So Many Travel Documents/Stuff - How Do You Organize?

So many travel documents! For us we have print outs for:

PASSPORTS, TRAIN TICKETS/INFO, HOTEL CONFS, SHUTTLE SERVICE INFO, CRUISE BOARDING PASSES, SHIP INFO, E-GIFT CERTIFICATES, EXCURSIONS INFO, PORT CITIES INFO, AIRLINE HOME, etc.

How do you organize your travel stuff?

Do you use A FOLDER, A NOTEBOOK, TABS, SPREADSHEETS?

Would love to hear what works best for you! Thanks!

I have a padded, zippered rectangle shaped organizer that was sent to me quite a few years back by one of the major online travel companies free of charge. It just showed up in the mail one day. A very nice surprise!

It opens up and has a tired credit card card holder and a zippered mesh pocket on the bottom. Then behind that a zippered compartment where we safely store our Passports. That's the left side.

On the right side it has 2 compartments for storing papers and a couple more slots for CCs.

In the front there is a pocket to put your boarding pass in, etc for immediate use.

It is super convenient to make sure I have everything. I just make sure I have the "Yellow thing" as I call it. Plus it's easy to spot.

I use a clear plastic folder that has a "zip-lock" type of closure at the top.

I put all documents in order that they will be used - airline tickets, car rental reservation, hotel reservation, cruise docs, bon voyage confirmation, so on and so on. This folder fits in the outside pocket of my tote-bag carry on.

I keep passports in the outside zippered pocket of my purse so that they are handy, but a little more secure.

I use a report cover binder with a bunch of clear sheet protectors and file everything in that.

Page 1 flight info.

Page 2 hotel

Page 3 cruise boarding pass

Page 4 excursions etc etc

Passports I keep separate and add boarding pass once checked in online.

We have one like firemanbobswife. It has several slots to put hotel/cruise docs/insurance info/power of attorney/transfers and whatever else we need for documents. In the back of the folder there's a plastic slot big enough for our passports. I bought it at WalMart and haven't been able to find another one. Could probably find one on the internet. It's so convenient. You know where everything is at an instant look.

I always use a 3 ring binder to organize my info. I have sections for all the ports and the data I've collected about what I want to do there, maps, taxi rates, anything useful! I also have all our cruise info in there, color notarized copies of our passports etc.

This one is a work in progress, Still need my Flight info, hotel info, and luggage tags. Better hurry, we set sail in 17 days! lol

Wow! THANKS EVERYONE!!

SUCH GOOD TIPS!!!

If you have PHOTOS and/or ORGANIZER NAMES that would be great!

PLASTIC, MESHY, WITH ZIPPER THINGIES sound best,

I leave in 2 weeks from today and need to get organized!!

THANKS!!

I use a 3 hole 1" binder with tabbed sections. I then 3 hole punch all printouts and put in each section (Flights, Hotels, Shuttle, Cruise, Excursions, Insurance, etc). I also put a 3 hole zippered pencil bag in the binder that holds our passports and a pen. (The pencil bag I use has a see-through plastic front.)

The binder fits great in a backpack or over-sized purse. I then just pull out the binder and go to the section I need at whichever portion of the trip we are at. I have found this method works better for me so I don't have to flip through many pages of documents over and over again.

Edit to add: And I always know where my passport is (instead of freaking out that it isn't where I thought I put it only to find it after searching several potential pockets in my luggage).

I always use a 3 ring binder to organize my info. I have sections for all the ports and the data I've collected about what I want to do there, maps, taxi rates, anything useful! I also have all our cruise info in there, color notarized copies of our passports etc.

 

This one is a work in progress, Still need my Flight info, hotel info, and luggage tags. Better hurry, we set sail in 17 days! lol

 

 

 

WOW....I thought I was a perfectionist.....:o:o:o

I make a separate folder for each of the cabins with the sheets in order of what is needed. Each folder also has the luggage tags in plastic sleeves with ties on then to be put on before we leave the house. Passports go in waterproof hard plastic cases that come ashore with us. Then I have a digital copy of everything including front and back of credit cards on my iphone and ipad just in case the hard copies get lost or stolen.

Wow! THANKS EVERYONE!!

SUCH GOOD TIPS!!!

 

If you have PHOTOS and/or ORGANIZER NAMES that would be great!

 

PLASTIC, MESHY, WITH ZIPPER THINGIES sound best,

 

I leave in 2 weeks from today and need to get organized!!

 

THANKS!!

This is the type I use with a bunch of sheet protectors.

Staples® 3-Tang Clear-Front Poly Report Covers | Staples®

I keep a normal pocket style folder that you can get at any office supply store for 15 cents or so. I put all my cruise documentation in the binder portion after attacking it with a three hole punch. All of the pre-cruise paperwork goes in the front pocket, and post cruise stuff goes in the back pocket.

I also order it so the first thing you look at is the first thing that we will be doing. After we finish a tour or event, I take those pages out and throw them away. This folder is also where I store copies of the week's fun times and other souvenir type things.

We also put everything on our iPads as back up :)

along with prescriptions, copies of passports -- a ton of stuff!

