So how was it? Not bad... actually quite liberating. Traveling solo is one thing, but traveling and being a one woman video production team is another. However, it can be and has been done, so just do it. As a video producer, I love telling stories about real people, experiences and adventures, which is why I decided to buy my drone in the first place, so I can document these moments from a different perspective.
Flying a drone, especially the Mavic Pro is extremely easy, only because its an amazing work of art. DJI wasn't joking around when they decided to become the largest leading drone company in the world. They created masterpieces for filmmakers everywhere and not just for them, they now have drones like the Spark thats taking the consumer market to the next level. They are so compact and travel friendly that anyone could carry around a drone. However, there are alot of rules around using drones and you cannot just use them anywhere. We all still need to be responsible when flying just as we are when we drive a car. I am often asked about my travel journeys with my drone, so I put together a list of questions below for you to review in case you're interested in purchasing a drone for your next vacation. Common Questions People Ask Me How do You fly in other countries? Well, before I embark on my journey, I make sure to do research about the city or country I am going to. I then figure out the laws and regulations and follow them. The main rule as a hobbyist is to not fly within a 5 mile radius of an airport and always have your UA visible in the air. Common sense right? Well, some people would surprise you. If you wanted to really educate yourself, you could study and become a certified licensed drone pilot. I am currently studying for my Part 107 exam and its not as easy as I thought, but its doable. A license allows you to legally get paid as a drone pilot for work related projects, but it will also educate you on everything you need to know when operating a UA. How do you travel with your drone on an airplane? Traveling with my Mavic is a piece of cake, mostly because its small and compact. I simply put it inside of my backpack, just like a camera and no questions asked. I have never had any issues at the airport when traveling with my drone. I have also traveled with friends that carry the DJI Inspire, which is much larger, but still they had no issues. India, however, has prohibited drones and I had a friend who traveled there with his and it was not a good situation. That is why I recommend everyone to always check the drone laws and regulations online prior international traveling. What do you edit your footage on? I'm a huge fan of Premiere Pro, however, you can edit your drone footage on any editing system. However, if you are shooting 4K video, make sure you create your proxy files in Premiere (I had some trouble with that at first)! How do you export your 4k drone footage? When exporting my final video, I export differently for Youtube versus Instagram. For Instagram, I export it as a 1920x1080 H.264 file simply because I had issues getting the 4k version onto my phone. For your computer or Youtube, I export it as a 4096x2160 H.264 file. Of course, you can create your own settings depending on your project, but these settings work nicely for me and my needs on social media. That's it for now, be sure to keep these tips in mind while traveling with your drone. I hope you enjoyed the video I created and it would mean so much to me if you SHARED this video and SUBSCRIBED to my Youtube channel for more upcoming videos about my travel and drone adventures.
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During my most recent trip to Krabi, Thailand, I was able to visit a few of the stunning islands this country is known for. The best part, I captured them with my Dji Mavic Pro. Many people ask me how I manage to fly my drone in different areas. I'm here to tell you about that and share my drone flying experience in different places around the world. I'm not much of a beach gal, but after this experience, I can definitely say I cannot wait for my next island and beach discovery!1. Rai Leh (Railay Beach)- Railay, also known as Rai Leh, is technically not an island, its a peninsula between the city of Krabi and Ao Nang in Thailand. You can only get there by boat since there is high limestone cliffs cutting off mainland access. In my case, I took a long tail boat that cost about 100 baht per person, one way. There are so many hidden resorts and scenic paths that lead to Instagram-worthy photos, so don't be afraid to go off the beaten path to see these. I stayed at a resort (since they are quite affordable) on the south side, but you can also use Airbnb if you want to be more authentic. It took about 30 minutes to travel there by shuttle from the Krabi airport and then another fifteen minutes to the island by long tail boat. My main take aways about flying my drone here was that everyone is so relaxed and in vacation mode that they are not concerned with what it is you're doing. The ambiance, nightlife and various walking/hiking trails nearby are worth checking out too, plus it gives you more angles and shots to capture with your drone. Overall, I did not have any trouble flying my drone here. 2. Koh Pai (Bamboo Island) -Bamboo Island, known as Koh Pai in Thai, is the most north-easterly island of Phi Phi Archipelago in the southern Thai province of Krabi. This island has the bluest, clearest water I have ever seen in my life! As you will see in my video above, this was the smallest Island I traveled to with the whitest sand. I only know this, because I was able to fly my drone around the entire island. One thing to note is I was asked to stop flying (thankfully, I got all of my shots in time). I'm not sure who asked me, I think it may have been someone who worked at the resort there, but not entirely sure. My rule of thumb is to stop flying if someone asks you out of respect. Another takeaway from this island is that you can stay here or go on a 1-2 hour day trip for some swimming, snorkeling and relaxing. Overall, if you're going to fly here, don't do it out in the open, seclude yourself and launch. 3. Ko Phi Phi Don Island (Maya Bay)-One thing to note is that the Phi Phi Islands are a number of islands located in the Ko Phi Phi archipelago and Ko Phi Phi Don is the largest of the islands. It was beautiful here, however, it was not my favorite, simply because I was not there long enough and it seemed less authentic when it comes to private island hopping. This was only because it was not as secluded as Bamboo Island and Maya Bay. Speaking of Maya Bay, (where the movie, The Beach was filmed), I was able to fly my drone for about five minutes until a man began screaming at me to bring it down. I don't recommend flying your drone here simply because you don't want any Thai police officer yelling at you. I swiftly landed my drone, apologized and went on my way. Hopefully, this article helped you with finding places to fly during your island hopping adventures in Krabi, Thailand. If you like this video or blog post, please share with your drone and travel buddies! Thanks for stopping by! |
Elena Buenrostro is a video producer, host, drone enthusiast and lover of all things red. This blog highlights her passion for video, business, drones & travel.Want more videos and articles?
September 2017
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