Travel Essential #1: Camera(s)

Click click click!

There’s no way I’m going on a trip without my camera! Traveling is probably the number one thing that has improved my photography skills. It’s easier to improve when you’re motivated to capture all the beautiful things you may never get a chance to see again.

I usually bring two cameras on trips but occasionally three, if I’m feeling strong enough.

1. The main camera I use is a Nikon D40. It’s a very basic dSLR but it gets the job done. I’ve been using it for nearly there years now and still don’t feel like I’ve got it mastered. It’s a bit heavy to lug around but usually worth it in the end. For lenses I usually bring a 35mm and an 18-55mm or 55-200mm.

Taken with my D40 in Sweden.

2. I always bring a little point and shoot back up camera with me on travels. I have a Canon Powershot SD1400 IS ELPH. If I’m doing something more active or just don’t want to carry the giant D40, the tiny point and shoot comes in handy. It also has video which is sometimes fun.


Taken with my point and shoot on a hike in Slovenia.

3. If I have extra room or know I won’t have to carry my luggage for long periods of time, I like to bring along my Fuji Instax 210. It’s fun to have an instant photo and local people often get a kick out of it too. The downside is that this camera is kind of big. Ok, it’s pretty huge. You can get a smaller version but the photos are just too tiny for my taste.


Taken with my Fuji Instax 210 in Sri Lanka.

What type of camera do you bring traveling?

xo, jill

Away we go.

And away we go.

Mike and I are off to explore Vietnam and Malaysia for the next few weeks!

Don’t go away though because I’ve scheduled a few posts to avoid the blog going quiet. A few weeks ago I was browsing travel blogs and noticing people’s travel essentials. I thought that while I’m gone I could share the five things I always take traveling. And… it’s almost Christmas so you can expect a few holiday posts… including the annual Christmas video!

See you in the new year!

xo, jill

Feeling thankful

for so much.

Last night some friends and I gathered for a little Thanksgiving pre-celebration*. As usual, the food was bountiful and delicious.

Sarah prepared a little Thanksgiving craft for us as well. Gotta love the turkey variety.

When you can’t celebrate with family, having such a lovely group of friends really does help the holiday feel special. I mean, for most people in Abu Dhabi, today is just a regular Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American family and friends!

xo, jill

*my spell check really wanted to change “pre-celebration” to “pee-celebration.” Hehe, I could only imagine.

Where in the World? (Location Reveal)

Game over.Thanks for playing my little game. There were many great guesses including:

Algeria
Ireland
Israel
Madagascar
Malaysia
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Spain
Turkey
Yemen

…but no one got it right.

Play the video to reveal our secret destination!

Since no one guessed correctly, I wrote all the entries down, put them in a hat, and chose a winner. (If you made multiple guesses you got multiple entries.)Jenny, you’ll be the lucky recipient of this beautiful tote bag.

Ok, so Bangladesh wasn’t exactly a hotbed of souvenir options (more on that later). This tote was the best I could do, but I’ll be sure to add a few UAE goodies in the parcel too.

Thanks for guessing! Molly and I had fun reading the comments the one time we found internet on our trip before the giant rat scared us off the computer… oh dear.

xo, jill

Where in the World? (Blog Contest!)

Let’s play a game.

In a few hours Molly and I are heading off on an adventure. Where are we going?! Take a guess!

from 2009

Leave a comment with the country you think it might be.

The winner will receive a souvenir from our secret destination!

Here’s a hint: It’s nowhere we’ve been before. Check out the places I’ve seen to rule out contenders.

Contest ends midnight November 9th, Abu Dhabi time.

Enter as many times as you like. Open to all!

xo, jill

Not my home and native land…

But still happy to celebrate.

Canada’s Thanksgiving was this past Monday. Once again, Hannah and I were happy to put together a little celebration for our Canadian friends.

You might remember some of the decor from last year. For some reason is feels important to differentiate that this Thanksgiving is Canadian. We have to remember to save some of our thankfulness for next month.

After a delicious dinner and dessert we gathered around for a Thanksgiving craft. We made traditional hand print turkeys with a twist. I cut out little Canadian icons so we could dress up our turkeys paper doll style.

Just over a month and it will be the Americans’ turn to celebrate!

xo, jill

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