Do I need to print my travel itinerary?

i like to have a print out just in case something gets messed up between now and the time you get to the airport.

plus it gives you a schedule to look at so you know where to be and when…which is printed on the tickets, but it’s a little easier to read on an itinerary.

Usually the booking reference and your passport will be sufficient to check in, but it doesn’t hurt to have a hardcopy with you.

In the old days, you got a stub from your boarding pass. Now, you turn that boarding pass you print out in. The itinerary gives you a convenient list of all your flight information.

What if you needed to tell a friend meeting you in the airport your flight number? Or you needed to have someone at the airline look up your record? It will be so much easier with that confirmation number and the itinerary. What if you and your traveling companion do not remember the same flight departure time for the return?

Things go wrong. You can’t even imagine them all. That is why it is best to be prepared. Take the document. Keep it in a safe, but accessible place.

i guess the reason i’m asking is because i don’t have a printer, and getting to one before the flight today will be a tremendous hassle. Can’t I just write the info down?

I would take it with you. Or a least put the info in your phone/pda/etc. It’s better to have it than not to especially on an international flight b/c as Marina says things do go wrong.

Seeing your edit I would say that the print out isn’t some legal document it’s the info in their computers that matters. Sure write it down and take it with you to check in at the kiosk or ticket desk.

If you are worried about it being messed up, call the airline the day before the flight and make sure it’s all valid.

just in case, yes!

If you don’t have a printer you can write the information down. It’s always good to have a print out of your itinerary. I take a copy with me and give a copy to family. You never know what can happen, so it’s good have a copy with you.

I always like to print my itinerary. But on my last trip I also used TripIt which allows me to email all my travel confirmations (Airline, Hotel, Rental car, etc) and it creates an Itinerary for you. And best of all you can view via your phone and have all the information at your finger tips.

R

Write it down – I store my itineraries as iCal events in my iPhone including seat numbers, lactor reference numbers, the works. Very handy.

Yes, you can write it down. Here’s one other option. I had this exact problem two weeks ago: traveling with a laptop and no printer. For $1.41, I used a computer at FexEd/Kinko’s, checked in for my flight, and printed my boarding pass.

At the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge (Scottsdale, AZ) they had boarding pass kiosks, where you can print up your boarding pass for free in the lobby. I wonder if this will be common place in all Marriott’s and will other big chain hotels begin to offer this service too.

R

I use to work at an airport. And (if you’re going to park) you should bring your itinerary, in case you were to lose your parking ticket. It comes in handy to the employees.

great answers guys, thanx! the trip was great (and i wrote down the itin!)

i haven’t had a travel itinerary in years. it’s all electronic now.

though you might feel better having it in case you can’t get to a computer

check engadget.com and you can read about one of their editors trying to use his cellphone as a boarding pass (which airlines are supposed to allow).

there are reasons why you might want to, but i’ve been lucky enough to not need to lately. (although virgin atlantic in heathrow used to require a paper itinerary to get INTO the lines at checkin. that’s no longer the case, thank god)

Not only do I print out the itinerary, I email it to my boss, my wife (my other boss), and the people I am supposed to meet. I also write where I parked my car because it is sometimes hard to remember after a long trip.

Do you need to no, should you, of course.