How many memory cards does it take to travel around the world?

If we were to take an average of 100 photos per day, we would need over two-hundred 256MB memory cards to capture the entire trip. At $20 per card, that's over $4000. Ouch.

Instead, we'll carry 1GB of flash memory and transfer photos to a hard disk drive. And what better hard drive than an iPod?

Apple makes a small camera connector (approx $30) which enables direct transfer of photos from a digital camera. We tested this during one of our pre-RTW trips, and it seems to work pretty well.

Photo transfer is initiated by connecting the camera to a color iPod (using standard USB cable and the camera connector), and switching the devices on. The iPod creates a new "slideshow" (essentially a folder) for each transfer.

Photos can then be transferred from the iPod to a PC using the standard iPod USB connector.

Pretty easy, although I strongly recommend testing this a few times before you begin your travel -- since not all cameras are compatible or easily configurable. There's a list of compatible digital cameras on the Apple website. Even if your digital camera isn't listed (as was the case with my Lumix FZ-5), it may very well work.

Also, be sure that your iPod and camera have sufficient charge when transferring photos. A 256MB transfer drains over 50% of the iPod's battery life, and can take quite a few minutes.

Now all I have to do is find enough bandwidth on the road to transfer photos from the iPod to flickr. Wish me luck!