3 days out for departure and I'm packing. Normally I'm a last minute packer (eg 5am before a 9am flight) but given the length and temperature variety of this trip I thought I should make sure I can fit everything in my pack. I have one piece of advice here - use a packing list. It may seem somewhat anal but it's amazing what you can forget. There are a few packing apps out there and even the free ones can be good. I found it useful to add things to the list as I...

Got my new camera at last. Originally I was going to get an SLR but after a bit of discussion and research I opted for a "superzoom" instead. Sensor quality isn't quite as good but I don't have to worry about switching lenses (handy for when I'm in the middle of taking distance shots and realize a penguin has got curious and come in close). I finally settled on the Panasonic FZ150. At 24x optical (equivalent to 600mm) it's not the biggest zoom on the market but i...

Final stages of planning are underway. Most of the trip is booked. The troubles I had booking a boat for Galapagos are over (note: if they tell you your boat is not taking bookings yet, move on to a boat that IS. Don't wait. I missed out on my top 4 choices because I was waiting for my first choice to take bookings - eventually I found out it got chartered)