Life In Pleasantville

Food, Travel, Life

Why the GoPro is the Perfect Family Travel Companion

by Candace Sampson

I’m not gonna lie. I was a little annoyed with all the GoPro advertising showing athletes and daredevils jumping out of planes, climbing mountains and such. I mean, sure that’s adventurous and everything but it’s not as hardcore as this parenting gig is. Seriously, if there’s any group on earth that needs to keep their hands free while capturing all the action, it’s parents. If you want to really give the GoPro a whirl, strap it onto the head of a toddler just learning to walk…I kid, I kid. Okay, not really. If I had owned a GoPro when my kids were learning to walk, chances are I would have tried that. Talk about heart-stopping action.

I’m not kidding though when I say the GoPro is the perfect family camera for travel. It’s easy to use, extremely portable and can be strapped on to anyone or anything. It’s ideal for capturing memories while skiing, biking, water skiing, snorkeling, windsurfing, parasailing, and skating. Sound like anything your family participates in? You simply can’t drag a bulky camera around with you for these types of activities, which is what makes the GoPro so ideal. Place the GoPro around your head, on a helmet, on your chest, on your wrist, mounted to bike handles, suctioned to a dashboard, held on a tripod, and stuck to a surfboard and you focus on the fun.

I love mine so much I even trust my kids with it. Normally I’m rather skittish about letting my children play with technology. They’re sticky and careless which makes me nervous when they want to snap pictures with my expensive professional camera. With the GoPro however, I have no fear at all. Consider this:

Frankly, if a GoPro can survive a fall from a camera and live in a Pigsty for 8 months, it can survive my children.

I’ve become rather attached to my GoPro for other reasons though. Aside from the fact that it’s tough as nails, it also takes absolutely amazing pictures and videos. I use mine for a lot of the non-extreme events in life too, like taking video of my daughters at their cheer competitions and of them being goofy. I love the ultra wide-angle aspsherical lens on it. It gives photos and video a unique look.

gopro

I included the GoPro on my Gifts For Your Globetrotter list this year because I truly believe it’s one of the best travel companions you can have. Light, portable and takes outstanding video and photos. I also put it there though because I think every family should have one, not just the young daredevils.

You can find the GoPro Hero at Future Shop stores across Canada and online here.

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About Candace Sampson

Candace Sampson is the founder of Life in Pleasantville and the host of What She Said, Canada’s longest-running women’s talk show turned podcast. A trusted voice in Canadian lifestyle and travel media for over a decade, Candace blends storytelling with sharp insight to connect with women on everything from solo travel to social issues. She’s also the creator of Girl Trips, a women-focused retreat and travel brand. Find her on Instagram @candace_said @whatshesaidtalk and @girltrips.ca

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. sojeles

    We would get a lot of use out of this on our upcoming trip to California. The ocean, hiking in the forest and rides at Disney.

  2. CL

    Seeing as my daughter just started taking a video class this semester I’m thinking this would come in very handy. It will also be fun to take gokarting this summer.

  3. MM

    We are expecting our first child any day now – so exciting!!! We would get tons of use out of this every day, as we chronicle our little girl’s life in our world. I’m also a video editor so I would have a lot of fun editing video mementos of her life and sharing them with friends and family across the miles. They would make a great keepsake for her in the future as well 🙂

  4. Alison Pentland

    We’re a very active family between the snorkeling, freestyle skiing, extreme snowshoeing, downhill mountain biking, I know we’d get lots of use out of this … and with a three year old grandaughter, we’re starting the cycle of capturing memories all over again!

  5. Robina

    This would be such a great way to film what my kids are seeing when we go on our upcoming vacation to Disney World at the very end of March.

  6. Darrah Bailey

    I would use it for my hubbys Remote control airplanes and for sports!

  7. Judy C (Judy Cowan)

    We would use this when we go hiking and anywhere near the water. Looks like a great camera to have to capture those shots that you don’t want to risk with your regular camera!

  8. Jeannie

    I think we would definitely use it most during our weekend family adventures and on our family vacations.

