If you’re a photography junkie like me, you like to bring your camera gear when you travel. Safety is always a concern though and personally, I stopped bringing my digital SLR because I was afraid I’d always be sticking out and a target for thieves.
Probably the most important thing to consider when traveling with a digital SLR camera is what kind of bag you’ll use. Most camera bags stick out like a sore thumb and scream “I HAVE EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT IN HERE!” Whether you’re on the street or in a hostel, you should be careful with who letting people know what you’re carrying.
Earlier this year I began to shop for camera bags that don’t obviously look like typical camera bags. Here’s a few options:
Think Tank Retrospective
The Think Tank Retrospective series is very cool. On the outside it’s a plain, incognito messenger style bag. Inside, it’s a great camera bag with adjustable padded dividers. There are several sizes available depending on how much gear you want to hold. There aren’t a plethora of pockets but it has the basics and Think Tank’s quality is always in the top of the class.
The pinestone model looks like a typical canvas bag, though it feels just as high-quality as you’d expect out of Think Tank. I like the pinestone since it doesn’t stand out.
The Think Tank Retrospective series starts at $129
Check them out on Amazon
Tenba Small Messenger Bag
I got to test out the Tenba messenger bags while in a local camera store and I was pretty impressed. There’s a small and a large model available. Both will carry a laptop in addition to your camera gear with the small model carrying up to a 15″ laptop. Not bad.
There’s a ton of pockets for your gear so you can stay organized. A feature I like is the top has a zipper where you can slide things in and out quickly. Nice when you want to grab something from the main compartment without opening it up and completely exposing your camera gear.
My only gripe with the Tenba messenger bags is that they look like laptop bags. If you’re trying to stay a bit incognito, this probably isn’t the bag for you.
Amazon
Kelly Moore Boy Bag
The Kelly Moore Boy Bag may not be as functional as above bags but it’s definitely the nicest looking. It’s not real leather but the quality is very nice. The dividers are removable to fit your gear needs and it has quite a bit of room. This bag definitely wins the “I’m just wearing a cool messenger style bag and there’s nothing important in here” award.
Cons? It’s a bit pricey at $199. They’re available on Amazon.
Kelly Moore B-Hobo Bag
Here’s another bag from Kelly Moore and it’s the reason I was comfortable recommending the Boy Bag without seeing it. I bought the B-Hobo bag for the lady in my life and she loves it. The photos online really don’t do it justice. The work that went into these bags is really top-notch. She loves to throw a couple of lenses and her camera in it and carry it on her while she’s shooting kids or a wedding.
The pros should be obvious. It looks like a stylish purse. The cons are that it’s hard to hold a professional digital SLR body with a grip attached.
Kelly Moore makes a few other styles for ladies starting at $169. You can check them out on Amazon.
Also referred to as canopy tours, zip lining entails putting on a harness and attaching to a series of cables strung throughout the trees. These tours are everywhere throughout Costa Rica and run between $50-100 depending on the location and amount of runs you get. Between 8-12 runs seems to be average. High in both adrenaline and excitement! As scary as it sounds, it’s actually very safe and the most difficult part is usually walking between the cables.
Costa Rica is littered with volcanoes. Some are active, like the popular Arenal which offers visitors views of red falling lava at night and constant rumbles throughout the day. Most volcanoes are located on federally reserved national park land and offer great hikes with amazing views. The Poás Volcano is a popular day trip from the San Jose area and a big tourist draw.
Who doesn’t love monkeys? They are everywhere in Costa Rica swinging from trees or digging through restaurant’s trash cans (please don’t feed the monkeys). National parks like Manuel Antonio provide great opportunities for hikers to see capuchin monkeys swinging overhead or even sharing the trail with them. Other areas like the Arenal Volcano are filled with Howler monkeys who can nearly deafen nearby visitors with their calls.
What better way to start your day than enjoying some Costa Rican coffee. Stop by a grocery store and pick up a bag to take back home. Not only does it taste better than anything you can find back home–it’s a lot cheaper!
Climbing and rappelling a waterfall is an extremely fun and exciting activity in Costa Rica. There are tour operators all over the country that offer waterfall rappels, but if you find yourself in the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area, give 
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