How to Back Up Your Travel Photos On-the-Go

Editor Shannon McMahon is always planning her next trip and often writing in her travel journal. Follow her on Twitter @shanmcmahon_ and on Instagram @shanmcmahon.

Shannon joined SmarterTravel in 2015. A former news reporter, she's lived in the south of Spain, spotted elephants in Sri Lanka, gone spelunking in the Caribbean, hiked Jordan's Petra Basin, interviewed Sao Paulo's Michelin-Star chefs, and explored China via bullet train. Travel trends, news oddities, and her visits to up-and-coming destinations are some of her favorite things to write about.

Her stories have also appeared online on USA Today, The Sun, Huffington Post, Business Insider, blog.TripAdvisor.com, Boston.com, and more. Her educational background is in journalism, art history, gender studies, Spanish, and film. She's been quoted as an expert travel source by CNBC, People.com, MarketWatch, The Washington Post, USA Today, and more.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Plenty of extra thick hair elastics. They tame my frizzy curls and come in handy in a surprising number of packing and hotel dilemmas."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Climbing (yes, climbing, it's steep!) the Great Wall of China before it's gone."

Travel Motto: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window, of course."

Email Shannon at smcmahon@smartertravel.com.

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Ever grab your smartphone camera to capture a photo-worthy travel memory, only to be halted by an annoying ‘storage full’ notification? Not backing up your photos while you’re on the road is a surefire way to overload your phone, especially if you have your favorite travel apps and Netflix episodes downloaded for the trip.

The solution is simple—apps, gadgets, and online services will store your photos for you. Here’s how to back up all your travel photos and ensure you never miss a photo-op again.

Download a Storage App

The easiest way to increase your phone storage is by using a back-up app that's free or cheap, like Google Drive or Dropbox. Both are compatible with iOS and Android, although Google Drive will better suit people who already have a Google account. Both charge about $10 per month for one TB of storage, which should be plenty for even the snap-happiest of travelers.

Price and Where to Buy: Google Drive includes up to 15 GB free (iOS or Android), then $1.99 per 100 GB and up, per month. Dropbox includes 2 GB free, (iOS or Android) then $9.99 per TB and up, per month.

Download a Storage App

Invest in a Drive You'll Actually Use

Want something tangible to ensure the space you purchased is put to use? Try a charger that will automatically back up your device every time you plug it in. The MEEM is perfect for frequent-travelers or those who are simply too lazy to sort through back-ups and downloads when storage gets low.

Price and Where to Buy: From $52 on Amazon or $49 to $69 on MEEM's website, depending on your phone model

Use Amazon Prime's Unlimited Photo Storage

Need another reason to subscribe to Amazon's free-shipping and entertainment service, Prime? One of its lesser-known advantages is unlimited photo storage, plus five free GB for videos and documents. The space can be accessed through the Prime Photo mobile app on iOS or Android, or on a desktop browser, which means it's also a place to store your DSLR photos if you use a non-smartphone camera.

Price and Where to Buy: Included with Amazon's $99 yearly Prime membership

iPhone users can let their phone deal with their back-ups thanks to iCloud. Enabling the feature is as easy as pushing a button—If you're not already using iCloud on your iPhone, you can turn it on in your phone's settings under 'iCloud' and modify which apps you want to automatically back up. This includes not only photos but mail, music, documents, contacts, and more. If you run out of storage on the cloud, it's easy to upgrade for just a few dollars per month.

Price and Where to Buy: Free up to 5 GB, then $1 to $19.99 per month

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Associate Editor Shannon McMahon writes about all things travel. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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