Tabletop cameras for travel

The first time I went abroad with my dSLR camera, I brough a tiny tabletop tripod to Asia with me. It was a Manfrotto tripod (model 709B) with extension column. Tripods are the bane of photography. They are heavy and big. I didn't want to lug around a regular tripod, hence I brought the tabletop tripod.

It was actually much more useful that you would have thought. The photo below was taken with that tripod. I put the camera and tripod on the railing of the bridge.

Now I would like to emphasize that tabletop tripods are not a magic solution. They won't beat a regular tripod. Certainly, they are much less stable.  To use a tabletop tripod, you have to have elevated surfaces to put it on. You can get lucky and find spots like that in urban places, but I'm not sure if you will be so lucky in less developed areas. Also, if you are shooting outside on the mountain etc, you will need something that can stand on an uneven surface. Some people recommend the Gorrilapod.

In any case, bringing a tabletop tripod is a bit of a gamble. Some experienced photographers use the tabletop tripod as a "chest" pod. They put the tripod on their chest to stabilize the camera. I've never tried it but one of the guys at B&H likes doing it.