Have you stopped taking paper backup with you?

No, I gave up paper copies a number of years ago. There just was no need, no instance where I needed to reach for some back-up copy. Between emails and electronic documents, all reachable from my wife and my phones, a laptop we carry, and sometimes a tablet, paper was just a redundancy of a redundancy, of a redundancy.

Hotels are almost always through Booking.com or my IHG app, tickets are loaded into my Google Wallet or retained email. Receipts I log the expense in a spending app and eventually toss the paper.

As for air travel, yep, the app, we just arrived back in the US, that ensued a cancelled flight, rebooking for two days later, gate changes on two of the flights...making a paper copy of my trip obsolete.

prepaid attraction tickets?

On my last trip with prepaid attractions, I brought printed copies of my 3 most expensive tickets - the 3 events thai I would have been most disappointed about if anything happened.

Everything else was on my phone, and accessible to be printed from any computer as backup, but otherwise, oh well.

I gave up on paper copies starting with our 2021 travels. All I had for that trip was a paper AMTRAK ticket to get us to SEA for our outbound flight to FRA. It seems the pandemic caused much higher acceptance of electronic verifications and as there is so much app-driven in travel, paper became unnecessary. It is a joy to have all the train tickets and passes in apps or PDFs on my phone.

I do keep all trip-related email confirmations handy in my phone in case an app fails, and for two years now I have used virtual credit cards as much as possible so I tap and pay and fore go receipts except for lodging. I like to have a copy of that bill to peruse, even if it simply a PDF in an email.

My planning tool is an extensive Excel workbook against which I check and double-check all arrangements. With trips of 4 to 8 weeks, there are a lot of tickets and reservations to keep track of, but I no longer feel the need to print out the plan either. My accountant husband takes and retains whatever paper receipts that are offered, but even he is more flexible with electronic versions now.

all reachable from my wife

If I were traveling with someone who had a copy of everything on their phone, I would feel less inclined to bring even my top 3 tickets in paper backup. I used to bring my own older phone as a backup. And I do often have my tablet with me, so I could always drag that along to a prepaid event.

Virtually no paper anymore.

However, I do take a screen shot of every ticket I might need just in case there is an issue bringing it to the screen.

This has happened a couple of times on trains recently when the conductor wanted to see my ticket. I couldn't access the ticket through the app so I pulled up the screenshot. No problems.

I also have a small tablet that has everything if necessary. My screenshots from my phone are backed up to Google Photos.

Eaxh of us has print copies of everything. We don't travel burdened with laptops or ipads, and having everything redundantly on each of our phones wouldn't be much help if someone's goes wrong whilst we're separated. We've had it happen.

I'm travelling by train in the UK for the next two weeks with a rail ticket which only exists in a paper version- there is no electronic version of it.
It's our domestic version of Britrail.

I also have a number of seat reservations, which I have printed from the machines in case of difficulty. While issues are unlikely, it is easier to wave a piece of paper round in the event of a dispute. I was counting last night and I have 58 reservation coupons.
I don't actually even expect to be on a good 50% of those trains, but on substitutes.
And wouldn't you know it, first booked train of the week cancelled, so am on a train now which I wasn't reserved on.

But I haven't printed my 4 hotel reservations, including last night's, which was Day 0 of the 14.

And because I'm going from Euston to near Chelmsford I've downloaded the paper timetables for the Lioness line and the Mildmay line (and for Greater Anglia), rather than relying on being online. In the forecast rain and with luggage that route is the easiest and as fast as via Farringdon.
Not exactly paper, but not being constantly on line either.

I don’t print anything and haven’t for years, basically since I’ve had a smart phone. It’s literally never been a problem.

I stopped with paper a few years ago because my printer broke and I'd given up trying to replace it again and again. It's probably for the best because the paper copies were becoming redundant. Tickets for everything including flights are usually in two spots on my phone; on the site's app and also an email back-up, Google Wallet, or a screenshot. I should be a bit concerned though because if something were to happen to me on a trip, my wife wouldn't be prepared. She is on her phone and tablet waaaay more than me, but the thought of actually using it as a tool to organize her life is a foreign concept. Her desk at home is a quagmire of loose paper and sticky notes with scribbles on them.

We travel with paper, but have only had to refer to it a few times when local networks were not available. I also keep receipts in a sheet protector.

Ok, I agree with all of you, and:

However, I do take a screen shot of every ticket I might need just in case there is an issue bringing it to the screen.

Yep, I don't want to depend on one critical app messing up. I either have an email, or a .pdf or even a .jpg picture of anything important.

