Passports are kind of a silly concept.
In the words of comedian Kyle Kinane, “To cross international borders, you still need your cute little book filled with fun little stamps — and if you lose it, you can never go home.”
Sure, he’s exaggerating a bit (you can still go home after losing a passport — we’ll show you how), but it’s definitely true that losing travel documents can seriously derail a trip and cost you time, money, and missed opportunities.
Luckily, securing your family’s travel documents isn’t rocket science. By following our five-step checklist below, you’ll know which essential travel documents to bring and how to keep them safe, so you can focus on making memories and maximizing your adventure.
Erika Recommends
- Travel Guard
Travel insurance that covers lost or stolen documents. - LastPass
Secure, shareable password manager for storing sensitive information. - Faraday bags
Store your vehicle key fobs to prevent a “relay attack.”
Essential Documents to Secure While Traveling
As you read travel tips online (and even advice from the U.S. State Department), you’ll constantly see references to “travel documents.”
“Be sure to secure your travel documents.”
“What to do if you’ve lost your travel documents.”
But what exactly are these mythical “travel documents” everyone speaks of? Well, in a nutshell, it’s any digital or physical document that allows you to travel (or travel more safely).
Travel documents can include, but aren’t limited to:
- Passports and visas for you and your entire family.
- Travel insurance policies including your policy number, contact numbers, and emergency assistance hotline.
- Flight and accommodation details including boarding passes, hotel and rental car reservation numbers, and your loyalty rewards numbers.
- Medical records and prescriptions including your health history, vaccinations, allergies, and healthcare provider contact information.
- List of emergency contacts including friends, family, healthcare providers, travel insurance provider, and the local embassy.
Some of these documents can be extremely difficult to replace while you’re on your trip, especially if you’re traveling abroad with limited phone and internet access.
That’s why we’ve compiled an ultimate travel document security checklist for you to run through before you depart.
Once you complete these steps, your travel documents will be safer than a bar of gold in Fort Knox, and you’ll be traveling like a pro with more fun and less stress.
The Ultimate Travel Document Security Checklist
1. Gather your family’s essential documents
Before we start locking down your travel documents, it’s important to make sure you have everything ready in the first place.
Personally, I like to lay everything out on my bed, just to make triple sure I truly know where everything is — and to ensure there won’t be any surprises on departure day.
Once you think you have everything gathered, now’s a good time to start grilling yourself like a grizzled, no-nonsense customs agent:
- Is your passport up-to-date, with well over six months before it expires?
- Do you have all the visas and vaccines required by your destination countries?
- Do you know what your travel insurance policy does and doesn’t cover?
- Do you have confirmation emails from every booking (flight, tour group, rental car, etc.)?
2. Make physical and digital copies of everything
True travel ninjas will have not one, not two, but three copies of each essential travel document:
- Physical: Printed out and stored with your carry-on, ideally in a waterproof pocket or container.
- Local storage: Downloaded to your hard drive on your phone, laptop, or both.
- Cloud storage: Uploaded to Google Drive, iCloud, or equivalent cloud storage platform.
While having all three may seem like overkill, consider that there are plenty of travel scenarios where you may only have access to one of these storage solutions.
If your phone and laptop get stolen, for example, you can still access your documents from an internet cafe. And if your phone dies, you can still find your policy number and emergency assistance contact from your printout.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you have to use someone else’s phone or computer while you travel — even your own family’s — it may not remember all your passwords. That’s why tools like LastPass and Google Password Manager are handy for travelers, since they only require you to remember one password to unlock the rest.
3. Store your physical documents in the right places
While digital and cloud copies are great, some documents like your passport and visas will only be accepted in their original physical form. For that reason, you’ll want to keep them as close and secure as possible while traveling.
Here’s some gear that can help:
- Passport wallets are great for solo travelers since they’re small, easily concealable, and often come with a neck strap to further prevent theft or loss.
- Cross-body bags are great for parents since they feature a bit more room for snacks, medications, and additional passports while still being easy to access.
- Faraday bags are cheap little pouches (<$10) where you can store vehicle key fobs to prevent a “relay attack,” an increasingly common form of car theft.
Companies like Pacsafe and HERO offer solid gear for travelers looking to secure sensitive documents on the move.
As for how best to secure your travel documents once you arrive, opinions differ. Ever since I saw how easily hotel safes can be hacked, I’ve preferred to either hide my passports under the mattress or simply keep them on my person. Granted, none of these options is perfect, so go with what makes you the most comfortable.
