The Travel Bug Blog

Musings on travel & wellbeing

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Tracy Smyth Tracy Smyth

Your Guide to Choosing Nature and Wildlife Photography Tours - and My Unexpected Lesson!

“Slow down, Tracy” Catherine whispered as I walked the forest path. Silently chuckling, I heeded Catherine’s advice, slowed my pace and focused on the forest around me.

Slowing down is a skill I attempt to practice in many areas of my life, but I didn’t expect a nature and wildlife photography tour to be the immersive experience I needed to “find” my slower pace. hmmm

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Tracy Smyth Tracy Smyth

Your Best Camera for Travel: DSLR Camera Vs Phone Camera

Learn how to choose the best camera to travel for photography. DSLR camera vs phone camera - discover the pros and cons of each and get inspired with photography ideas for your next trip. Whether you're a beginner or enthusiast, find the perfect camera that suits your needs and goals and plan some photo fun.

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Tracy Smyth Tracy Smyth

Enjoy A Sicilian Seaside Photowalk: The Secrets of What to See in Trapani

What to see in Trapani: we arrived in Trapani at night. Our enjoyable 6-hour scenic bus ride across Sicily ended in a dark, deserted parking lot outside of town. With phone GPS in hand, we followed the little blue dot along an industrial waterfront and then into the winding, narrow streets of Trapani Old Town. We stopped once to pick up breakfast foods at a grocery store, then found our sweet apartment off a courtyard filled with hanging laundry. We had no clue until the next morning, just how charming this small city was.

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Tracy Smyth Tracy Smyth

Improve Travel with Mindful Seeing and the Art of Noticing

I remember nature walks as a child with my mother. Sometimes down a forest trail but more often along a beach, she would always point out little things like a colour, a plant, a rock, or a seashell that I would have blindly passed by. Our pockets would become heavy with heart-shaped stones, sea glass or twisted driftwood. Sometimes my load would become so unwieldy that I’d have to flip up the front of my t-shirt like a kangaroo pocket. Her ability to notice unexpected things made walks feel like treasure hunts.

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Tracy Smyth Tracy Smyth

Take great travel photos and then actually do something with them!

Have you ever wondered what you do with the hundreds (or thousands) of travel photos on your phone or camera, especially after a vacation? Welcome to photo management overwhelm - you are not alone.

Transitioning back from your travels can be daunting. You have so many stories to tell and experiences to talk about but it can be hard to answer questions like “What was your favourite place?” Or “What were some trip highlights?”

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Tracy Smyth Tracy Smyth

How travel memories quench your wanderlust

Our feelings of wanderlust can be inspiring, depressing, purposeful, anxiety-ridden, expansive and/or downright frustrating. Understanding those feelings can highlight how to satisfy your wanderlust in different or unexpected ways.

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