On this page you will find travel planning services that I actively use. Also my equipment, gear, and favorite video/photo processing apps.
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Hotel Reservations
Booking – My favourite service for finding hotels when travelling. Huge base, convenient booking and cancellation system, discounts, reviews.
Travelhack: Sometimes in the mobile app, the price for the same hotel is slightly lower than on the desktop app.
Airbnb – helps in cities where hotels are insanely expensive or don’t exist at all. Here you can book a budget room, as well as an unusual designer accommodation.
Google Hotels shows options that are not available on booking and airbnb. There are private hotels that do not cooperate with aggregator sites. You can quickly compare and choose the best price.
Searching and purchasing airline tickets
I always look for airline tickets on aggregators, but I buy them on official airline websites. It’s easier to resolve issues in case of flight cancellations or other changes. Favourite largest Russian-language ticket search engine Aviasales.
My equipment
Canon EOS R6 – You can read a ton of praise about this camera without me. I would especially like to mention its durability. Just a month after the purchase, we had an unfortunate incident together on the cliffs of Vancouver Island. I had my knee stitched, and the R6 got away with a barely visible scratch on the body. A battle buddy on the road.
The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens – amazing quality, sharpness, colors. Great for highly artistic portraits. One of the best purchases, despite the considerable weight (together with the adapter – about 1 kg). I use it for photo tours of Vancouver.
The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is my main travel lens. Beautiful picture, easy zooming. Quite a versatile lens, especially if you have to do everything on the run.
Go Pro Hero – An indispensable assistant in any adventure. Rain, snow, wind, waterfalls – this baby withstands any conditions.
Drone DJI Mavic Air – Zhenya’s favourite toy (it’s hard to take it away from my husband). The battery lasts for 20 minutes, I recommend at least a couple in the kit. There are interesting modes, low weight, good picture. Essential if you are planning a trip to Iceland.
DJI Osmo – I confess that gimbals don’t stay with me very long. DJI so far proved to be the best and most resilient – together for more than a year.
Giotto tripod – Portable (fits in the side pocket of a photo backpack), lightweight, folds out to a height of 120 cm. and is durable. Includes bag and pouch.
Rode Wireless Go microphone – for recording audio when you travel. Lightweight, small, great sound quality, the charge lasts a long time.
Iphone – for video, photo, notes, communications and video/photo processing. I’d be helpless without this device.
Processing photos and videos
Lightroom – This is where I process all of my photos. Either the desktop version or the free app on your phone. Easy to understand interface, fast, and a lot of useful features.
Photoshop – for more complex manipulations (removing people or other unnecessary objects from the background, detailed correction of faces, creative captions, etc.)
Final Cut Pro – I use it to create videos for Youtube. Great functionality, a lot of learning videos.
Splice – is a handy app for creating videos. I’ve been using the free version for years, and I’m happy with it.
Canva – In this program, you can design anything: postcards, guides, books, stories and Instagram posts, flyers, etc. I use it on my desktop and the app on my phone. There is a free version.
Epidemic Sound – A base of quality music for videos, by subscription. A ton of tracks for all occasions. I love this resource and sometimes even listen to it instead of the radio.
Hiking gear
Osprey Renn 50 backpack – A comfortable backpack for hiking
Osprey Farpoint 40 travel backpack – carry-on bag, for active travel
Photo Lowepro backpack – compact, roomy, with rain cover.
Marmot Women’s Trestles Elite Eco 30 Sleeping Bag – bought for hiking in the Rocky Mountains
Jetboil burner – lightweight, heats water quickly
MSR Tent – ideal for backcountry camping