I also have a small tablet that has everything if necessary. My screenshots from my phone are backed up to Google Photos.

I have a backup phone with all those emails, .pdf's, etc. And a tablet with all that. And most importantly, I have a wife whose phone has all those apps and documents. I think the risk of relying on one cellphone for everything is way too risky. I also do not want to rely on having an internet connection for any of this.

Regarding money, same thing. I have a credit card and a debit card in my passport folder, and a different credit card and debit card in my wallet. I also have both debit cards and one credit card in my phone (Google Wallet), which is what I use most often. But I have had a few cases when I needed to dig out the physical credit card.

Each of us has print copies of everything.

I definitely don't do that anymore, but I do have a paper printout of our flight schedule from American in a front pocket of my checked bag, and in my little carryon backpack. If my luggage or tag gets lost, I want someone to be able to know where the bag should have been.

I make an itinerary as a Google Doc and it includes confirmation numbers and contact information for all my flights and lodgings, notes on timed tickets and other To Do items, and phone numbers for calling my banks in case anything happens to my cards. I share it online with my daughter, and then just before my trip I print a hard copy and stick it in my carryon. I find myself pulling it out and making pencil notes on it as my trip proceeds. Yes, I use my phone for electronic tickets and directions, but I like having the 2-3 page paper reference. I don't save any receipts and trash any that I receive as I go.

I think it depends on whether you travel as a couple or solo. For a solo person who is traveling alone, there's no other backup person with a phone to rely on. If I lose my phone, I have nothing. So yes, I bring a folder with paper copies of certain things such as my hotel reservation, paper copies of timed tickets, maps on how to get to my hotel from the train, etc.

I do print my boarding pass at home for the flight out. Why not? It's minimal work. One reason why I print it is that I like to put my phone away prior to boarding. If you rely on having it on the phone, you are draining your battery keeping the phone "open" while waiting to board. The phone keeps locking and I have to open it with a PIN number every few minutes while boarding. In fact, I got up to the flight attendant and the phone locked on me so I had to use the PIN to get back into my wallet. It's too much trouble to do this. So I print the boarding pass for the flight out.

A paper boarding pass is also important in case you miss a connection. One of my flights was late getting into an airport one time and by the time I got to the gate for the next flight, the boarding pass had "disappeared" from my wallet. They usually close the gate 15 minutes ahead of scheduled departure. I had nothing to show the attendant.

No, not all places can text or email receipts. I ALWAYS get paper receipts. I had a slight problem with a hotel charge once I got my credit card bill but I had the receipt and it was finally settled properly so I was glad I had the paper receipt. I keep all of my receipts because I often refer back to them if I travel to that area again. I returned to a certain city and wanted to go back to a restaurant I had liked but I couldn't remember the name of it so I was able to go back to my receipts and get the name.

Great question. Yes & no. I always print out boarding passes at the airport, and after reading about it in multiple places, I print out itinerary with contact info and put it inside checked or carry on bag, just in case. I use TripIt for all travel plans so I don't usually print everything else out. I know how to access my email from a public place & am traveling with iPad & smart phone. I read not long ago about a cyber attack in parts of Europe where only the people who had boarding passes printed out could get onto flights. Though I also take a picture of boarding pass on phone. So there's quite a bit redundancy in my 'system'. I absolutely keep large ticket item printer receipts, such as hotel bills.

I stopped relying on paper backups a long time ago. Modern smartphones don't just 'stop working' anymore than paper backups spontaneously catch fire. At some point, carrying a forest’s worth of paper because you’re afraid of a 1-in-a-million hardware glitch is just packing anxieties instead of your bags.

Modern smartphones don't just 'stop working' anymore than paper backups spontaneously catch fire.

I have to disagree with you on that. Last week a buddy of mine had his phone die. Fortunately, he had a sim card, not an esim, so he just moved his sim card into his old phone and could communicate again. But he lost access to a lot of emails and texts. Many years ago, my wife had her phone run over by a car. And this forum has a lot of threads about cellphone theft.

For the last few days, I've been trying to fix my wife's laptop which now has an intermittant problem with the screen not lighting up. She's using a backup laptop we fortunately had.

While it has been several years ago, two different events emphasized to me the need for paper copies. First event occurred when my phone fell from the ticket counter rendering it unusable.—Screens and protectors are better now but it made an impact on me. Second event was in Key West where at the time it was required that you have a paper boarding pass because there were no jetways, you walked out to the plane.
While I use the various airline and hotel apps and have ticket copies on my phone /in apple wallet, as mentioned by another poster, I also prefer a paper ticket so I can secure my phone during boarding and save battery power.

