We leave on Monday for Rome, Krakow, and Prague. Should I print out the confirmation numbers, reservations, etc. for the hotels and airplanes (3 hotels, 3 airplanes)? I also have a travel insurance letter of confirmation. If I do print them out, I am going to have a large stack of papers. My question is...do I need all of these papers in my had or can they stay in my inbox (email) until needed?

I always print out our vouchers or confirmation emails and have them with me in case there's a problem. We go for three weeks, and our e-tickets, ouchers, maps, museum reservations, etc., make a stack less than 1/4" thick; it's not a problem. I also forward them to an email account I can access from Italy if needed.

I also print out and take along confirmations (helped once with a hotel that tried to overcharge on the nightly rate and once for concert tickets that weren't held but were paid for in advance). If the credit card information is on the email exchange/confirmation, I'm careful to tear up those pages.

Yes. Always. In case you cannot access your emails abroad. Print them doublesided so you can at least halve your stack.

I print everything out and group them by category. They go into a bank deposit zippered pouch I carry with me that also holds my passport, train tickets, etc. I discard each printout as it's used. Even for a month-long trip, it's usually not more than a 1/4" worth of paper - certainly not a "large stack."

I've been in situations where having those confirmations really really paid off, btw.

I used to print them all out but these days I synch them onto my PDA.

If you don't have one and you are unable to access your e-mail from abroad then I would definitely print them out and take them along.

Hi M,

>...confirmation numbers, reservations, etc. for the hotels and airplanes (3 hotels, 3 airplanes)? <

6 sheets of paper is a large stack?

Yes, print double-sided to save paper and weight. We are not growing trees fast enough to replace what we consume. Those PDA do-hickies are great until they go zits up on you - always have a backup in travel and in gunfights.

Ok, so maybe I exaggerated about the large stack...it is about 12 papers. Thanks for all the responses...Looks like I will be taking them.

Absolutely! I always make a "binder" for my vacation. I bind all of my reservations, together with directions, car rental vouchers or train information, restaurant recs and other miscellaneous travel information. Each location has its own tab and the binding keeps everything nice and organized. I keep it in my carry-on, just in case my luggage gets lost, and its always been a tremendous help.

Tracy

I buy one of those 5"x8" hard cover journals. In the front, I write out our itinerary (skipping a few pages between days) and then I photocopy all of our info (maps, confirmations, hotels) and shrink them on the copy machine. I tape them in for each day's itinerary.

What makes this great is I can add restaurant business cards and notes as I go so I have a great reminder of the trip when I get home.

Yup, printed word is worth a thousand 'but I HAD reservations!'.

I organize them with my ideas for things to do each day, and put them in trip order. i.e., the reservations for plane, car, and first B&B are in the first stack, along with things to do in that area. Next set is my next B&B and things to do around it, etc.

Print doublesided, and/or reduce them to make the paper smaller.

Absolutely! And we have pulled them out on more than one occasion when there was a difference of opinion/dispute over the cost of a room, the type of room, or a view. It is definitly worth it.

Have a great trip!

Yes indeedy! I reserved hotels in Munich - reconfirmed by telephone and when we got there...both hotels didn't have our reservations. My dear SO thought I packed them, I thought he had! Got nice rooms in "sister" hotels though...for the same rates.

On one occasion we showed up at a small restaurant for which one had to make reservations weeks in advance.

"Bon Soir", says I, "We have reservations for Block".

"Ahh", says the chef-owner, "Monsieur Werner, party of 4".

"No, Block. Party of 2".

Checking of book. Shuffling of papers. Consultation with wife.

"I'm sorry. We have no record of 'Block, party of 2' ", says he.

I went out to the car. Brought in my printed confirmation and showed it to him.

More consultation with wife.

"Are you sure you're not Mr Werner"?

We were seated, and had an excellent dinner.

12 pages? Pshaw! Print double-sided and you only have to carry 6 pieces of paper.

And it's scary how we Fodorites seem to organize similarly!

I have a small presentation portfolio with sleeves for each page, and sort my papers in the order which they'll be used. My itinerary for the trip is always first, with my plane etickets second.

But I don't make tabs, that's just going overboard!

mcnyc, in my defense those tabs were stolen from the supply cabinet at work! I just used the "1-5" (or however many I need) colored tabs to separate each of my destinations and my itinerary. I even use our binding machine to "bind" my vacation information as to save space. Yep, can probably sense my boredom...

Tracy

Tracy...surely you meant borrowed I will admit to loving those Post-It tabs. Wish I had them when I was in school! I will this time around

I also borrow the portfolio binders, and the paper, and the pen that I use.

Margaret

Margaret,

But of course your are right. I would never intentially steal anything out of the supply cabinet. I just merely "borrow" things like tabs and then "forget" to return them. Luckily for me there are about a gazillion miscellaneous numbered tabs in our cabinet, and they are strewn everywhere, so I just like to consider it my little way of helping organize by eleviating them of some of the mess...

Tracy

I wouldn't say <i>forget to return</i> either. I'd say it is a <i>long term acquisition</i>, as it's called in my line of work.