READ MORE: How To Protect Family Valuables While Traveling
4. Check your travel insurance policy and save your contacts
Since you’ve just printed and saved your policy documents — and you’re probably still logged into your provider’s website — now would be a good time to review your coverage levels and limits, purchase more coverage as needed, and save your provider’s contact information to your phone.
As you’re reviewing your policy, pay careful attention to your provider’s stance on lost documents. Many will only cover delayed or canceled plans due to stolen passports — not lost passports. So, if you want the latter covered, you might need CFAR (cancel for any reason) insurance.
READ MORE: How To Choose the Right Travel Insurance for Family Vacations
5. Perform a “lost everything” dry run
Now that you have:
- Your documents gathered
- Everything saved in physical, digital, and cloud format
- Your physical documents stashed in a secure travel bag
It’s time for a little dress rehearsal.
Let’s pretend you’re on your trip and the worst has happened: Your phone, laptop, and travel document bag are all missing. What would you do in such a scenario? Are you able to play the steps out in your head?
If not, no worries! Let’s cover that next.
What To Do if Important Documents Are Lost or Stolen
Even if you lose your phone, laptop, and travel documents at the same time, it’s not the end of the world. You can still get you and your family home safely.
I know this because I was once robbed completely blind right before a flight, and had nothing on my person but my clothes and an empty wallet.
If something like that happens to you, here are the best next steps to follow:
- Notify the local authorities immediately. The police can provide you with a police report that you may need later to file a travel insurance claim and secure an emergency replacement passport. Even if your passport was lost (not stolen), your local embassy/consulate may still want a police report to help track it.
- Contact your embassy or consulate. If you’re traveling abroad, you’ll need an emergency passport to return home — which is something your local embassy or consulate can provide. They can also help you replace other missing documents and contact family back home.
- Contact your travel insurance provider. Some travel insurance plans like Travel Guard include access to 24/7 emergency assistance services, which can assist with rebooking, lost document retrieval (including medical records), and translation services.
You can also reduce the likelihood of loss or theft in the first place by avoiding common mistakes, so let’s cover those next!
Common Mistakes Travelers Make With Document Security
1. Carrying original documents everywhere
If the day’s itinerary doesn’t require you to present your actual passports or ID, it’s probably best to leave the original in the room and bring photocopies instead.
The originals are far less likely to get lost or stolen if they’re sitting in a safe or under the mattress than if they are accompanying you on your adventures.
2. Failing to back up digital copies
I’ve traveled with people who saved their passports to their phone, but once their phone died, they were out of luck.
That’s why it’s essential to save every document to a cloud service like Google Drive, making it accessible from virtually any internet-capable device.
3. Leaving documents unattended (or in kids’ hands)
“What happened to that little blue book I gave you?!” is a question I’ve heard many an exasperated parent say during my travels.
That’s why the most experienced globetrotting families I know have a policy of disallowing kids (and in one case, absent-minded husbands) from handling their own passports until it’s absolutely necessary.
FAQs About Securing Documents While Traveling
Does travel insurance cover the cost of replacing a lost passport?
Sometimes, but it varies by provider. Some providers, like Travel Guard, will cover the cost of replacing a lost/stolen passport as part of your baggage coverage. Others, like Allianz, will not.
But even though they may not foot the bill, many providers have free emergency assistance hotlines that can walk you through the process of dealing with a lost or stolen passport.
In addition, if your passport was stolen, your travel insurance may help cover nonrefundable trip costs if you have to cancel or miss part of your trip.
How can I access my documents if I lose my phone or laptop?
Certain less-sensitive travel documents (e.g., your boarding passes and travel insurance policy) can be accessed from any internet-capable device and simply printed out. The front desk at your hotel/hostel may be able to help, or you can visit a local internet cafe.
Sensitive travel documents like your passport and visas can only be reprinted from your local embassy. Contact them for further instructions.
How do I handle document security when traveling with kids?
Consider keeping all your family travel documents in a small cross-body bag that never leaves your chest on travel days. You can also place colored stickers on the front of your children’s passports so you know whose is whose at a glance.
The TSA doesn’t require children under 18 to provide ID for domestic flights, but they will have to for international flights. Try to minimize the amount of time your children have to hold their own documents. Request them back as soon as you clear security.
TL;DR: Keeping Your Travel Documents Safe
Safeguarding important documents reduces stress and ensures a smoother, more enjoyable trip for everyone.
By saving each document in multiple places, storing physical copies in the right travel bag, and having a “lost everything” plan, you’ll be prepared for the worst — and better enjoy the best — your vacation has to offer.
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