The right lens to take with you when travelling, this is a difficult question. The answer may vary depending on multiple factors like your favourite style of photography, the nature and duration of your trip, and such. If you can afford, buy the best lens possible so you will be able to get high quality photographs. When choosing a lens for travel photography there are a few aspects you should consider:

Focal range. Keep in mind that you never know what you can come across during your travel. What you might like to photograph during your trip can vary a lot. If you travel to a big city and you plan to capture the architecture and the street life of that place, you will probably need a wide angle lens. This will allow you to photograph most buildings from an optimal distance. If you choose a lens with a big focal range (for example something up to 135, 200mm) you will be able to zoom in for detail, faraway objects or peoples faces. The focal length you choose depends on your style of photography. If possible, take with you a combination of lenses, at least two, a wide angle and a reasonable tele lens, thus you will be covered in almost any situation. You can opt for a lens with a wide focal range, like Nikkor 18-135 mm or Tamron 18-200 mm, but be aware that the quality of the photographs taken with this type of lens is not always very good for stock photography.

Lens speed. Low light situations are usually common when travelling: museums, galleries where you are not allowed to use the flash, evening or night photography, indoors events, etc. So the faster the lens the better. Of course, this lenses are usually expensive. If you can afford one, buy it especially when it comes with a good focal length (Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM is a good example for a zoom lens).

      Weight. A big lens can be a problem when travelling especially if you carry a lot of photo gear with you. If you don’t want to carry around a fully loaded and very heavy camera bag you will have to decide which lenses you will take with you. In case your bag is stolen or damaged you will wish you had only one lens in it.

Remember that if you don’t have the best lens possible it doesn’t mean you can not take great photographs. Is the eye that matters.

Straw hats - © Otmar Winterleitner - Dreamstime

Travel photographs can be easily sold as editorial. In this case there is no need for a model release or a property release. Unfortunately, some photography agencies, especially microstock agencies, do not sell editorial photos. In this case, you will need a signed model release for every recognizable person that appears in your photographs or a property release for private properties, signed by the owner. Having a release will also increase the saleability of you images because they can be purchased for both editorial and commercial uses. Many people will sign a model release if you explain it to them. You can avoid photographing people but still subtly imply their presence by using blurred shapes, out of focus images, silhouettes, cropped frames. Just experiment! 

Variety of subjects

Variety is always good in stock photography. When travelling take photos as diverse as you can from landscapes to macro shots. Try to capture the essence of that place by taking shots of local people, specific landscapes, animals, cityscapes, buildings and landmarks, food and drink, major sights, aerial views or street scenes. Sometimes postcards for sale are a very good place to look for subjects relevant to the place you are travelling to, and they can also suggest good points of view or hidden places.

Bad weather

Bad weather is not always that bad! Sometimes a stormy sky make a photograph more appealing. The rain also adds a romantic touch so don't give up photographing if the weather is not perfect, just make sure you don't get your photo gear wet. Minimize dark, grey, dull skies in your compositions because they are uninteresting. 

Names and details

One important aspect when selling travel stock photographs is to provide all the relevant information about the subject of the photographs, in the description and in the keywords. After all keywords sell your photos! So, do your best to remember the names of places, landmarks, local dishes, and so on. It helps a lot to keep a journal of the places you've seen, the things you have done and any other details that can prove important when it comes to descibing your photograph.  

Where to sell travel stock photos?

There are many stock photography agencies out there where you can sell your travel stock photographs. Many of the general stock agencies, such as  Alamy, Corbis (traditional stock), Shutterstock, Dreamstime or Fotolia (microstock) have a well represented Travel category. But there are also dedicated agencies and if you are into this type of photography maybe it is a good ideea to work with one of these agencies. You can find a list of stock agencies that sell Travel, Cultural, Ethnic and Regional photos here: www.infostockphoto.com/travel-cultural-ethnic-regional-social.html.