What Is This Travel Document You Speak Of?

If you have never created one, you may need some convincing before you spend time building your own travel document. As you know, there are several excellent guide books in print, so why not just spend $20 on a pretty guide book, circle the things you want to see, and take margin notes for the rest?

Great point! It’s tempting and I used to travel that way; armed with a trusted guide book or two, a few notes scribbled here and there. But over the years, I found myself frustrated using guide books that were only 20% applicable to my trip, forced to maneuver the verbose and impersonal design of some corporate publication. Eventually, I took total control over my own trips and had a ton of fun in the process.

This Sounds Like Too Much Work!

It is work, but it’s purely the good kind! I find the process of planning for an upcoming trip to be as exciting as much of the trip itself, especially when the destination will be my first visit and the research is completely fresh. I am often asked by friends for travel advice, like favorite restaurants and museums, but one less obvious thing I love about travel is the creation of a beloved, customized travel document.

What Does A Travel Document Look Like?

A travel document can look exactly how you want it to look! But it should act as a catch-all for any solid plans, exciting options, and emergency information needed before and during a trip. A personalized, totally customized travel guide made by you, for you. My personalized travel document usually includes these sections:

Daily Itinerary A table. Each day gets its own row and a few daily goals or any booked reservations

Emergency Information Mostly phone numbers (bank, family, etc)

Flight Details Airlines, departure and arrival times, airport transport detail

Hotel / Lodging Information Address, phone, directions, booking numbers

Rental Car Information Booking number, location

Restaurants Reservations, lunch ideas, and back-up options

Shopping Home good stores, clothing, local specialty shops, markets, etc

Culture and Activities Museums, parks, excursions

Bars I like to have a list of exceptional beer, wine, and liquor stops should the occasion arise

Coffee & Treats This helps me track all the top rated coffee shops in the area, but also where I list pastry shops, candy stores, ice cream, etc

OK, Let’s Get This Party Started

I create my travel documents using Google Docs, then share it with my partner. It becomes a working document we build together after getting ideas from reading various guide books, articles and speaking with well-traveled friends. Eventually we order ideas by priority, star items that interest us most and figure out which activities need advanced booking.

Fear of Structure?

You may dislike the idea of making too many decisions in advance of your trip. Organizing your options in advance should never feel like it’s squashing the excitement of travel. You never want to eliminate every element of discovery by writing your itinerary in stone before leaving home, but you want to do enough organized research, that when you find yourself with free time, you have your travel document as both a wonderful resource and ultimately a time-saver that doesn’t leave you scrambling for a plan in a foreign place.

And don’t forget, since you designed your travel document, you feel more empowered to pick and choose your own adventure before and during your travels!