How to Keep Your Travel Information in One Place

Why it matters

Trip information scatters easily: confirmations in one inbox, tickets in an app, a hotel address in a chat, an insurance number in an attachment. You usually need it at the worst moment: a delayed flight, a lost phone or a late-night arrival.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises having a backup plan for accessing key information, such as accommodation, flight and passport details, contact numbers and your insurance policy, in case you lose your phone (FCDO foreign travel checklist).

What to gather

Start with a short list:

• Identity and entry: passport details and expiry date, and any visa or entry authorisation you need. Check what applies to your passport.
• Bookings: flights, accommodation, transfers and tours, with reference numbers and contact details. Keep the accommodation address where you can show it to a driver.
• Insurance: your policy number and the emergency contact number. The FCDO advises printing health insurance documents and carrying a copy.
• Money: which cards you are taking, how to contact the issuers and a backup way to pay. The FCDO also advises having enough money for unexpected costs if your main payment method fails.
• People: emergency contacts at home, and the address of your nearest embassy, high commission or consulate.
• Health: a list of medication and any prescriptions.
• Local basics: how you will get from the airport, how you will get connected and the local emergency number.

Copies: digital, printed and shared

Government advice agrees on a few habits. New Zealand's SafeTravel service advises taking copies of important documents, such as your passport, visas, prescriptions and insurance policy, and telling friends and family your plans (SafeTravel: get ready to travel). The FCDO suggests storing key information online in a secure data storage platform and sharing it with friends or family.

In practice:

• Keep digital copies where you can open them offline. Test this once by switching your phone to airplane mode.
• Keep paper for the few items where it matters, such as insurance details.
• Give one person at home the key details: dates, accommodation, flight numbers and your insurance information.
• Protect sensitive scans. Use a secure storage option with a strong passcode rather than an unprotected note.

A simple structure that works

One trip folder or note is enough:

• A one-page summary at the top: dates, addresses, booking references, emergency contacts and insurance number.
• A documents section: copies of your passport and visas, tickets and insurance.
• A plans section: your day-by-day plan or schedule.
• An offline copy of all of it.

Set it up a week before you travel, then check it once more the day before. If you want a fuller pre-trip routine, see our international travel checklist and the after-booking checklist.

Three moments when this pays off

Three common situations show why a single, findable set of details is worth ten minutes of setup:

• A lost or dead phone. With a printed one-page summary and a shared copy at home, you can still give a taxi driver your address, call your insurer and show who you are.
• A late arrival. Your accommodation may ask for a booking reference at midnight, and the airport transfer you booked may need rescheduling. Both are quicker when the reference and contact numbers are in one place.
• A delay or cancellation. Receipts, screenshots and booking references are what you need for an airline or insurance claim, and having them organised from the start makes that far less painful.

Keep the guidance with it

Documents are only half of it. The other half is knowing what to do with them: how to get from the airport, what the local money situation is, what to check at the border, which scams to watch for. A guide that holds that practical information next to your plan saves you hunting across tabs.

FigFinder's complete guide puts the day-by-day plan and the destination essentials in one place, including arrival preparation, entry and visa guidance based on your passport, money, safety and a downloadable destination map. FigFinder does not make bookings, and it does not store your passport, bookings or insurance. Keep those in your own secure storage and use the guide for the guidance. Read more on the personalised travel guide page.

Update it when plans change

A folder that is out of date is worse than none. Update it whenever something changes: a new flight time, a different hotel, a cancelled tour. If your plans do change, our guide on what to do when travel plans change covers the first steps.

Frequently Asked Questions