Many of us believe that because we’re going on an outing or holiday, we should take a ‘real’ camera. Yet, that’s mostly a pre-smartphone mindset that deserves challenging.

Sure, if you’re an avid photographer with expensive equipment and a range of lenses, this won’t be the case. But for most of us, we take photos to remember our experiences and share them with friends and family.

So here are 5 reasons why your phone might be all you need:

You Always Have It on You

When on vacation, you’re going to use your phone to find your way around, book and store any kind of tickets, check the weather, to translate, to convert currency, to choose the perfect restaurant, and so much more.

Your camera can’t do any of these things, and with space in your luggage always being a premium it’s hard to justify packing a one-trick-pony camera.

Simple To Use But Gives Quality Results

With no complicated settings, anyone can snap great photos. Check what megapixel camera your phone has. An 8-megapixel camera will deliver a good quality high resolution print to a size of 20”x24”.

As a guide, the iPhone 5, which came out in 2012, is 8 megapixels. Most newer Apple or Andriod models have 12-megapixel cameras. Compare that to the point and shoot you have, and you might be surprised.

Makes Sharing Photos Easy

Having your images stored on the same device as your apps makes your life so much easier. You can:

• seamlessly add photos to your social media accounts, and email or direct message them to friends or family.
• use one of the countless editing apps to improve the images, add filters, text, and a myriad of other fun stuff.
• create collages or memory books which are a modern-day version of photo albums.
• use a postcard app to send personalized postcards to family and friends without the need to find stamps and a post-office. And they will be received before you get home.

Offers Both Storage and Back Up in One Place

No one ever wants to lose either their phone or their camera, but they are replaceable. Your vacation photos are not.

With a little bit of tech savvy (ask your grandkids) you can set your phone up so that your images save automatically to the cloud as well as your phone. Should the worst happen, at least you will be able to retrieve your vacation memories.

You Can Print Photos Taken on Your Phone

Many websites and apps offer you the facility to upload your photos for printing, whether it’s on paper, or mugs, or cushions. You can make calendars, jigsaw puzzles and a surprising array of items that make superb gifts.

Smartphone photo-specific printers are very affordable and have some fun applications. Better still, they’re small enough to take with you, meaning that you can almost turn your phone into an instant camera. (Remember those?)

Need some inspiration on where to travel, check out our selection of virtual tours.

Do you have a smartphone? How often do you use it for photos? What are the best features of your smartphone as a camera device? Please share your observations with the community!