Organizing Travel Documents

I have a plastic 6 tab folder/file/sorter that I found at Staples several years ago that I use. I put all papers & documents in it in the order that I'll need it. Then the night before I leave I double & triple check that the folder/file/sorter has all the documents in it & put it in my carry on. I also have a box in my home office that I use to store the gift cards I use to pay for food, annual pass, cash for my next trip as I set it aside etc., then once I have all the gift cards loaded & all the cash for my next trip & I don't have any other trips planned before my Disney trip I transfer my annual pass, one gift card & $50 cash to my travel wallet for arrival day & the rest is put in to envelopes. The wallet goes in to my personal bag & the envelopes go in to my carry on.

I keep everything in my pacsafe cross body bag. Even when I travel internationally I always have my passport on me, in the same pocket. The thing I love about pacsafe is that there is wire everywhere through that thing, so it's essentially pick pocket proof, and I feel better keeping things with me than leaving it in the hotel room. I have a smaller wallet that I carry with just my ticket, room key, credit card, and drivers license. I'm not sure what other papers you usually need. For Disney, everything is accessible via my phone. For international travel, I do print out one copy of the itinerary and keep that in the pacsafe.

For Disney trips, I keep all papers in an envelope. After I check in, I leave them in the room.

Other trips I usually don't carry anything. Unless it is a plane ticket or ID's, we kinda just roll with the punches.

I always print off confirmations, etc., and just keep them in a manila envelope in the order I would need them. I also have all the confirmations in a folder in my email account, but don't always have my tablet with me. The one time I packed all the confirmation numbers in my checked baggage (on the way home, why would I need them?), our flight was delayed, and was going to affect our ground transportation home. My cell phone doesn't work in the U.S., so I ended up calling my Mom collect, and she had to call our shuttle people and rebook us on a later car. Thank goodness I always left a copy of all our info with her!

Lesson learned - keep my stuff with me, not in the suitcases!

I also use TripIt & have the app on my phone. I forward all confirmation emails to TripIt so have access to anything I've sent to TripIt on my phone. I also have Alaska Airlines' app on my phone so have access to my flight information from that. I also enter any confirmation numbers for things like dinning & tours in to a calendar app on my phone on the appropriate day. Plus I almost always have my computer with me so I have access to the actual emails that are on my computer. So when I travel I have a hard copy with me & access to multiple electronic copies.

I have a travel binder that I carry with me. I have all documents I need safe and sound right there with me. Plus I do have apps on my phones for airlines, Disney, etc. I'm so OCD that I have to have a hard copy of everything though

Wow. I'm starting to feel slightly disorganized and unprepared after reading this!! You all are so organized!!

I use a school style binder with page protectors...I love having the feeling of a hard book that I can open. I always keep two copies of everything in it. One is the master the second I take out each morning and throw in my pursebefore hitting the parks. I divide them up by days, each day has its own sheet with reservations, times and confirmation numbers.

OMG!! We are too much alike I always have a daily sheet for us!

JMU don't feel bad. I am a secretary and I am not that organized. I will gather all my documents 2 weeks before I leave.

Don't feel bad. One of my biggest travel fears is getting to the airport or my destination & realizing that I don't have all of the documents I need for the trip. The way I look at it if I have the documents they prove I booked the hotel, tour etc. so if something happens it's up to the provider to fix it & as long as I have money or access to it via credit/debit cards I can buy anything else I might need. So really, I'm this organized because I'm scared or paranoid about not having the paperwork I need for the trip with me. Using TripIt, Alaska Airline's app & entering information in to a calendar app on my phone just gives me a back up or gaurantee that I'll have the documents with me as I always have my phone with me.

More often than not all of my documents for travel are digital and on my phone.

I do print out all my confirmation numbers, etc. on one piece of paper, and keep it with me while I travel...Just in case. I have found there is hardly ever a need to have the entire document they send out to you for confirmation. Usually the number does the trick.

Love the fact I can keep everything digitally on my phone and not have to worry about trying to keep track of several paper documents. I do organize them on my phone in the order I will need them. Makes it a little easier for me when we begin to the end of the day.

I keep a binder with clear protective covers that everything goes into. I needed everything in one place or I get nervous I am forgetting something

Love it!!! Go for it!!!

I have a zipper pouch that my travel agent gave me years ago with her logo on it. I use it for every trip. I print all of my confirmations for travel and dining and put them in it as well as any documents sent from Disney. I also make sure my spreadsheet is in there. It has all of my important details for each day of the trip (such as park hours, ADRs, special activities, etc).

I do a few things.

if i am staying with disney, i will have gotten a letter from them in the mail with my travel info. I basically use that evelope to hold my documents such as air tickets (print outs from southwest). However now with the price of airfair we have been driving to disney (about 17 hours).

I also create an excel sheet with park hours and a basic daily plan that includes which parks to go to and any meals scheduled. If it is a sit down i will also include the res number. so i have a sheet with my schedule (mon AM - MK Lunch at Crystal palace PM Epcot) along with reservation numbers including flight info and hotel reservation info. I print out the sheet small enough that it can fit in my pocket/ camera bag/ fanny pack.

I generally dont have gift cards like other memebers. I mostly will just carry my KTW card, license (i used to not even carry that, but after getting carded at the territory lounge...) and disney CC. The next trip i will be getting an Annual pass so i figure i will also have a tables in wonderland card.

I am female if that matters.

My fiance will carry his wallet but otherwise does not wear a fanny pack.

In the fanny pack i have my cell phone, CC, KTWC, ID, schedule paper. On the outside of the pack i have a little clip on bottle of sunblock that i refill in the hotel room each night and the fanny pack itself holds a bottle of water.

Good idea! I did learn the hard way last year when I got to the airport on my way to Munich and then to London and realized I left my printout of my hotels and flights in my workbag. Fortunately I was able to bring up my reservations on my phone in the airport and write it all on the back of a napkin. I'm taking some notes on ideas to better organize myself from you all!!

Kristen, please do this! I have searched for years for an attractive, compact travel file with a space for everything. I would buy one!

This has really got my mind working! I might sit down today and see what I can come up with myself, I can see it in my mind, now just to figure out how to get it to an actual product! lol

Here's what I use to put my documents in for Disney trips. I add copies of my resort information, flight information, ADRs, ME info and of course my spreadsheet.

Nice JoAnn!

Wow, like a few others, I just use my phone/email and keep everything electronic. I feel like I'm not quite as organized as I thought I was.....hmmmm.....I do print out our flight information, but that's about it for paper. I would be in a big kerfuffle if I lost my phone though.

That's a great idea!!! Oh boy, more ideas popping in my head now. UGH!!!!

JoAnn that is the same one that we use, even the same color (minus the cute stickers).

Great minds think alike.

Just went and picked up some fabric, I'm going to be working on a new type of travel doc keeper! I have it designed out, now to see if I am smart and savvy enough to make this work LOL

Please post some pictures of your progress and the finish product. Can't wait to see it.