Basic Check
Do the basic check and cleaning every couple of week while you are travelling. Check lenses and filters everyday to t prevent a buld up of dirt and finger prints. These should be removed immediately as they can cause flare and lost of defination, resulting in soft images. This is equally true for compact camera digital camera as for SLR camera
Long Trips On a long trip, it is a good idea to get a least a roll of film processed occasionally, to make sure that everything is working properly.
Camera Breakdown
If your camera does break down, there is really nothing much that you can do, except take it to a nearest camera shop. If it is a new camera, trying to fix it yourself by opening up the casing would void the warranty. If it is jammed the first thing to do is to save the film.
Saving The Film
If you have a sleeping bag, go head first into it. When you are confident that no light could get in and expose the film, press the rewind button to release the take up spool. Open the back and remove the film cassette from the camera and rewind the film manually. Clean out the back of the camera in case of any torn film that is left behind.
