Using a GoPro for Travel: How I Capture, Edit and Share My Adventures While Still on the Road

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When most people think about a GoPro, they probably imagine extreme sports—someone jumping out of an airplane, skiing down a mountain, surfing a huge wave, or riding a mountain bike down a difficult trail.

But you don't have to be an extreme athlete to get tremendous value from an action camera.

For me, a GoPro has become a useful part of the way I document my travels. I use different cameras for different situations, but the GoPro has one major advantage: it allows me to capture the experience while I'm actually participating in it.

And over time, I've developed a simple system that allows me to capture, transfer, edit and sometimes even publish my travel content while I'm still on the road.

Why I Like Small Cameras for Travel

When I travel, I want to experience the place.

I don't want every interesting moment to become a complicated photography project.

There are times when I want the quality and control of a regular camera. There are other times when my phone is perfectly adequate. But when I'm hiking, cycling, driving, walking through a city or exploring a trail, a small action camera has a completely different advantage.

I can mount it, carry it, turn it on and keep moving.

That's important because travel happens quickly.

Sometimes the most interesting moments aren't planned. You round a corner and suddenly see an incredible landscape. You reach a viewpoint you weren't expecting. Wildlife appears in the distance. The weather changes. Or you find yourself traveling along a road that looks completely different from anything you've seen before.

Those moments don't always wait for you to unpack a camera bag.

Giving the Viewer a Different Perspective

One of the things I enjoy about GoPro footage is the perspective.

Instead of simply showing people what I saw, I can sometimes give them the feeling that they're moving through the experience with me.

Put the camera on your chest while hiking and viewers can see the trail unfolding in front of them.

Mount it securely in the car and you can capture portions of a road trip.

Use it while cycling and suddenly the viewer isn't simply looking at a bicycle—they're traveling down the road with you.

Hold it while walking through a city and you can create another completely different style of travel video.

That point-of-view perspective can make even a simple travel experience interesting.

You don't necessarily need a famous landmark.

Sometimes an ordinary road through the mountains can become the story.

I'm Not a Professional Photographer — I've Just Learned What Works for Me

I should make something clear: by no means am I a professional photographer.

What I have done, however, is travel enough and experiment enough that I've learned how to do certain things efficiently.

For me, efficiency matters.

I don't want to spend an entire trip setting up equipment, changing camera settings or thinking about the perfect shot. I want to experience the destination and still come home with enough good material to tell the story.

I've used regular cameras, phones, GoPros and drones during my travels. Drones can produce some incredible footage and give you a perspective that you simply cannot get from the ground. But today, drone restrictions are common around many of the places travelers want to visit, and rules vary considerably by location. I always believe in checking the local rules before flying rather than assuming a drone is permitted.

That is another reason the little GoPro has become so useful to me.

Sometimes I Just Tuck the GoPro Into My Palm

One of my simplest techniques doesn't require a complicated mount at all.

I can tuck the GoPro into the palm of my hand and walk.

Because the camera is so small, I don't have to walk around holding a large camera or constantly have my phone prominently displayed.

Sometimes I'll deliberately record more than I think I'll need. Later, I can keep the useful sections and delete the rest.

This may sound like the opposite of my advice about recording only what you need, but there is a balance. When I know exactly what shot I want, I try to capture it efficiently. When I'm walking through an unpredictable environment and don't know what might happen next, I may let the GoPro run longer and choose the best moments afterward.

Travel isn't a studio. Sometimes you only get one opportunity.

A Small Camera Can Also Be More Discreet

There is another practical reason I've appreciated having such a small camera.

When traveling, I'm conscious of my surroundings and of how much expensive equipment I'm displaying.

In some destinations, locals have warned me about areas where tourists need to be particularly careful with phones and other valuables. I've even heard local people describe the lengths some residents go to in order to keep their phones concealed when moving through areas where theft is a concern.

Those conversations stayed with me.

I'm not suggesting that carrying a GoPro makes anyone immune from theft, and travelers should always pay attention to local safety advice. But from my own experience, being able to tuck a tiny GoPro into my palm has allowed me to record without constantly holding a much larger and more obvious phone or camera in front of me.

It is discreet, easy to grip and easy to put away.

When I'm finished recording, it can disappear into my pocket almost immediately.

For me, that's another advantage of traveling with small equipment that doesn't get discussed very often.

The best travel equipment isn't necessarily the biggest, most expensive or most professional.

Sometimes the best piece of equipment is simply the one you can carry comfortably, use efficiently and put away quickly so you can get back to experiencing the place you're visiting.

The GoPro Is Not My Only Camera

There is no single perfect travel camera.

A GoPro is excellent for certain situations, but I wouldn't use it for everything.

If I'm trying to photograph a distant animal, I may want a regular camera with a proper zoom lens.

If I'm taking a quick photograph at a restaurant or walking around a city, my phone may be easier.

Different cameras have different strengths.

The trick isn't finding one camera that does everything. It's understanding what each camera does well and using the right one for the situation.

For me, the GoPro's strength is simple:

It lets me capture the action while I'm actually participating in the action.

Hiking Is Where a GoPro Really Makes Sense

Hiking is probably one of the easiest examples.

Imagine carrying a large camera in your hand for several miles.

At the beginning of the hike, it might not bother you. After several hours, every extra thing you're carrying starts to matter.

That's when small equipment becomes valuable.

A GoPro can go into a pocket, attach to a backpack strap, mount to your chest or sit on a small grip.

But there is another advantage.

Sometimes when you're hiking, you need your hands.

You're climbing. You're using trekking poles. You're checking the trail. You're carrying water. You're navigating rocks or uneven terrain.

The camera should never interfere with your safety.

Being able to mount a small camera securely and keep your hands available can make a big difference.

Turn the GoPro Vertical Too

Another simple thing I've learned is not to think of a GoPro as a camera only for traditional horizontal YouTube videos.

Today, so much content is watched vertically.

TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels and other short-form platforms have made vertical video an important part of content creation.

I often see travelers taking vertical videos with their phones while their action camera stays horizontal. But if I know that I want a particular scene for a vertical video, I can simply turn my GoPro vertically and capture it that way.

Now I have footage that's naturally suited to the vertical format.

That might be a short section of a hiking trail, a waterfall, a walk through a city, a viewpoint, a bicycle ride or something interesting that happens during the trip.

I don't necessarily need another camera.

I just need to think about where I might use the footage before I press record.

Sometimes I'll capture something horizontally because I may want it for a regular YouTube video or a longer travel project.

Other times I'll turn the GoPro vertically because I'm already thinking, "This could make a good Short, Reel or TikTok."

And if the moment is particularly good, I may capture a little of both.

This goes back to something I've learned about saving time: think about the finished content while you're taking the shot.

If I know I want vertical footage and record it vertically from the beginning, I don't have to depend as much on cropping a horizontal video later. I'm already giving myself footage that fits the way I intend to use it.

It is a very small change in how I hold the camera, but it can save work later.

That's really the theme behind my entire travel-content workflow.

I'm not trying to make things complicated. I'm trying to capture the right material in the simplest way possible so I can spend more time traveling and less time fixing things afterward.

Road Trips: Sometimes the Road Is the Story

I also think action cameras are excellent companions for road trips.

Some of the best memories from a road trip aren't necessarily the destinations.

They're the roads between them.

A long highway disappearing into the horizon. A mountain pass. A desert landscape. A sudden rainstorm. A beautiful stretch of road that you weren't expecting.

Those moments are easy to forget because you're concentrating on getting somewhere.

Video preserves them.

Of course, safety comes first. I set up the camera before driving, make sure it is securely mounted and never allow filming to become a distraction.

Once the camera is positioned correctly, I can let it record while I concentrate on driving.

Later, even a few seconds from that footage can bring the entire trip back to life.

I Try to Do the Editing Before I Ever Start Editing

This is something I've learned that saves me a tremendous amount of time.

When I take a picture or record a video, I try to capture it correctly the first time.

I think about what I want in the frame. I pay attention to what is happening around me. I try not to record unnecessary footage, and I try to start and stop the recording at useful points.

In other words, I'm already thinking about the finished video while I'm recording it.

The better I capture the original material, the less work I have to do later.

If I record ten minutes when I only need fifteen seconds, I've created more work for myself.

If I carefully capture the fifteen or thirty seconds I actually need, editing becomes much faster.

This is especially important when you're creating travel content regularly.

I don't want to come home from a trip with hours and hours of footage that I now have to sort through before I can create anything.

Good editing can actually begin before you press the record button.

My GoPro Quik Workflow While I'm Traveling

Another part of my system happens while I'm still on the road.

I use the GoPro Quik app to retrieve my videos and get the footage onto my phone. I don't necessarily wait until I return home from the entire trip.

One thing I've learned is that long GoPro videos can take quite a while to download to the phone. That's another reason I prefer taking shorter, purposeful clips instead of letting the camera run continuously.

A short clip transfers much more quickly. It also means less footage to sort through later.

So when I'm traveling, I may capture a short section of a hike, stop the recording, capture another interesting section later, and continue that way throughout the day. When I have some downtime—perhaps after returning to the car, reaching a hotel or stopping somewhere to rest—I can use Quik to transfer the clips I want to my phone.