I stopped bringing paper back up a while ago. I just don't think there's any need for it. Even if my phone died, I could still access everything on the cloud, and since I always bring my laptop and my iPhone with me, it wouldn't be a problem to access it.

Well, I usually travel alone and I don't bring paper backups.

Although I carry an iPhone, at home I have an old android phone that still functions as a computer, not to make calls.

So everything I have is backed up to both the Google Cloud and the iCloud. If I lost my iPhone while traveling, I could easily buy a cheapo Android phone and have access to everything.

I'm purely digital- I do actually travel with a spare phone, but you can always buy another one if your phone is lost/damaged, and everything is on apps or cloud storage.

Checking in nowadays for many airlines you only require a passport, so I don't even need to refer to the digital copy of my ticket, or my airline app.

The real game changer will be passportless travel - here we do have passportless entry for residents, and passportless departure for residents and visitors.

Personally I try to minimize my smart phone use so have ended up doing a mix of things - sometimes using the phone but sometimes taking paper. For some items such as hotel reservations, I may jot down the confirmation number as I keep a small notebook with me when I travel. Sometimes I take screen shots especially of QR codes as that can be handy. I also save all the confirmation e-mails so I can access them if necessary.

I've noticed that I am typically offered paper boarding passes when checking in overseas. For instance, with domestic flights in Japan I have never been able to successfully check-in via the airline app or on-line so just get a boarding pass at the airport. (Thankfully, it's not me - friends who travel there frequently as often have the same issue.) In Canada I am also always offered a paper boarding pass at my spouse's small town airport.

And a few years ago I was at Key West airport and they were recommending getting a paper boarding pass over the PA in the gate area. Not sure if that was a one time issue or if they do that routinely.

I also often travel to places that are not geared for smart phone payments and cash becomes essential in those situations. If I didn't have cash in Tokyo's Yanaka Ginza I would not have been able to get cattail donuts. I would have been donutless and despondent.

Agree with daisy about preferring a paper copy of my boarding pass.

Like to have a screen shot map printed up that is how to get to our very first apartment since that was a problem a couple times. Probably not needed now that I have an esim instead of a physical sim card.

Everything is in a google doc (me) and a google sheet (husband), but I still like to have a paper copy of the doc to scribble notes on. Not needed, just a habit.

I'm a paper person. Period.

In Milan about 3 years ago for some very strange reason had no phone access, no internet, no wi-fi, nada. But I had my paper copies.

I'm just not a phone person, don't use it on a daily basis in my life, pay cash 99.9% of the time, and since I prepay most travel accommodations and transportation prior to leaving for my trip, what would happen to my train or bus tickets if for some reason my phone didn't work and I didn't have my paper copy?

Paper backup here. Confirmation emails are in email files. Apps hold transportation and other tickets. But I always have paper backup just in case something happens to my phone. To lighten the paperwork load, I throw away confirmations after they have been used.

I think traveling solo makes me more cautious of the what-ifs. I only take my phone; laptop stays home; don’t own or want an iPad.

Not a backup print out of all things but a compilation of important information that can fit on one page double-sided.
This includes Hotel names and addresses, flight reservation numbers, key reservation numbers and dates, credit card company phone number, emergency phone number for US Embassy/consulate. If my phone dies or gets lost, I can quickly look at important information before I can access documents on the cloud/email. Occasionally, I will print a paper copy of an important ticket (like some reservations that are hard to get).

I have also kept some hotel addresses on a small separate paper in the designated native language to hand to a taxi driver. I did that in China per my hotel suggestion. They sent me an email with the name and address in a way a local taxi driver could understand.

Do you still carry paper printouts of your flight tickets or payment receipts...lodging reservations or prepaid attraction tickets...

Yes. Murphy's law has never been more applicable than when it comes to technology. It is not a question of whether technology will fail, but when. If you travel enough, it's simply a matter of time.

A dozen sheets of paper is nothing space wise nor weight wise. But they can be invaluable when the computer gremlins get their knickers in a wad and have a hissy fit.

Just my opinion -- assuming the gremlins let this go through.

I have a Word doc that has all my notes about our trips. And I mean every little detail. It gets rather long, so I break it up in sections, take screen shots and save those in photo folders on my phone so it’s easy to find what I need. I always brought a hard copy for backup even though on recent trips I never took it out of my suitcase.

Then on my trip to Japan in March, I decided to skip the paper copy, the reason being that paper is heavy. I didn’t miss it at all, but I do worry about something happening to my phone. I email the Word doc to my husband, so I would still have access to it, but it wouldn’t be convenient. Still, I doubt I’ll bring a paper copy again unless I’m traveling solo.