  9. Holly

    What a wonderful review! I’ve heard such wonderful things about GoPro and both my nephew and husband have wanted one for some time now!

    We’d get a lot of use out of it. Personally, I would use it for all our family vacations and get togethers. My husband would use it for work. My nephew more than likely would be the little daredevil.

  10. Chandra Christine O'Connor

    If I had this I pretty much would use it everytime I went outside walking incase I captured something amazing along the way.

  11. Anne Taylor

    I’d love this for travelling and everyday, especially when I take my grandkids to the beach!

  12. guppy5700

    My hubby and son would love to use a GoPro when they dirtbike and ATV around in the bush!

  13. Brenda Penton

    I’d use this out camping and hiking. I know my in-laws would love to borrow it for their adventures. They’d use it on their boat out fishing, on skidoo, motorcycle, etc

  14. Doris Calvert

    Hiking in the Canadian Rockies and pictures of wild life and our little dog

  15. caryn s

    I would use the go pro on our trips to kananaskis and day trips with the kids!

  16. jan

    on my next run through the woods

  17. Rebby

    I would use this snorkeling in Mexico!

  18. Clarence L

    Would use the GoPro for snowboarding here in Ontario!!

  19. Tim Justynski

    I think I would use it everywhere!! Work, home, vacation… Everywhere. 🙂

  20. Scott

    I would use it when Autocrossing (car racing).

  21. Anthony Castro

    I would take it on all of our trips!

  22. Aaron

    I would use it when I take trips outside the country to capture life’s beautiful moments.

  23. S Shahabi

    I would use when I go hiking, swimming, running and when I take trips.

  24. Cassie Fancy

    I would use it everywhere , when we go swimming or in any day trip

  25. Darlene Schuller

    I would take this everywhere, especially this summer when we travel across Canada.

  26. francine

    I would love this to take pictures of my kids everywhere. honestly the camera on my phone isn’t that good and the kids destroyed my codac digital camera.

  27. kissifer19

    OMG where wouldn’t I use it. I would use it especially the summer…Swimming and sailing. 😀 Thank you!

  29. Lynda Cook

    I would use it for everything, it would be awesome for me because I have a hard time videoing anything because I shake way to much…lol

  31. Tracey

    I would use it on our family ski trips.

  32. Becky

    Were going to Disney World next February. I bet it would work awesome there for rides etc.

  33. ash boromand

    Me and my family like to go skiing once every two weeks, and to bring something new that can capture many great memories together, will bring us even closer together!

  34. sylvia

    I’d use this on my motorcycle trips!

  35. Valerie Crawford

    I would use it when we visit family out east this summer.

  36. mommakoala

    We fly remote control helicopters and having a GoPro mounted would get us some amazing footage. It would give us a unique vantage point.
    (Debbie W)

  37. Josh S

    I would use it on my hiking trips

  38. Marilyn Legault

    I would use it on our upcoming trip to Iceland, and then with the grand kids.

  39. angela m

    I would use it on family vacations , beach days and everyday

  40. James Brown

    I’d use it while horseback riding

  41. Angela Mitchell

    I could see this camera being amazing on our next trip to Disneyland or Hawaii.

  44. Brandee H

    This is one of the only cameras I have seen and been coveting!! I would love this camera! My son is learning how to skateboard. And hands free would be the way to go!!

  45. LisaB

    I see people doing such creative things with their gopro cameras – the possibilities seem endless. my husband does downhill mountain biking and I’d love to get footage and see what it looks like from his perspective as he bombs down trails!

  46. Tim Burrows

    Well given that we are a Disney family, we would be taking it Disney World all the time and anywhere we go and get to see the kids in action being kids. Those memories will be alive forever!!

  47. Kevin B

    I would give this to my nephew. He is a photography geek and would love this!

  48. Ferenc Kunszt

    I’d use it while biking around the forest

  49. Rebecca Brown

    I’d use it for all our activities on family trips!

