Trip Photos and Storage Needed in GB

Travel photo storage estimate

The estimate runs off photos per day x average file size: total_GB = photos * size_MB / 1024. A smartphone JPEG/HEIC usually lands at 5-10 MB, with HEIC on iPhone coming in around half the JPEG size for the same quality. A RAW file from a mirrorless or DSLR is heavier, 25-40 MB. Over a week you can rack up 500-2,000 photos without trying, which works out to roughly 10-30 GB if you shoot on a phone and 50-80 GB if you shoot RAW, and that's before any video.

Applications

Figuring out which SD card or external SSD to pack, picking an iCloud or Google Photos plan, weighing cloud-only against a 3-2-1 backup with a portable drive, and not getting hit with "Storage Full" halfway through the trip.

FAQ

HEIC or JPEG? HEIC cuts the space about in half at comparable quality, though support is patchier on Windows and older Android devices.

Should I shoot RAW on a trip? Only if you're going to sit down and edit properly. RAW files run 4-8x bigger and will eat through a consumer cloud plan fast.

Cloud or local backup? Do both. The cloud (iCloud/Google) covers you if the device is lost or stolen, and a portable SSD keeps your photos reachable when there's no connection.