booking hostels in advance?
 

i was in italy for the month of march last year, and never worried about this. {i realise this was "off-peak" season} now i will have approximately 11 weeks in europe {3/germany, 2/france, 1/n.italy, 2/spain & portugal, 3/g.b & eire}. is booking ahead an absolute necessity or am i worrying over nothing? <BR>thanks for any and all advice, <BR>vincent.

Hello fellow travelers, would you please help this girl out with some advice?

I'm leaving for my solo Euro trip next week and my friend asked me how I'd ever take a (proper) photo of myself over there. I have no idea except to take photos of only scenery or to try to take my pictures holding the camera at arm's length. Have you asked or would you ever ask a stranger to take a photo for you? I'm afraid someone might run off with my camera. I was thinking of bringing along a disposable camera for this purpose, but after hearing from a friend whose plastic grocery bag (filled with groceries) was ripped off by someone on a Vespa, I'm not so sure that even a cheap disposable camera could do the trick. Are thieves desperate enough to steal a disposable camera? Then again, it was possible that person on the Vespa didn't recognize that it was a only grocery bag? Am I just being paranoid? How did/would you solve this problem?

Thanks a bunch.

Muimei, yes, of course! Otherwise, I wouldn't have had photos of myself taken, when I wanted.

As a female solo traveler, I usually ask it to a couple, or to a family apparently in the same circumstance I am, meaning traveling, never to a single male, as I don't know how a man would take my request...

To have the camera stollen never occurred to me.

Please, don't get paranoid. Use common sense, and you shall be fine. Paranoia will likely ruin you trip, and take away all the pleasure of experiencing a new culture.

<i>&quot;I'm afraid someone might run off with my camera.&quot;</i>

Where in the world do people acquire such fears?

I've put my $15,000 Contax into the hands of strangers hundreds of times. Of course, holding a camera of this stature seems to empower and embolden (more like intimidate) the uninitiated.

Strangers abroad are incredibly generous and all-too-happy to step in and &quot;play&quot; photographer because everyone traveling can imagine themselves in a precious situation alone. I've <b>never</b> had anyone turn me down.

The last thing that ever occurred to me was someone running off with my camera. I guess that's the power and security of theft insurance. Let 'em take it. Then, I get to buy the newest version. ((P))

I have travelled solo for years (Europe, Asia, South America), and always get strangers to take photos for me.
Generally I try to ask other people who look like tourists (easy to spot as they are usually stopped to take photos of the same thing). If there is no one like that around, I'll smile and ask someone around who I feel comfortable handing my camera. Chances are the business man out on his lunchhour or the older couple out for a stroll aren't going for a run with my camera.
Stolen cameras do happen - but I have only heard one story in all my travels.

YES!! I love pictures of my vacations and often want to be in them!

For years I, a formerly single girl in my 30s, travelled alone, sometimes to Third World countries and have never had a problem and people have always been gracious...in some cases asking to have my picture snapped lead to very nice conversations with strangers!

Often times people will offer to take your picture. Use common sense and like anything else, you'll be fine!!

It was 1999 - our last day in Paris, we were enjoying the Luxembourg Gardens one last time and I desparately wanted to have a photo taken of us with the beautiful gardens in the background. Another couple were leaning on the railing with their backs to us. I plucked up the courage to ask them to take a photo for us. By chance they were Australians (as are we) who were working in London, and in Paris for the weekend.

We talked for at least three hours on that day, and last year we flew across Australia for their wedding and gave one of the speeches (they are 20 years younger than us - more like our children's ages!) but what a wonderful friendship we now have. Their first baby is due any day and we have another trip across Australia planned later in the year to wet the baby's head. All because of a photo.

I've done this around the world - Africa, the Middle East, and throughout Europe. I try to pick out other tourists who are also holding a camera - have never had a problem at all!

Great story Launa.

I think you must apply common sense.
As the other replies have said; Always ask someone who is taking pictures already they may be in a group or a couple. Then get them to return the favour. I have never been refused and it can be a great ice breaker as Launa found out. Now that must be fate.