WOW....I thought I was a perfectionist.....:o:o:o

Haha, that's nothing! When my wife and I got married in Grand Turk on a cruise last year I had a binder with all the flight info, birth certificates, passports, hotel info, cruise info, etc etc of all my 21 guests lol. Came in handy several times and the wedding trip went off without a hitch thankfully... I swear I can cut loose once my planning phase is done lol

I found this at my local WM a few weeks ago: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Studio-C-Hot-to-Trot-8-Pocket-Organizational-Folder/37828280

I love it! There are 8 pockets so I have enough for booking print-outs, pre-cruise hotel, ship info (deck plan, etc) then 1 pocket each of our 4 ports. I still have 1 pocket unused so I will use it for misc stuff that may come up on this trip or flight/5 ports on a future cruise. I keep this in my carry-on and is easily accessible. Passports & credit card go in my small "trip" purse where they are more secure.

I have a smaller version of this from the same company that I used for several cruises but I had to fold the printouts.

Wow..so much wasted paper.

I print only what we absolutely need to have printed, which is down to ship boarding passes and airline boarding passes and sometimes depending on the airline, can do the plane boarding passes electronically. So I keep a small folder in my backpack with the boarding passes and our passports.

All other related travel docs, 99% of which come to me via email or I put into email, I keep in email folders on my phone and tablet should I need to reference them. The less paper/printed docs the better for me.

Almost everything should be available on a smart phone/ done on-line-- except your boarding pass and passports.

I'm similar to everyone else -- I use an accordion folder. Front pocket is boarding passes/itinerary. Next pocket is ID. One for hotel, one for each port. I use one for printed copies of any bon voyage orders. The back pocket always has the envelopes with my cash divided out -- those go straight into the safe when we board. I put all the paperwork from the cruise in it (Fun Times, sales flyers etc) as the vacation progresses.

I always buy a bright or funky colored one so it stands out. It is the last thing I check once we are in the car but before we pull out so I know we have it all.

I want to see a picture of the binder the travel agency sent -- I might have to upgrade!!

Good tips from everyone. Here's how I do it:

I use one pocket folder. Everything regarding non-cruise related stuff goes on one side according to the order I need it. So parking instructions and coupons if I use those, then boarding passes, ground transportation information, hotel room info, and also travel insurance docs.

On the other side is everything related to the cruise: luggage tags, boarding passes, and booking summary. I also keep anything related to OBC, emails confirming excursions, egift cards, etc. paper clipped together behind the booking summary.

I brought two-small, letter-sized accordian pocket folders to hold the passports in. Each of us keeps our own passport and one kid's passport with them. That way when we are going through the airport, we are each responsible for one child. Makes it much easier. You go with mommy. The other with daddy and off we go! And I make a copy of everything in my pocket folder for my husband as backup. Works out well. A lot of organizing ahead of time, but I love doing it!

I also use a 3 ring binder with clear sheet protectors. I have a pencil pouch that I keep passports in until day of travel then I move them to my purse. I print out all confirmations, boarding passes and any port or city information I may want to check while on the trip.

It may be a waste of paper but I can't access my phone on the ship and I won't pay for the exorbitant internet or wifi rates if I just want to check something. You never know when your reservation may be "lost" and need that printout to prove you had one in the first place. I do this whether we travel on a short cruise or 2 weeks in Europe.

I keep electronic copies of everything as well. Everything is keyed into my smartphone or available via email. But I don't ever rely solely on one source. You can lose your phone, battery run out, no signal, anything. I like the physical backup for everything. Just my opinion.

Almost everything should be available on a smart phone/ done on-line-- except your boarding pass and passports.

Should work just fine almost everytime! Although personally I won't ever put all my eggs into 1 digital basket. 1 drop/theft/moisture intrusion incident away from being in several countries with no info. Not my style! But yes, my phone is my primary source of data with hard copy backups. All documents are shredded and recycled after the trip.

I keep electronic copies of everything as well. Everything is keyed into my smartphone or available via email. But I don't ever rely solely on one source. You can lose your phone, battery run out, no signal, anything. I like the physical backup for everything. Just my opinion.

**Edit**

Lol, looks like we posted at the same time. As a Database engineer it's impossible for me to think in terms of storing all data in one source!

I'm similar to everyone else -- I use an accordion folder. Front pocket is boarding passes/itinerary. Next pocket is ID. One for hotel, one for each port. I use one for printed copies of any bon voyage orders. The back pocket always has the envelopes with my cash divided out -- those go straight into the safe when we board. I put all the paperwork from the cruise in it (Fun Times, sales flyers etc) as the vacation progresses.

 

I always buy a bright or funky colored one so it stands out. It is the last thing I check once we are in the car but before we pull out so I know we have it all.

 

I want to see a picture of the binder the travel agency sent -- I might have to upgrade!!

I will take pics and post for you when I get off work tonight. It will be after 9pm Eastern time, but I'll get 'er done :)

I go the digital route like others have mentioned. I'll have copies of all the documents I need downloaded to the same specific folder on my phone so I can quickly reference any booking info needed, even if I don't have a cell signal. The only hard copies we carry are our passports and the boarding pass.

This is my latest organizer http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MSO1MHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I plan on folding papers to envelope size so I have a smaller organizer to haul around in my personal bag; I also keep everything digitally.

I create a one-page detailed itinerary in table format with all reservation codes and voucher numbers etc.