Because the individual files are smaller, the process is much faster.

By the time I settle down for the evening, some of the footage I want may already be sitting on my phone ready for editing.

If I'm at home, I handle things differently. Instead of transferring everything wirelessly through the app, I can simply remove the SD card and load the files directly.

It's about using the quickest method for the situation I'm in.

This has simplified my workload tremendously.

Instead of:

Travel → come home → transfer hours of footage → search through everything → edit → finally publish

my workflow can be:

Capture a short clip → transfer it when I have time → select what I need → edit → publish.

And because I try to think about the finished video while I'm recording, I'm not downloading huge amounts of footage just to find a few useful seconds.

That's something I've learned through experience: the amount of work you have to do later is often determined by how you shoot in the first place.

When I'm traveling, short, carefully chosen clips make transferring and editing much easier. When I'm home, the SD card gives me a faster way to handle larger amounts of footage.

Either way, the goal is the same:

Spend less time managing files and more time traveling, creating and sharing the experience.

"How Do You Post So Quickly?"

Someone I met during a road trip once asked me how quickly I could make and post my material.

The answer surprised them.

If I really wanted to, I could have something almost ready from the parking lot.

That's because most of the work has already been done along the way.

I've tried to capture the footage correctly.

I've avoided recording large amounts of material I don't need.

I've transferred the footage to my phone.

So when I stop somewhere, I'm not necessarily beginning the editing process from zero.

I'm finishing a process that already started when I captured the video.

That's a completely different way of thinking about travel content.

You don't necessarily have to return home, sit at a computer and spend hours sorting through everything before you can share your experience.

With a little preparation, your content can sometimes be ready while the experience is still fresh in your mind.

Why I Decided to Write This

During my travels, I've met many people carrying selfie sticks, tripods, cameras and other equipment while trying to capture their journeys.

Sometimes I'll start a conversation and ask what they're doing with the footage or whether they're content creators.

Quite often, the answer is something like:

"I'm starting with this trip."

Or:

"I'm planning to become a content creator."

I've heard versions of that conversation enough times that I've realized how widespread this has become. People aren't traveling only to see places anymore. Many also want to document the experience, create videos, share photographs, start a YouTube channel, build a social media page or simply tell their own travel stories.

Maybe you're one of those people.

That's actually one of the reasons I decided to write this article.

I'm not a professional photographer, and I'm not writing this to tell you that you need a particular camera, an expensive tripod or a bag full of equipment before you can start creating travel content.

In fact, my advice is almost the opposite.

Use what you already have.

If you have a phone, start with your phone.

If you already have a small camera, learn to use that camera well.

If you have a GoPro, experiment with it and discover what it does well.

Don't feel that you have to spend thousands of dollars before your first video is worth publishing.

Equipment can improve certain things, but equipment can't create consistency for you.

Consistency will probably help you more in the beginning than expensive equipment ever will.

Create something.

Post it.

Look at what worked and what didn't.

Make another one.

Learn something new.

Then make the next one a little better.

Buy Equipment as You Grow

This is actually the same approach I've taken with camping equipment.

I didn't go out one day and purchase every piece of camping equipment I might ever need.

I bought things one at a time.

When I had the money and understood why I needed something, I added it.

Then later, I added something else.

Over time, I built up my equipment.

I think travel content creation can work exactly the same way.

You may start with your phone. Later you might decide that a small tripod would help. After you've created for a while, perhaps you'll realize that an action camera would make hiking or cycling footage easier. Eventually you might add a microphone, another camera or some other piece of equipment because you've reached the point where you actually understand what problem that equipment will solve.

That's very different from buying a pile of equipment because someone on the internet told you that you need it.

Let your experience tell you what to buy next.

Each time you learn something, you may discover the next tool that would make your work easier or improve what you're creating.

Then, when you can afford it, add that tool.

You don't need the equipment of an established content creator on the day you decide to become one.

You need something to capture the experience, a story worth telling and the willingness to keep creating.

The equipment can grow with you.

Start with what you have. Learn how to use it. Create consistently. Improve one thing at a time.

That's how I've approached much of my own equipment, and it's one of the most useful lessons travel itself has taught me.

Don't Record Everything

This may sound strange in an article about cameras, but I think it's one of the most important lessons I've learned.

You don't need to record everything.

If you're constantly looking through a screen, you can actually miss the place you're trying to remember.

Record a little.

Then put the camera down.

Look around.

Listen.

Walk.

Enjoy where you are.

You don't need thirty minutes of the same trail.

Ten or fifteen seconds of the right moment may tell the story better—and it makes editing much easier later.

