Saving documents

Hi there,
I type a daily itinerary in Google docs with pertinent info...reservation numbers, phone numbers etc. I can access the documents on my phone. I also send the itinerary to family.

We are going again in July. We will scan our hard copies and put them in a file on our phones as well as take hard copies. If you can't scan the documents you can take a picture of them with your phone.

I have a friend who does this on her iPad as well.

We've traveled to Europe 3 times and multiple US and Canada trips and have never had documents stolen. We leave hard copies in our luggage in hotels. I did lose my phone last year in Glasgow in an Uber and learned the hard way how to get a phone back to the states!

Hope this helps.

When you say documents, are you talking about a passport or itinerary papers, airline tickets, etc. If it is your passport you are carrying around I would use a money belt or stuffed deep in your daypack. For your passport and other documents like itineraries or other papers, the best way is to scan them, email them to yourself and put them in an email folder. This way you can access them from anywhere as a backup. Pictures work also, but sometimes when you enlarge them on your phone they may get distorted. Also, leave things in your hotel safe if you are out for the day for safekeeping.

I'm unclear as to what documents you are referring to. The only document you need to carry with you is identification. Legally, this would be your passport. Some prefer to only bring their DL plus a photocopy of their passport. Regardless, this should be in a moneybelt, neck wallet, or hidden pocket, as Rick has always recommended. Leave any other documents, such as tickets, vouchers, etc ( that you don't need that day) in your hotel room safe or locked away in your luggage in your hotel room.

Its always smart to copy and back up any valuable documents. We usually have a hard copy that is kept separately from the original, plus an electronic copy on our personal device (phone or tablet) and preferably backed up to cloud storage or in our email.

I have a money belt but it is visible under clothing. What do you think about leaving one card in the hotel safe just in case?

I use TripIt which shows my daily itinerary and confirmation numbers as well as allows me to upload PDFs of tickets/documents right on my phone.

If you are talking about passports, then you are going to get a wide range of answers. These are the most popular.
1. Keep a photo copy of passport on you and leave passport in room safe.
2. Keep your passport with you and use a money belt.
3. Keep your passport with you and use a cross body purse and situational awareness.

All these answers have drawbacks. There is no perfect solution here. You need to choose the one that makes you feel most comfortable.

FYI- I do option number 3, but it isn’t foolproof either.