Good luck

Muck

I do that all the time. I usually look around me, and look for tourists. Since I use a film camera, I don't have the luxury of viewing the picture after it's taken, I always look for tourists with SLR cameras rather than point-and-shoot. I'm convinced that the SLR owners are(generally speaking) better photographers than those with point-and-shoot.

I would be more afraid that they'd drop it, rather than steal it.

Where do people get such fears? Well, maybe from TV. Don't you remember the episode of Family Ties when the Keatons visited Paris. Standing in front of Notre Dame they asked a stranger to take their picture with their expensive camera. He kept backing up further and further and finally took off running. It was a very funny episode, but oh so believable somehow. I think of it often when I see strangers asking other strangers to take their picture. I seldom ask others to take mine, but I seem to be a magnet for being asked by others, and I happily oblige. The other day it was a group of four and I ended up taking pictures of their group with all four of their cameras.

Didn't that also happen on National Lampoon's European Vacation? The family wanted their picture taken in front of a beautiful fountain. The &quot;photographer&quot; kept having them back up, until they were standing in the fountain. He then grabbed all their stuff and took off. I love that movie!

Sure, I often ask people to take my picture. It works best if you see other tourists taking pictures (maybe volunteer to take one for them if it seems appropriate) and ask them to take one for you. Also waiters in cafes will probably oblige (then tip nice).

Even when you're traveling in a couple you need to do this to get you both in the same photo.

The beauty of a disposable camera (I never thought about theft) is that there is absolutely nothing for the person to have to monkey with to take the snapshot for you.

I'd use your best judgement- the man loitering against the wall wouldn't be high on my list of photo takers!!!
I've been asked many times to take a photo while on vacation. I must be that &quot;nice woman with all the children taking photos. Let's ask her!!&quot; I've only gotten frustrated twice- once when I was asked to take a group photo and then was given no less than ten (or was it fifteen!!!!!!0 cameras). I took two and refused the rest of the cameras. The other times was when I was running (not jogging, not walking) in Hyde Park and a guy jumped in front of me by the serpentine and asked if I'd take a picture. Ok, I should have stopped, but I was sort of busy!

I've loved the pictures others have taken of my group- the ones with headless people or totally out of focus!!! But it's all worth it for ONE GOOD/GREAT one!!!

one more thing. It's a great idea if you travel with a friend to switch cameras for most &quot;person plus place&quot; shots. I spent my junior year of college in London (but really running all of europe with a new found friend). I was looking through my album recently and most shots were of the friend I haven't seen or spoken to in 15 years! I hope she has some great of me!

Although I'm not generally a solo traveler, I've never had a problem asking others to take my picture or volunteering to take pictures for others. I think it's part of the fun of travel.

Try volunteering when you see a group of &quot;school kids&quot; on holiday and watch their faces light up - all of them get to be in one shot!

I learned this trick on my first trip to England, in 1981. My husband and I were spending our last day in London, and were standing in a beautiful part of Hyde Park. A stranger offered to take our picture - and I had never even thought about trying to get both of us in a picture! Weird, I know, but that innocent offer opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. (And, gave us a nice, cherished picture from that trip.)

I agree with the others to be smart about who you pick to take your picture. Other tourists &amp; families are always a good choice. Business people are also usually very accommodating.

Go for it! (And don't bother with the cheapy disposables, unless that's what you were planning to use anyway.)

Gayle

Like the others, I have never had a problem...and I have done most of my travel solo.

But I have also found innovative ways to balance my camera in all kinds of weird places and doing the timer shot. I wouldn't recommend this in crowded places, but it's handy to practice. In fact, most of my travel photos that I like were taken this way, since I can set up the shot how I want it.

OneWanderingJew....formerly single eh? So I take it you are back from the honeymoon? Welcome back!! :)

<i>Have you asked or would you ever ask a stranger to take a photo for you?</i>

Yes. Look for people who are taking their own photos, especially those who look like they know what they're doing. I typically offer to take a photo of another person/couple first and then ask them if they'd kindly return the favor.

When I traveled alone, I often asked strangers to take my picture with my camera. Never had any problems. I usually asked fellow hostelers, or tourists--kindly looking middle-aged Americans or older women, in most cases. :) Just use your judgement; you'll be fine! And you'll definitely want pictures of yourself.