One thing I have learned through years of travel is to be very organized with my traveling information. I have tried many different ways of being organized. I used an envelope method a few times, until my husband (sidekick) inadvertently tossed an envelope with $1,000 into the garbage, never to be seen again. A memory made. That immediately stopped the envelope method. With much trial and error, I have come up with a notebook method that works remarkably well.
I use a vinyl notebook for durability, but you can use anyone you choose.
This is a just flat 3 ringed binder. I then put plastic page protectors in. I use the heavy plastic ones because they are more durable.
I start filling the page protectors as I plan and book my vacation.
I will use my last vacation as an example of what I do. We went on a 4-day cruise and then to Disneyland. I knew I needed the information on:
- Rental car
- Hotels – multiple
- Cruise documents
- Disneyland tickets
- Disneyland dining reservations
- Receipts
- Personal information (passports, birth certificates, etc.)
- Miscellaneous
I inserted a page protector for each of these areas into my notebook.
This book has saved me many, many times on vacation. Just this last trip, we went to check in at one of our hotels and they only had 1 room reserved for us. I told them that I had booked 2 rooms. They tried to argue with me, so I pulled out my confirmation page from my book and gave it to them. They became very apologetic. They even gave us free breakfast vouchers at their restaurant for the inconvenience.
This book is invaluable to me in making travel go as smooth as it can. I have all the documentation I need, a place to keep receipts for accounting, and even a place to keep memorabilia. Try it and go make memories.
See Ya Makin Memories!
P.S. Here are actual pictures of some of my book contents from my last vacation:
