Fujifilm Instax Travel guide: What you need to know [2022]

Traveling with your instant camera? Here is the ultimate Fujifilm Instax travel guide to make the most out of your trip, and make the best pictures.

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If you already have an Instax, you can skip this first part.

Which is the best Instax for traveling?

If there is a drawback to Instax cameras it is their dependence on film. No film, no picture, it is as simple as that. What if you want to print a few images to share? That is why one of the best Instax cameras for travelling are the hybrid ones.

There are the SQ10 ones but they are relatively large so the best choice for travelling is the Fujifilm mini Liplay. It is one of the smallest Instax cameras with the ability to print over and over so that you can share your prints.

Fujifilm Instax travel set

If you do not have an Instax yet you can get this travel set. It comes with the recommended Fujifilm Liplay, a 16gb memory card (hundreds of thousands of pictures!), a film pack and an album.

Packing Up: What you need

Before heading out here’s a few tips for packing

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How many film packs?

Of course you need to bring film with you, so bring a few packs. But here is the thing, on’t need to stock up on too many. If you bring the suggest Fujifilm Liplay, you can use it as a normal camera until you get some more film.

If your camera shoots Instax mini (like the Liplay) you do not need to bring too many film packs. Instax mini film is widely available in many places around the world. I’ve seen them in Hanoi, Korea, Thailand and a few other places.

The mini film is the most popular and you can find them in malls, camera and electronic shops, etc. I have rarely seen the Instax square and never the wide, if those are your cameras, stock up!

Instax bag

You can carry your camera in any bag, but if you want to go out light, you need a camera bag that can hold you camera and the other necessary accessories. Enter the Skutr bag for the Instax mini cameras.

This is a really great bag because unlike the fitted camera cases for Instax this is big enough to put in your wallet or other accessories and has a special compartment in the bottom for your film cassettes and album.

A must have accessory

Even if you do not want a special bag for your camera, bringing along an Instax album is a must. When your hotel room is in chaos you will not notice your prints falling in behind the hotel bed.

Even if you are organized, you will want an album still. Why? Because shoving your prints in a bag can damage them. You can not only scratch your prints but if you do not store them properly you can bend them, ruining them in the process. And if you do not have a camera like the Liplay, there is no redo for these prints. The Instax album above comes in many colors and can hold 108 prints. If you are an avid shooter, bring two!

Fujifilm Instax Travel considerations

So, how do you travel with an Instax camera? First make sure that before you go trough airport security that your camera is empty of film and ask for a manual check of your film packs from the TSA agent.

Can Fujifilm Instax go through airport security?

While you can go trough airport security with your Instax film, you must require hand check because the new generation scanners (Especially found in the USA since 2020) can damage your film. Your images can become foggy and simply not look like they should because these scanners are powerful and will affect the chemicals.

Can I take a Instax camera on a plane?

Yes you can take your Instax camera on a plane, you can shoot in the plane too, the thing you must worry about most is the scanner so make sure you empty your camera before and you can load it after.

Fujifilm Instax Travel Shooting tips

Here’s a few tips for shooting travel images with your Instax.

Share your prints

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This is probably the single biggest reason to get a Hybrid Instax. You can shoot and give someone a print right away, while you get to keep the digital image and print again afterwards. There is nothing like giving a local a print of their portraits, especially in this day and age where photo prints are rare. If you only have a regular Instax, shoot two prints and give one.

Stock up when you can

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Depending on your travels, take note of when you hit a big city. This is most likely where you will be able to get more film for your camera. The most widely available are the plain Mini Instax prints. The prices are usually comparable to the USA so there is no overpaying. So when you can stock up because if you head in the countryside afterwards you probably won’t find these in stores.

Write your memories

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After coming back from traveling, it’s often hard to recall certain facts about places you’ve visited or people you have met. So remember to write on the back of your Instax print a few things about the place, the people, your experiences. Your future self will thank you.

How to avoid burning trough a film pack

If you do not have the Fujifilm Liplay, you can always use your phone in order to see the shot before it happens. This way instead of losing a few prints just to get the shot right, you can get the shot right first and not waste film.

Back Up your images

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If you have the Fujifilm Liplay, you can use your hotel time to back up your images to your phone and then to the cloud. If you ever lose or forget your camera your photos will be safe.

Remember your exposure

While the Instax cameras are fully automatic they have an override in the form of exposure compensation or EV. With this you can force the camera to lighten or darken your image. If you shoot a situation where it is too dark, push the EV +1 or +2. If you shoot a situation where it is too light, pull the EV -1 or -2.

Experiment

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The instax line is a fun line of cameras so don’t forget to experiment with the filters and double exposure. things look different in black and white and you can get some really great results with double exposure.

Fujifilm Instax travel tip: Use the rule of three

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One way to make your travel images is the rule of three. Try to have at least three things in the image. So not just a single shot of a building, but a building, a bicycle in front of it and someone walking by. Or you can do the rule of three by thinking of what you put in your foreground, midground and background.

The shot above has the cat and steps on the foreground, the flags in the midground and the greenery in the background.

Use contrast

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One of the best ways to make your photos stand out is to use contrast. For example in the shots above the white and red contrasts against the green in the left image. In the right image the green statue is lost in the green field. Remember that the Instax prints are small and washed out a bit so look for contrasting colors, shapes, sizes and more.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed this Fujifilm Instax travel guide. The best part of traveling with your Instax is the fact that you can not only shoot and capture memories but you can also share those memories with others. Nothing beats leaving someone with an Instax print to remember you by. Happy travels and shooting.