out your risk
Never keep all your drives in one place.
- On flights, one drive goes in carry-on, one in a laptop bag, and one in checked luggage.
- In transit, I keep one on me, one in gear, one hidden.
If one gets lost, stolen, or damaged, I still have two full backups.
Keep Your Photos Safe When Traveling
I use the same system when I’m traveling. Keeping my drives separated ensures at least one will make it home.
For example, when I’m flying, I’ll put one hard drive in my carry on, one in another bag like a laptop bag and another in my suitcase.
Conclusion
The key to any photography workflow is that it works for you. Mine has come about from years of experience and also learning from my mistakes.
The most important thing to remember is that no matter how unlikely it is to happen; things can go wrong. As long as you prepare for it then when something does go wrong at least it doesn’t have to become a crisis.
One of my biggest pieces of advice to amateur photographers is to always make sure you back your work at home but also whilst on the road.
