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Planning a Trip
It's important to prepare for any trip, including one to Colorado's major cities. This chapter offers a variety of planning tools -- information on when to go, how to get there, how to get around, and other tips.
Destination: Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs -- Predeparture Checklist
Are there any special requirements for your destination? Vaccinations? Special visas, passports, or IDs? Detailed road maps? Bug repellents? Appropriate attire? If you're flying, are you carrying a current, government-issued ID, such as a driver's license or passport?
Did you find out your daily ATM withdrawal limit?
Do you have your credit card PIN numbers? If you have a five- or six-digit PIN number, did you obtain a four-digit number from your bank?
To check in at a kiosk with an e-ticket, do you have the credit card you bought your ticket with or a frequent-flier card?
If you purchased traveler's checks, have you recorded the check numbers and stored the documentation separately from the checks?
Did you bring your ID cards that could entitle you to discounts, such as AAA and AARP cards and student IDs?
Did you leave a copy of your itinerary with someone at home?
Do any theater, restaurant, or travel reservations need to be booked in advance?
Some attractions (such as the top of the dome in the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, and the U.S. Air Force Academy and Peterson Air & Space Museum in Colorado Springs) have been closed for security reasons, or have reopened with special restrictions. Call ahead for specifics.
If you want to attend a Denver Broncos game, call early -- home games sell out months ahead.
Tips for Digital Travel Photography
Take along a spare camera -- or two. Even if you've been anointed the "official" photographer of your travel group, encourage others in your party to carry their own cameras and provide fresh perspectives -- and backup. Your photographic "second unit" may include you in a few shots so you're not the invisible person of the trip.
Stock up on digital film cards. At home, it's easy to copy pictures from your memory cards to your computer as they fill up. During your travels, cards seem to fill up more quickly. Take along enough digital film for your entire trip or, at a minimum, enough for at least a few days of shooting. At intervals, you can copy images to CDs. Many camera stores and souvenir shops offer this service, and a growing number of mass merchandisers have walk-up kiosks you can use to make prints or create CDs while you travel.
Share and share alike. No need to wait until you get home to share your photos. You can upload a gallery's worth to an online photo sharing service. Just find an Internet cafe where the computers have card readers, or connect your camera to the computer with a cable. You can find online photo sharing services that cost little or nothing at www.clickherefree.com. You can also use America Online's Your Pictures service, or commercial enterprises that give you free or low-cost photo sharing: Kodak's EasyShare gallery (www.kodak.com), Yahoo! Photos (www.photos.yahoo.com), Snapfish (www.snapfish.com), or Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com).
Add voice annotations to your photos. Many digital cameras allow you to add voice annotations to your shots after they're taken. These serve as excellent reminders and documentation. One castle or cathedral may look like another after a long tour; your voice notes will help you distinguish them.
Experiment! Travel is a great time to try out new techniques. Take photos at night, resting your camera on a handy wall or another support as your self-timer trips the shutter for a long exposure. Try close-ups of flowers, crafts, wildlife, or maybe the exotic cuisine you're about to consume. Discover action photography -- shoot the countryside from trains, buses, or cars. With a digital camera, you can experiment and then erase your mistakes.
-- From Travel Photography Digital Field Guide, 1st Edition (John Wiley & Sons, 2006)
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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