Paper for me with a copy in each bag.

I don't want to have my phone in my hand all the time and I don't trust that the wifi will always work.

same as khansen. No buttons to press.

Yes, paper copies, email copies, and for boarding passes, a photo image. Paper doesn't take up much space or weight. With airlines dealing with a looming jet fuel crisis, I will continue to have paper backups. Technology is beautiful until it isn't. Battery life drains, flight changes happen, Wi-Fi can be iffy.

Have you stopped taking paper backup with you?

Nope.

paper of everything but I'm in my car and it doesn't mind. I live on my phone and often don't use many of the paper, but it is all there.

I'm suspecting that there are malefactors within and without various state and corporate apparatuses who are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the mischief we've set ourselves up for.

Per Samantha Brown:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YPg-FeQ1DEs

I believe that there are key elements of her story missing. When, Where and what airline. If one has a boarding pass they are checked in and the airline has a record.

I always print everything : airline tickets, train tickets, hotel reservations.
I also screenshot everything and save it on my phone and my IPad.
I save all my confirmations under two different email addresses.
Traveling solo, I have to have backups of everything.
If I’m with my travel friend, I send her copies of everything as well so we both have the info.
I’ve seen lots of people fumbling with their phones to find their tickets.
I also keep all my printed boarding passes well after I’ve returned home, until my airline points have been credited.
Last year, some points didn’t show up and the airline said I did not take the trip.🤦🏻‍♀️
Boarding passes proved it and I got my points.

What surprises me is the number of people who still have printers at home. Mine flaked out years ago. I think it took the huff when I tried using reasonably priced, non-genuine ink refills. I haven't felt the need to print anything for a long time.

@GerryM

I still have a middle-school aged child at home so printer is a must. Also helpful to print return labels for packages and occasional things I need when working from home.
I have a B&W printer so anything color I print at work or at local Staples/Fedex (which is so expensive!).

In the last couple of decades I've probably used "print to PDF" 100x more than I've actually printed things on to paper. I used to print quite a bit at work and had a busy fax machine on the desk, but that was years ago. I wouldn't consider printing things I could read easily on the phone or laptop these days.

It is not a question of whether technology will fail, but when. If you travel enough, it's simply a matter of time.

Well, not sure where you're getting your data from, but I've been traveling for over 30 years, and while those early years did not have much, if any tech available, I've been planning and taking trips using digital documentation since the mid-2000s, and nothing has ever failed me tech-wise.

The only failings that have happened recently is me losing my wallet in Budapest (but I wasn't worried because I had my phone with a digital wallet) and then tripping and falling flat while crossing the street in Seattle. Personally, I'd rather have a tech failure. I have everything backed up, and it's so easy to access the Cloud that it simply doesn't worry me at all. 😊

I think it all boils down to what makes you feel comfortable.

As stated previously, I am a paper back up person, but have made many trips navigating completely with my phone; although now, I keep a paper boarding ticket so I can stash my phone while boarding.

As stated above, I have had a phone screen shatter and no longer work with no laptop for back up, but i had paper…I also have had airports (Key West) where a paper ticket was required to board the plane.

For me, it’s what works best for the traveler.

I still take paper. For me, I can find what I am looking for faster and it is easier to read.

I like paper. I can read it because it isn’t squished onto a small screen. I don’t like having my phone out everywhere, all the time. I have what I need on my phone too but my default is basic paper.

This reminds me of ….
-checked baggage or carry on only
-some local cash or no cash
-carry the passport or only a copy

Everyone has their own approach to travel; there is no right or wrong. But yes, with every system, including tech, there can be glitches (experienced a few). Nothing is foolproof. Knowing how to problem solve any type of glitch is really the critical point.

I still take paper backup in a Ziploc along with a pen for jotting down notes. Things like hotel reservations I may consolidate on one sheet. Often traveling solo and with a phone but no laptop or ipad.

As said above, do what's comfortable for you.

Well, not sure where you're getting your data from...

Personal experience. If you've never had a technical problem, then you are very fortunate. We've had at least a half dozen I can recall at the moment. Perhaps we are just "snake bit"? But as someone said, everyone should do that which makes them comfortable. Happy travels.

Have you stopped taking paper backup with you?

No I always bring at least one roll of Ciharmin Ultra Care with aloe Vera lotion.

I still take paper copies with me. My husband thought I was nuts until last fall when Alaska was having issues. I had paper copies which saved us. Their system was down so phones were useless. People without paper boarding passes had to stand in line at the desk to get paper copies as even the screen shots on our phone were not working with their system. So at the gate it was chaos. For the lounge access, they were hand writing our information for their records for later.

