Making photo backups while traveling, how do you actually do that? And is it best to choose online backups or offline backups? We regularly see this question in many of the Wereldreizgers.nl Facebook groups. Many people try to help each other, but not every solution is equally effective or reliable. Before you start your long journey, it is wise to think about how you will make backups.
Because let's be honest: your laptop crashing or losing your phone and camera including all your memories is perhaps one of the worst things that can happen to you on the road. Therefore, always make sure you have a decent photo backup and make backups of your videos whenever possible. The future you will thank you!
Table of contents
Advantages and disadvantages of online backups
When you have a long journey or planning a world trip you will have to choose between two different ways of backing up on the go: online or offline. Which variant is best? Unfortunately there is no conclusive answer to that. Both options have clear advantages and disadvantages. Below are the pros and cons of making online backups during your trip.
Online backup-ups
Benefits
✓ Automatic
✓ No additional hardware = weight savings
✓ Don't mess with cables, links and SD cards
✓ Accessible, easy to understand
✓ Useful apps
✓ Safe. Even if you are robbed of all your belongings, your images are in the cloud
Cons
– Internet connection required
– Dependent on WiFi / internet abroad
– Usually not free
offline back-ups
Making offline backups also has clear advantages and disadvantages. Below are the most obvious advantages and disadvantages of making offline backups.
Benefits
✓ Fast
✓ Lots of storage, especially with laptops, portable HDDs / SSDs
✓ Relatively safe (possibly with password and encryption)
Cons
– Pricey, especially if you have multiple devices
– Cumbersome, card in, card out. Transfer to HDD, etc.
– Risk of theft or (water) damage
Online backup-ups in the cloud
Do you opt for online backups in the cloud? Then another choice awaits. Are you going to pay for online storage, or would you rather go for the free version? There are various cloud services available, both paid and free. For example, with Google Drive you can store up to 15 GB for free, which is a nice bonus! For some, this will suffice for travel photo backups. However, there are also considerable limitations here. Free services always come with a price, especially in terms of privacy and support.
Would you rather be in control yourself and be sure that your privacy is guaranteed and that your files remain in the Netherlands? Then choose online storage in the Netherlands.
Offline photo back-ups
If you opt for offline backups, you will quickly end up with SD cards or portable SSDs. The most important question to ask yourself is: how many GB of space do I need? To calculate that, you first have to think about which devices you have with you.
In addition to a smartphone, many travelers also take an extra photo camera with them. Then another GoPro, every now and then a drone and before you know it you have multiple devices. Therefore, make sure you have enough SD cards as a backup. They are super small, weigh nothing and when one is full you transfer the rest to the cloud, a hard drive or insert the next SD card into your laptop.
back-making ups through your personal travel blog
A less conventional but fun way to back up all your memories on the road is to write travel blogs! You can choose to become a guest blogger at Wereldreizigers.nl with your own editor account where you can go all out. Immortalize your tips and travel stories including your most beautiful photos on Wereldreizigers.nl for a large traveling audience. Do you want to show someone where you've been or what you liked most about your trip? By sharing a link, anyone can access it, anytime, anywhere.
If you really want to make next-level backups of your travels, you can of course also choose to build a travel blog website yourself. You choose a domain that suits you, install a WordPress website on it and you can get started right away. Blogging!
Seen a mistake? Ask? Remark? Let us know in the comments!