My GoPro Battery Routine

There is nothing particularly exciting about talking about batteries until your camera dies at exactly the moment you want to use it.

I've learned over time that batteries don't always perform the same way forever.

When they're new, they're usually pretty good. But as batteries get older, I've noticed that they can start heating up more, and sometimes they simply don't give me the recording time I expect.

So I've developed a very simple routine.

Whenever I get back into the car, I recharge what I've used.

The car basically becomes my little charging station while I'm traveling.

I also don't normally head somewhere with only one GoPro battery.

My basic system is:

One battery in the GoPro. One fully charged backup battery ready to go. And whenever I'm back in the car, recharge what I've used.

If the first battery runs low while I'm hiking, sightseeing or exploring, I don't have to stop what I'm doing. I can change the battery and continue.

It's a small routine, but small routines can make a big difference when you're traveling.

Five Minutes of Preparation Can Save the Day

Before heading out, I check the boring things.

Are my batteries charged?

Do I have enough storage?

Is the lens clean?

Is the camera mounted properly?

Do I have my backup battery?

Do I have a way to recharge?

Cold temperatures, long recording sessions and high-resolution video can all affect how long your equipment will operate.

Five minutes spent checking everything before leaving can prevent a lot of frustration later.

Protect the Memory

The footage itself eventually becomes valuable.

Not necessarily financially valuable.

Personally valuable.

You may never repeat that exact trip.

You may never stand on that exact trail again, drive that same mountain road or experience the same weather, light, people and circumstances.

That's why I also believe in protecting the footage I've captured.

When possible, I don't like leaving everything sitting in one place for an entire journey. Getting important footage onto another device gives me another layer of protection.

Equipment can be replaced.

Some travel moments cannot.

The Camera Shouldn't Become the Adventure

For me, that's ultimately why the GoPro works so well as part of my travel equipment.

It doesn't replace my regular camera.

It doesn't replace my phone.

And it certainly doesn't mean I need to record every minute of every trip.

It's simply another way to tell the story.

Sometimes that story is a famous destination. Sometimes it's a hiking trail disappearing around a corner. Sometimes it's a bicycle ride, a mountain road, a walk through an unfamiliar city or just a few seconds of scenery that I know I'll want to remember years later.

The technology is useful, but the experience is still more important than the camera.

Charge the batteries.

Carry a spare.

Check your storage.

Clean the lens.

Mount the camera safely.

Capture what you actually need.

Transfer your footage when you have an opportunity.

Then stop worrying about the equipment and enjoy the journey.

Because the purpose of a travel camera isn't to make travel about the camera.

It's to help you remember—and share—the adventure long after the adventure is over.

An Unexpected Benefit: I Remember the Details

There is one final benefit to all of this that I didn't necessarily expect when I started documenting my travels.

I pay much more attention to what is happening around me.

When you're thinking about how you might tell the story later, you begin noticing things that might otherwise pass you by.

I notice the landscape. I notice the road. I notice the weather and how quickly it changes. I notice sounds, conversations, signs, buildings, small details along a trail and things people say to me.

I don't simply think, "That's beautiful."

I find myself wondering what makes it beautiful and how I would describe it to someone who wasn't standing there with me.

When I'm recording a short video, taking a photograph or thinking about something I may write later, I'm paying attention to the details of the experience.

And I've discovered something interesting because of that habit.

I remember my travels extremely clearly.

Sometimes I can remember surprisingly small details from a trip—the way a particular road looked, something someone said to me, what I noticed during a hike, a sound in the background, a small problem I encountered or something unusual that happened along the way.

The photographs and videos certainly help bring those memories back, but I think there's more to it than that.

Creating travel content has trained me to observe.

I have to see the place before I can describe it.

I have to listen before I can remember what I heard.

And I have to experience something before I can tell its story.

Maybe that's one of the greatest benefits I've received from documenting my travels.

The cameras preserve the images, but the habit of paying attention preserves something else.

It preserves the details in my mind.

The Camera Shouldn't Become the Adventure

After all of this talk about cameras, batteries, apps, editing and equipment, I think it's important to finish with something simple.

The technology is not the reason I travel.

The experience is.

My GoPro is simply one of the tools I've learned to use efficiently to help me remember and share those experiences.

Charge the batteries. Carry a spare. Check your storage. Clean the lens. Capture what you need. Transfer your footage when you have the opportunity.

But then put the camera down too.

Look around.

Listen.

Talk to people.

Notice the small things.

Enjoy where you are.

Because years later, the most valuable thing you bring home may not be the photograph or the video.

It may be how clearly you still remember being there.

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— Fowzer
The Reflective Explorer
#reflectiveexplorer