9 Documents to Print/Copy to Make Traveling Easier
John Steinbeck said, “People don’t take trips, trips take people”. He wanted to remind us we are all the sum of our experiences. Smart man.
Travel experiences often leave us “richer” in many ways. If you ever have the opportunity and resources to travel - go for it. There’s few things in the world as enriching, entertaining and educational as travel.
Whether you like to explore more of this vast and fascinating country of ours or whether you like to venture out further afield, we tell you how you can be a better organized traveler. We have a list of travel documents, printouts and copies you need to make your next vacation stress free.
Printouts to Take Before Traveling
1. Airline Tickets, Reservation Confirmations, Etc.
We now tend to make all our reservations and bookings online. Even if you’re carrying the email confirmation or soft copy with you, it is always wise to print out your travel ticket and your hotel reservation confirmation. Also if you’ve booked tickets for plays, museums and so on in advance, take printouts of these as well. In some places hard copies may be required; and what if your phone or tablet runs out of juice when you least expect it!
2. Boarding Pass
Most airlines will now let you print out your boarding pass beforehand. This makes checking in at airports quicker and more streamlined. This may also let you pick out seats of your choice.
3. Your Itinerary & Maps
List out the destinations that form a part of your trip and the dates you’re going to be there; this is your trip at a glance. If you don’t have a map of the area you plan to visit, take a printout of the region, so you get a bird’s eye view of the entire place. You can then make your own notes on the map and highlight important places.
4. Tourist Attractions & Points of Interest
Do your research from before (Trip Advisor is an excellent resource of user generated content and reviews), read about the attractions of the places you’re visiting, and shortlist those that sound most interesting to you; your must-visit points of interest. Take printouts of relevant Trip Advisor pages to help you work out the most time effective way to cover them and so you don’t miss out anything that you mean to see.
Copies & Printouts for When You’re Traveling Abroad
When you travel abroad you need to be much better prepared because the country you’re visiting may not have the familiar services and facilities that you take for granted back home. The phone network may be iffy and the internet connection could be unreliable. Remember in some countries, some websites may be blocked as well. So you need to do your better research beforehand and may have to carry more printouts and more info in hard copy form. You should also have extra copies of all important documents.
1. Your passport, your visa and your immunization papers
These are obviously very important when you’re traveling abroad. So take copies of these (most printers now have a scanning /copying function that works perfectly well as a photo copier). When you copy these documents and others listed below, do the front and the back and remember to do all the required pages of your passport.
2. Other copies you should have
If you plan to hire a car, be sure to carry your international drivers’ license and copies of that as well. It may also be a good idea to make copies of your credit cards, traveler’s checks and other foreign exchange related documents.
3. Embassy information
Take printouts of addresses, contact numbers, names of officials and so on. Also make a list of emergency contact numbers and names that you can get in touch with if the need arises.
Printouts if You’re Traveling With Kids
If you’re doing a family vacation that involves kids and/or grandkids, you should prepare for this beforehand. Kids are easily tired, bored and upset when traveling so it is best to keep them entertained and engaged (and out of your hair, it must be added).
1. Coloring Sheets
Most young kids enjoy coloring. Many websites will let you take free printouts of coloring sheets; all you need in addition is a box of their favorite crayons.
2. Activity sheets
Mazes, connect the dots, puzzles, word search games, crosswords – taking a few sheet printouts can be a better idea than lugging along heavy activity books.
3. Game printouts
Tic tac toe, travel scavenger hunt, car bingo, and printable board games will also keep them occupied.
Have Any Travel Plans Coming Soon?
You can find some great ideas for travel printouts for kids on this Fun for Kids page, these travel printables, these Pinterest ideas and these travel game worksheets.
So what vacation plans you have this summer? Booked your airline tickets yet? Are your travel documents all in order?