  50. Joseph Marchionda

    I use this to capture all the places we go while on vacation!

  51. Angela Nell

    I love the fact that it’s durable and waterproof. My spouse and I travel a lot with very little luggage, so the camera always ends up getting shoved into a bag or my purse, which inevitably gets tossed around quite a bit. Having a durable camera would make me less worried about the camera breaking and possibly losing treasured family photos (or the opportunity to take those photos!) I’d also love to use the camera if/when we go snorkeling again. The last time we went snorkeling, I didn’t have contacts nor prescription goggles so, while the snorkeling was fun and fantastic, the fish were all colourful blobs. I would have loved to have had an underwater camera to take pictures and record the experience so that I could have had clear pictures to look at after the fact. (or perhaps have even been able to use the viewfinder as a sort of glasses!)

  52. Gwen Jones

    As a mom with a teen, and a tween who are extremely active and now with a 6 week old – something like a GoPro would be amazing.

  53. Gina MacVeigh

    Work outside in the water and would be able to use it all the time!

  54. kathy downey

    Personally, I would use it for all our family gathering,and with my moms 90th Birthday coming up and all the family coming home to celebrate,there are going to be a lot of photos to take.

  55. Ernie Martin

    I do a lot of cycling and it would be sweet to use the GoPro out on the country rides

  56. Caleb Durham (@calebdurham)

    I film in a lot of more sensitive situations while traveling, and this could be a really sweet camera for capturing footage without causing a scene!

  58. H Roby

    I’m going to take the camera, when I win it, and my family with me to Ruby Beach close to the HOH Rainforest in WA state and totally take the best family pictures EVER!

  59. Louise

    great little camera I would use it a lot. Family vacation, on our camping trips, fishing trips, snowmobiling trips. every where!!!!

  60. Emilie Fournier

    I think the go pro is awesome . Takes great clear videos! I would use it for when I go riding on my snow machine this winter or on my four-wheeler this summer!

  61. Joleen Payges

    Would love to have the GoPro for our camping trip this summer to San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Reno for 4th of July, then back up through Oregon and Washington home to Vancouver, BC. But I’ll be honest, we would also love to put it on our dachshund, to see his point of view! Lol!

  62. Candace Derickx

    that would be awesome!! I saw a video on the GoPro sight recently where someone attached it to their dog. Hilarious.

  63. Candace Derickx

    Sounds Perfect! Good luck

  64. Candace Derickx

    That’s the beauty of it. It’s such a rugged little camera you can take it everywhere.

  65. Candace Derickx

    Good luck!

  66. Candace Derickx

    Ideal for that type of adventure! Good luck

  67. Candace Derickx

    Perfect for cycling. Attaches right to the handles. Good luck.

  68. Candace Derickx

    90!! Wow!! Love it. Good luck!

  69. Candace Derickx

    Very cool! Good luck Gina.

  70. Candace Derickx

    It’s perfect because kids can’t hurt it. For real 🙂 Good luck!

  71. Candace Derickx

    We used it snorkelling recently and I loved the images we got. Love this camera. Good luck!

  72. Candace Derickx

    Good luck!

  73. Candace Derickx

    That’s so nice. Good luck!

  74. Elizabeth D.

    I love to go hiking and there are lots of waterfalls near where I live but in the interest of safety I can’t take very many photos because I have to focus on where I’m walking so the GoPro would allow me to really capture the experience without distracting from my enjoyment or safety.

  75. Karl

    My question is, would you just use gopro on your vacations and use it also as a normal camera for photos? the new silver version also has an LCD so i guess thats the idea but i dont know if i should go for an SLR or a GoPro 🙁

  76. Candace Derickx

    My only hesitation prior would have been the lack of a display screen. Now of course, that is has one, I would absolutely use it as a normal camera. Just remember you won’t be able to zoom as much as you’d like, but for fun, family pictures, I think this camera is a win.

  77. Henry

    Curious to know which go pro did you go with. I’m going to Disney and would love to capture the memories as well.
    Thanks in advance