Looking for traveling tips (out of country) with camera gear. We are traveling to Rome in October and want to make sure that I safely get my gear there & back. Thoughts are using by camera back pack as my carry-on with all my gear.  Anything that I can not travel with in my carry-on or in my checked bag? If I take a tripod, it might be a small table-top tripod just for space & weight.
Any tips from those what travel international would be greatly appreciated.

I have done the international and continental trips with my camera gear.  I have a Mindshift Photocross Sling 10 for my camera bag that fits underneath my seat and then a carry-on also.  I don't and won't check my camera gear, I carry just what I need on with me.

In general, check only what you want to never see again, or stuff you can easily replace at a camera store if need be. Also, you'll have to check the tripod. But also forget the tripod, unless HDR stuff is a must for you. Almost all indoor sites forbid their use. If you're out using them at night, you increase your crime victim chances greatly. Just brace your camera on a wall, or buy a faster lens, crank up the ISO etc. Back when 800 was max useable ISO, I got real good at just taking 3 photos in a row figuring the first and last would be blurred from me getting on and off the shutter button but the middle was usually sharp, even with quarter and half second exposures. Braced against something I could go even longer.

If you're flying direct to Rome you'll have no problem as long as your carry on is regulation size. If you're flying Easyjet or one of the dozens of point to point budget airlines in Europe, make damn sure your bag fits their size requirements. They used to have little cages at the check in desks that they would make you put your bag in to insure it was correct sized. It's been a few years since I traveled to Europe, so things might have gotten worse(never better), but they used to not care at all about the weight of carry on, just the size. Basically can it fit in the overhead or seat in front of you.

I used to use photography backpacks(Think Tank, airport international or something like that). However, once you arrive and you're out being a tourist, you're carrying around a big sign on your bag saying expensive shit, rob me.

Instead I started just using a medium size hiking backpack from REI. I would roll up one of the wifes sarongs in the bottom of it for impact protection. Then she sewed me camera and lens covers out of neoprene. I could stuff a backpack full of electronics and look normalish. Then when on-site doing tourist stuff and I had cameras around my necks, we could stick water bottles, snacks, etc. in the backpack and it still be useful.

Before the owner turned out to be a giant leftist turd I had a ScottEVest. It was a jacket with a bunch of pockets sewed into it. It was my last resort middle finger to airlines. If I absolutely couldn't get it all in my carry on, I would load that sucker down. I might have a small laptop, camera body, 70-200, you name it in that thing. I looked ridiculous, but only until I got through security, then I could repack. A few times the gate people gave me crap on a regional jet. I'd deploy the jacket, load it down with a bunch of crap. Nothing they could do since it was on me, and then once on, I'd put it in the overhead.
I often had my carry on bag weight at 50 pounds. Again used to be no limit on weight, just size. If you do have a large amount of weight watch your bag in the overhead. I had some manlet steward try to move my bag to make room for another womans. He almost dropped it straight down to the ground, such was the weight compared to what his manlet arms could handle.

Security. Look for "quick link" on Amazon. I put those on all the zippers on my carry on bags. No one is going to come up behind me and unzip my bag quickly. They'll have to slash it, which they also do, but not nearly as often.

Gaffer tape. I always roll several feet of gaffer tape onto the leg of my tripod, or monopod, you never know when it will be useful. I also put a piece of it over the name and model of my camera. I want my shit to look as shabby as possible. That reminds me, if you do take a tripod, you typically can't carry it on, but you can carry on the ball head, which is usually the most expensive bit anyway.

Front carry your wallet. One of a couple of places a pickpocket tried me was on the subway from Rome train station out to the Vatican. I felt a finger run up my back pocket, where there was nothing, which is why I felt it. I looked around, the person behind me had his back to me, but the next person over looked away quickly. Then the doors opened and he was gone. Again, thankfully nothing there for him to get, other than a feel of my fine American ass.

Head on a swivel. I'm a big dude, so scumbags were much less likely to try me. My dad and I were touristing the ruins of Pompeii (daytripped down from Rome.) We still laugh about this manlet looking guy eye fucking my camera(a very expensive back in the day, Canon DSLR) then up at me, then the camera, then up at me, and me giving him my best, fuck around and find out look. This was right in the ruins at Pompeii, brazen. He finally slinked away, but you could tell he really wanted to have a go at it. Obviously watch yourself more at the train station, in crowds, etc., try to stick to busy areas. Be wary of anyone that approaches you. Italy is rife with low level crims, con men, etc.

Comfort. Rome is a hot dusty, hilly mofo. Be in good shape, comfy shoes. I personally hate having even the most comfortable camera strap around my neck all day. I switched to having thin shoulder straps, and it was much more comfortable. Especially since I could then carry two cameras. It took a little getting used, to, the feeling like the camera could easily fall off, but they don't if you don't bend weird. I hated changing lenses, especially in dusty ass places like Rome. So i'd have a wide 16-35ish lens on one body, and a 70-200 on the other.

Cistine Chapel. It is, or was, a no photo zone. I don't see how they could even try to enforce this with cell phones and asshole chinese tourist hordes, so maybe they gave up. If not, just practice shooting from the hip. Their used to be seats on the sides, I sat there staring up at the ceiling and blasted away with camera in my lap. Silent shutters for the win on this. Also if you're there end of the day, you wind up with this huge crush of people as they walk through all the rooms prior to the Cistine(it's last stop of course), and sweep people out of the place. In all the commotion it was easy to blast away, what were they going to do, throw me out, who cares it's closing time anyway. Obviously you don't want to be Chinese tourist guy with flash blasting, but no flash, no harm, eff em.

Don't check anything you don't want to lose/break.

Forget the "camera" bags; get some Tenba caes and use in a regular backpack.

My last major trip I did take and use a tripod; Manfrotto beFree travel tripod.   Just carried it on; it comes with it's own  case and fits anywhere.

I took a D500 body and three lenses:

Tokina 11-16
Sunset 20170221 by FredMan, on Flickr

Nikon 24-120 (this is a fantastic walking around lens)
Waikoloa Highlands Sunbeams by FredMan, on Flickr

Nikon 70-300 4.5-5.6
Sunset 20170221 Humpback Breach by FredMan, on Flickr
With those three lenses just about every need is met.

Thanks for the detailed info cmburns33 and Fredman. Greatly appreciated.

Buddy just got back from a month in Europe.  Said Rome was the biggest shit hole he has ever been too.  Said he has never seen so many scam artists and pick pockets.  He said there is zero enjoying the sites as you are trying to protect your shit 100% of the time.

I spent all of 2022 on tour with my camera. Main carry on was my camera bag. Personal item was my backpack with two laptops and an iPad, usually .

The trick is to make sure to put your camera batteries (and you need a bunch of extra ones, right?) in both your camera bag and backpack/personal bag. That way the airline CAN'T allow you to check your bags. They have to travel in the cabin as carry on. You can't even gate check them if they have lithium batteries in them.

Meh. Get a Peak Design bag and call it good

Not trying to get you to burden you with more stuff than you need to carry, but maybe consider bringing a good set of ND filters.  Used in the daytime with your tripod, and you can make a whole lot of people disappear.  It's a pleasantly Stalinesque effect.

I wish I had an urban example, but this is all I can think of at the moment.  There were probably 20 or more people milling around in the field of view of this photograph, with at least half of them spray painting the cars.

Midday, 4 minute exposure...

Yep, already considered bringing my ND filters to try that, especially in Rome at the busy spots. Need to try it out locally first so I know what the hell I'm doing. Lol, thanks for the suggestion.

Curious to know if the tripod thing is an international concern - I traveled last year to Hawaii with a decent sized tripod strapped to my pack as a carryon without an issue.

Also, check out PacSafe bags.  They make a pack that will fit a padded rectangular camera case, and it has a number of security features built in to slow down would-be thieves.

The biggest thing about tripods over in Rome are the churches and museums don't allow them. They are trip hazards and imped walking traffic. I have heard that people who have the table top tripods for small rigs usually can use them with no issues. I'm considering ordering a Platypod system to use as it is small and packs away easily.
I will look into those PacSafe bags. Thanks for the idea.

I have never had an issue bringing a tripod or monopod on any of my flights.  Ever. But like stated above. If you don't need it don't bring it. Just adds weight.

I am a big fan of camera backpacks. Current is a Nya Evo and love it.

I bring two bodies. 14-24mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm. Then either (or both) and 20mm 1.8 for astro and a 105mm macro. For sure get the ND and or CPL filters. Both of those will get you images that you can not get with any kind of PS editing. I keep about 5 of the larger microfiber rags in different places along with a bulb air thing, extra batteries, air tag, boo boo kit and spare glasses.

Also keep a DJI mini 3 Pro in there. That might not be useful for where you are going.

Ruggard, Lowepro, Iowa all make good sutf. I prefer to be as grey as possible with the compartment that opens on the side facing your back, not the other way around. Fumbling around with a regular backpack is a PITA- just get one that's purpose built. My lens choice would be 70-200L, 50f1.2L, and the 17-TSE, and in fact that was my lens choice for many years.

I actually still. have the TSE for some reason, I need to get around to selling it.

Hhmmfff.  Just a couple days after posting in this thread, I went overseas on short notice.

I brought my travel tripod, a Sirui 1205-X carbon fiber, but didn't really use it.  I wish I had brought it up in the mountains with me, but this was a different type of trip from what I normally do, and the typical nighttime photography would have been a really tough workaround.  Near the end of the trip, I penciled in one day for a mountain bivi and nighttime photography, but the weather was socked in, with only a few brief clearings  here and there.

Nikon D850, 14-24mm f/2.8, 24-120 f/4, 80-400 f/4.5-5.6. GoPro H7 and H11.  Ultrapod II and Sirui 1205X.  My go-to lens, the 14-24, was not used.  The 24-120 got used a fair bit.  Surprisingly, the 80-400mm turned out to be my walkin'-around-town lens for the trip, and to decent effect.

I missed not having my 35 f/1.4 or 85 f/1.8.  Would it have mad a meaningful difference?  No.  But, nighttime bar photos would have been better.

The packing was such a rushed job that I forgot my ND filters, and I could have put them to good use in town, and maybe some interesting results with mountain clouds, don't know because I didn't get the chance to find out.

Weight.

The 2lb tripod (plus head) added extra weight and bulk, but considering my three bags clocked in around 80 pounds in total, the tripod was like throwing matches at the sun.

And once again, in hindsight, as I sit here, I wish I had taken more photos than I did.  I wish I had suffered the weight of the DSLR when we set out hitchhiking, rather than relying on my phone and GoPro cameras.

"A phone is just as good.'  No, it isn't.  But, even if your back survives the weight of full size camera gear, your relationship might not.  Everything is a trade.