...bring at least one roll of Ciharmin Ultra Care with aloe Vera lotion...

LOL!!!

I'm digital for everything. However, I have an irrational fear that I will lose my phone, it will somehow die, or it will get stolen. None of these things have ever even come close to happening on all of my travels. Yet, because of this irrational fear, I always print hotel reservations, all transportation reservations, and even paper maps around where I'm staying. I know it's ridiculous. Maybe I will use one of those printed papers one day?

I still take paper copies of boarding passes, tickets, etc. It takes very little room and often it is easier to show the other person the paper than it is on the phone. Also, about 10 years ago, I had a tech fail the day before I was to fly home from Stockholm. Fortunately, the Apple Store was in the neighborhood in which I was staying and they fixed my gadget. The timing and location just worked out. Now, I always know where the Apple Store is located in any major city where I'm staying. LOL

I recently watched a video from Samantha Brown who explained she always takes paper copies for back up. Apparently, there was a recent tech fail at an airport (can't recall specific location) and the only people allowed to board were those with paper copies, so she boarded and most did not. She said she would never travel without them. I'll take her experience with mine. It takes very little room, but if you need them, you need them.

Also, on BA I've noticed that when I speak with them at departures or the gate, they always print a boarding pass out, whether I need one or not. They've said they prefer them. But to each their own way of travel. It's not that important...until it is. ;)

This is the second time Samantha Brown has been mentioned, and I watched her YouTube Short. I have some major questions about the "who, what, when, and where" details of her story. The airport, the airline, and when this actually happened are all critical to the narrative. Her timeline and logistics don’t completely add up, and I wonder if she is conflating the main check-in desk with the departure gate agents. It's at least not made clear.

If her family already had physical boarding passes in hand, why were they standing at the check-in desk in the first place? Usually, if you are checked in and have your passes, you head straight through security to the gate. The only reasons to visit the check-in counter are to drop off bags or verify international documents. If it was just a bag drop, a glitch in the reservation system shouldn't have un-printed or invalidated their existing passes.

Furthermore, what exactly were they showing the airline staff to "prove" they belonged on the flight? If they were at the gate and a computer failure wiped out the flight manifest, a printed boarding pass might show a seat assignment — but why wouldn't a mobile pass do the same? If they were at the main check-in counter before security, a piece of paper doesn't magically bypass a down reservation database. Why wouldn't an emailed receipt or itinerary work just as well to prove a booking exists?

It feels like a few distinct technical issues are being mashed together into a dramatic "paper saved the day" anecdote. Logistically, the mechanics of how paper solved that specific backend database failure don't quite click.

"When" is incredibly important to the evolution of travel technology. A mobile boarding pass rollout story from 2010 or 2016 is a lot different than navigating an airport in 2026. Personally, I haven't used a boarding pass at all since 2022. In fact, I've only had to visit an actual check-in desk twice in the last 10 years, and both times were solely because I was lovingly selected for SSSS.

My wife insists on printing everything out and putting the hard copy into a ziplock bag or similar secure container. I do everything digitally. So far, digital has been flawless, but paper makes her happy.

I take a ‘belt and braces’ approach and have digital stuff on my phone plus a small file of paper copies just in case. All really, really, important stuff - medical docs, passport, insurance etc., I copy onto a USB stick which is carried in my hand luggage/electrics.

Downside? The USB back up stick is small enough to secret within my luggage and if I find a fabulously secret place to hide it other than a hotel room safe, more often than not I can’t remember where it was! (That's an age thing not a digital/paper issue). It does turn up again, eventually and (fortuitously) I’ve never needed it in an emergency. So far.

Ian

I have had tech issues the day prior to flying home, and once in the middle of my trip. I didn’t have to worry because I had paper back up. However, Apple stores are very handy at fixing my sometimes self inflicted glitches. So GOYP.

I liked Samantha Brown's anecdote. I am not going to research everything written on such a minor, minor topic, by a fairly well known person on, again, such an unimportant topic. It will not warp anyone's mind. It will not change the state of the world.

Quiet down right now you kids or so help me I will turn this car right around.

Might be that having hard copies of your itinerary and key parts of it is not just a backup thing but also another way of being able to easily read and keep track of what you have planned, yes?

I've used the free version of the TripIt App for my last couple of trips and for me it is far easier to keep track of my itinerary than a paper copy. Everything is in one place for quick reference. A quick test and it looks like the bones of the itinerary are still available on my phone without wifi or data as well. My airline app and Google Wallet are the same way, you don't need data or wifi to retrieve your tickets.