Saturday night’s party was a great time. And as it’s a regular event, I would recommend anyone around Brussels check it out next time the party comes around. I went on my own, which can always be a bit of a challenge. Thankfully I wore a good prop. My big white hat would be snatched of my head, and I knew I I’d had a new group of friends to dance with. Some pictures of the heads my hat found itself on below.

My friend Noelle in Dubruvnik with Flat Stanley

When you travel solo, the pictures you send home can look quite lonely. The easiest fix for this problem is to bring along a fake travel buddy.

My first encounter with the fake travel buddy was the gnome in the movie Amalie. But there is actually bit of debate on the internets as to which came first, the traveling gnome prank or Flat Stanley. The traveling gnome started in the 80’s in Australia, giving it a major jump on the Flat Stanley Project, which started in 1995 a pen-pal project. However, the Flat Stanley books first came out in the 1960’s. In the stories Stanley would mail himself to his friends, so it is conceivable that people took that idea and started picturing themselves with Flat Stanley well before the gnome came on the scene.

You don’t have to wait until you’re on the road to have fun with little travel buddy. I used to have a stuffed penguin hanging around my apartment. One night we gathered a group of folks and hit the town with the penguin. Much like roving with a travel buddy, the penguin added some fun flavor to the evening.

My friend Aaron gets a smooch from the penguin

I’m constantly fretting over whether or not to lug my SLR with me when I travel. My upcoming ski trip is no different. I’d love to get some great pictures from the mountain tops, but I’m nervous about taking my expensive and bulky camera with me. Thankfully, there’s a good thread of advice at Photo.net that has helped me put my fears aside.

Novice skier Andrew Booth didn’t seem to have any problems:

I just came back from my first skiing holiday, and took a camera with me (heavier than yours). I stowed it in some padding in a regular (small) backpack. My enthusiasm for skiing is a lot greater than my skill (since I’ve never done it before), so my holiday involved a number of high speed falls. The camera survived well, but on one occasion the backpack swivelled up and hit me on the back of the head – which wasn’t too good. Get a backpack which you can secure ’round your front (waist strap or something like that)and this won’t happen.

And expert skier David Merfeld seems to recommend the same thing for carrying and SLR, just toss it in a rucksack:

1. Have a point and shoot in a fanny pack, worn in front. No, you do not need to take your gloves off to get a picture. Many a good shot will be lost while you are fumbling with your knapsack, trying to dig out that big camera you have buried. Besides, just try and remove a camera from your pack while riding a lift (look out beloooooow…). For fun, I have timed myself, and can unzip the fanny pack, remove the camera, and compose and take a shot, in under 4 seconds – without stopping and without removing my hands from the pole straps (I know it’s silly).

2. If you want to carry a larger camera, then a knapsack works fine. I usually carry a 645, wrapped in my spare clothing, in a basic knapsack (in addition to the P&S). Don’t bother with fancy gear, just wear one with good shoulder straps and a good waist belt.

I’ve got a good camera backpack, so I’m going to go for it. Hopefully I’ll have some good pictures to put up here when I get back in January.

The photo above by Geoff Pingree is the grand prize winner of National Geographic Travel’s photo competition. I’m a little shocked. Really? The best photo? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good picture. Congratulations to Geoff and all that, but I don’t think this is even this best picture that made it into the finals.

Check out this one by Bernardo Carvalho:

If you ask me that’s a much better picture. Though, maybe that’s why I’m not a judge in the photo contest. In any case, It’s well worth checking out all the finalists and prize winners. And then think about what picture you’ll be entering next year. It’s worth a shot.

I was looking for some good pictures of Venice flooded for my post Monday, but didn’t find any until just now. Thankfully Boston.com’s Big Picture has provided a great set here.

The picture above is from Andrea Pattaro for AFP PHOTO/AFP/Getty Images.