Travel Camera Kit Checklist: Cameras, Drone, Power, Storage and the Airport

Most travel shoots go wrong in the same four ways: a battery is flat or not allowed on board, a card fills or fails, a charger or cable is missing, or the drone cannot be flown legally where you are. This checklist is organised around those four, with a week-before section so nothing is left for the night before. Copy it into your notes app and delete what does not apply.

A week before

• Update firmware on every camera, the drone, the drone controller and the apps. Do it at home on fast Wi-Fi, not on hotel Wi-Fi the night before a shoot.
• Check your airline's cabin bag weight and size for your fare, not the airline's headline allowance. See camera bag weight and carry-on limits.
• Check the watt-hour rating on every battery and power bank. Under 100 Wh needs no approval; power banks are limited to two per person since the March 2026 ICAO change. See camera batteries on planes.
• If you are bringing a drone, read the destination's aviation authority page and register if needed. Under 250 g does not exempt you in the EU or the UK. See flying with a DJI Mini drone.
• Check plug types and whether every charger accepts 100-240 V. See charging camera gear abroad.
• Copy last trip's footage off every card, verify it, then format the cards in the camera that will use them.
• Weigh the packed bag.

Cameras and lenses

• Main camera body, with body cap.
• Lenses, with front and rear caps. Fewer is lighter; see lightest full-frame cameras for travel for why the lens decides the kit weight.
• Second camera: 360, action, pocket gimbal or compact. One per job, not one per brand.
• Phone, with enough free storage for a day's clips.
• Smart glasses and their charging case, if you use them; see smart glasses for video.
• Mounts: selfie stick, clamp, chest or helmet mount, quick release plates.
• Lens cloth, blower, and a rain cover or a plastic bag.

Power

Count batteries by how many days you can go without charging, not by how many fit in the bag. Then check what each device actually charges from. From our data:

Specs from the makers' published data, checked October 2026.

• Spare batteries for each removable-battery camera, each with its terminal cap or in a pouch.
• A multi-port USB-C charger that covers the cameras, phone and laptop.
• Any device-specific charger: a dedicated battery charger for cameras without USB charging, and the drone's charging hub if you use one.
• USB-C cables: one per device you want to charge at the same time, plus one spare.
• Plug adapters for the destination.
• Power banks: two at most per person on flights.
• The smart glasses' charging case.

Storage and backup

• Memory cards for every camera, in the right type: SD, microSD or CFexpress. Check our data or the maker's page; several cameras now have built-in storage as well.
• More card space than you think you need. 8K 360 video and 4K at high frame rates fill cards fast.
• A card reader that reads every card type you carry.
• A portable SSD or two for nightly backups.
• A laptop or tablet that can copy and verify, or a plan for verifying later.
• A card wallet that keeps used cards apart from empty ones.

Copy every card every night, and use a verified copy rather than drag and drop: verified copy vs drag and drop explains why and how. Keep one copy in a different bag from the other. If you shoot several brands, a folder structure for multiple cameras stops file names colliding.

Drone extras

• Drone, controller and spare propellers.
• Flight batteries, each in a pouch, all in the cabin bag.
• Proof of registration or ID where required: for example the FAA registration certificate or TRUST certificate in the US, operator registration number in the EU, Flyer ID and Operator ID in the UK.
• The airspace app for the destination country, installed and signed in at home.

Our drone batteries on planes guide has the watt-hour table for every DJI drone battery.

At the airport

• All spare batteries and power banks in one pouch at the top of the cabin bag.
• Cameras switched fully off.
• If the bag is taken at the gate, take the battery pouch out first: the FAA and IATA both require spare lithium batteries to stay in the cabin.
• Cards with footage on them in your pocket or personal item, never in a checked bag.

What to leave at home

• Swollen, damaged or recalled batteries. The FAA says these must not be carried in carry-on or checked baggage.
• Batteries with no watt-hour rating printed on them. IATA's guidance says airline staff may refuse a battery whose rating they cannot verify from the battery or its paperwork. Cheap unbranded spares are the usual culprits.
• Power banks beyond the second one. The March 2026 ICAO change limits passengers to two.
• The duplicate camera. If two cameras do the same job, the lighter one goes.
• A drone you cannot fly legally there. If the destination's rules are unclear or need paperwork you do not have time to get, the drone is dead weight.

On the trip, every evening

1. Copy and verify every card.
2. Charge in rotation: batteries that ran flat first.
3. Check lenses and sensors for dust.
4. Repack the battery pouch so the morning is one grab.

Related

• Camera batteries on planes
• Charging camera gear abroad
• Camera bag weight and carry-on limits
• Verified copy vs drag and drop
• How much does my camera gear weigh?