How to stay organized with your documents while traveling
Your travel checklist has a very important but sometimes ignored component. It is the documents. You carry two types of documents with you. The one needed immediately or for traveling and the one which in case of emergency would be of great help. Most of your documents are needed one way or the other and there is no way to know when the requirement might arise. Keeping them sorted and ready to use can save so much time and work. To save you from that last-minute disappointment of realizing you are missing an important piece of paper, here are a few ways to stay organized with the papers.
1. PDF of the Documents
Documents can get lost and mixed up easily, especially while packing. So, it's important that you have a scanned digital file with you. This file can be accessible to you easily and can be proof of your physical document. These days most applications are filled out online and documents are uploaded online for many official works. So, keeping digital files is both easily accessible and safe.
2. Keep a list of Documents
It is an important step in organizing your documents but is most neglected. It is wise to have a list of all the documents you have so that it becomes easy to cross-check in case any of them get misplaced.
3. Keep photocopies of the Documents
Documents have a number which is important to identify that certain document. Having photocopies of that document can help have access to the content and the number of the document. It again is proof of the document and also is a more reliable one. They can also be used whenever needed in official work for attaching as proof.
4. Categorize your Documents
There could be many different ways to organize the documents digitally like using a digital filing cabinet, dropbox, and file sync. But organizing the hard copy of the document is also important. This could be done by color-coding the documents (for example, education documents are green), placing the documents in alphabetical order, and separating the documents by placing them in a category.
5. Accessories to carry and store Documents
Accessorizing can help you to keep that mess sorted and convenient. Very common accessories are folders and binders which come in many variations. Some are expandable allowing more storage, some have compartments to help separate the documents, some are color-coded, and many other variations are present. While traveling you could put an air tag in your luggage so that you can track it. The immediate things needed while traveling are a passport, visa, and identity card. These could be kept readily available in a passport holder.
6. Store it on a cloud
Many clouds are available for the storage of data. The data gets stored online and not in the device. This online stored data can be retrieved whenever needed. This makes keeping the soft copy of the documents safe. This can be useful in cases of damage to the device or loss of the device. Different clouds have different plans and capacities of storage. For example, Google Drive provides about 15 GB of free storage after which charges apply, then there are other clouds like apple cloud, mega.io, and OneDrive. You can choose whichever suits you best. It becomes easy to retrieve documents and information digitally if needed while traveling.
7. Dispose of unnecessary Documents
It is one of the most important steps of organizing. Clearing out the clutter would only help you out in knowing which documents to prioritize. It will save a lot of time and work as the documents will be minimized to the important ones. Sometimes we keep papers that will never be used like a certain receipt or bill. Some of the documents even after being of no use can contain some personal information like phone numbers or addresses. Make sure you either shred that piece of paper or rub the information off with the help of a rolling stamp (which can easily be bought online).
Organization has become easier with technologies and accessories nowadays in the market. So, keep these points in mind and you will never have to worry about your documents. Safe and responsible traveling is always fun traveling.
