35mm or 645 for travel to Spain

[Sirius Glass]

I don't know why people are saying skip Barcelona. Even though it has tons of tourists, they can be navigated around. Just avoid Las Ramblas and 90% of the tourists and pickpockets are not an issue. There's some AMAZING architecture there, and not just Gaudi - take the tour of the Palau de la Musica Catalan - one of the most beautiful concert halls I've ever been in.

Some years ago when I was younger and more energetic, I brought a whole Hasselblad kit with me to Spain- 500cm, 50, 80, 120 lenses, a Hassy Superwide, and at least three film backs. Oh, and a Fuji TX1 (aka Hasselblad Xpan). Today, for multiple reasons, I'd take my pair of Rolleis and my Lomo LCA 120 to cover the wide-angle end of things. Or just my standard Rollei, which really is sufficient for the majority of images I'd want to make (I took just a standard Rolleiflex 2.8E with me to France in 2015 and shot some of the best photos of my life). I've also done that in Italy with the 2.8E, the Tele, and a Lomo Belair X/6-12 (for panoramics). So, in regards to your question about 35mm vs medium format, I would take the medium format with you without hesitation. Spain is fairly camera-friendly and certainly highly photogenic. I think you might regret not having the bigger negatives down the road. But then I'm also a little crazy- I took an RZ67 with three lenses (50, 110, and 180) to Mexico and shot street photos with it.

It depends ENTIRELY on whether you have time on your own. Or you are committed to hanging out with and following other people.
I do my best non studio/street/nature photography when I’m out specifically to shoot.

I usually carry my Hasselblad with the 80mm, 50mm and SWC when we travel. On a few occasions when I will not want to spend time on photography I will carry the Nikon N75 for color C41 film and the Nikon F100 for black & white film when we travel.

 

[wiltw]

i've never had 120 fogged by airport machines....multiple trips & airports in different countries

The issue is which airports have the new CT-based explosives-detecting scanners at Security going out to the gates, rather than using the X-ray machines that have been present for decades. And the question applies to ALL airports that the traveler departs from, and which may entail transfer from one terminal to a different terminal (necessitating leaving one secured area to get to the other secured area) for en-route transfers.

 

[GregY]

The issue is which airports have the new CT-based explosives-detecting scanners at Security going out to the gates, rather than using the X-ray machines that have been present for decades. And the question applies to ALL airports that the traveler departs from, and which may entail transfer from one terminal to a different terminal (necessitating leaving one secured area to get to the other secured area) for en-route transfers.

Wiltw.... there is a thread about this...pages long. i posted the link earlier in this discussion. Pro photographers travelling a lot in the past....also had fogging from multiple exposures to x-ray machines. The CT Scanners are why on my trip to Europe this summer (for the first time since pre-covid)....I carried some film and had it hand checked leaving Canada. Flew directly to Europe. Bought more film in France and had it all processed before returning.