Travel folders

[Rotterdam_Guy]

Hi, I'm looking for a good option for folders I can use while on the road (either a day trip or a multi day trip). I'm wondering what you guys are using. I'm currently using paper folders (an inbox, a process while back, a to read folder etc).

 

[mcogilvie]

I generally use translucent plastic folders. They have various names, like “project folders”, and come in various styles and thicknesses. They often are closed on two sides, which help keep papers from falling out. They usually can be found somewhere near regular file folders in office supply stores, at least in the US.

 

[Rotterdam_Guy]

I generally use translucent plastic folders. They have various names, like “project folders”, and come in various styles and thicknesses. They often are closed on two sides, which help keep papers from falling out. They usually can be found somewhere near regular file folders in office supply stores, at least in the US.

We have the same things here in Europe, but I also like to have nice folders. The folders I've seen here are not "inviting" enough if that makes sense...

 

[mcogilvie]

We have the same things here in Europe, but I also like to have nice folders. The folders I've seen here are not "inviting" enough if that makes sense...

I have a set of the very nice plastic file folders Davidco used to sell. They are pretty colors, pre-stamped with “Inbox’ and other labels, and wear very well. They are very heavy, and papers slide out sideways easily. I use them in my office, but not for travel. The flimsy plastic ones are light, and papers are much less prone to slip out. Just brutal practicality, I’m afraid. I carry a thin Circa-compatible notebook with plastic covers instead of the gorgeous leather Circa notebook I could use instead- it’s just too thick and heavy. It’s not like luggage, where if you look carefully and are willing to pay more, you can get stuff that is light and holds up very well.

 

[grahamen]

I have a simple set of multi-coloured pop fastener plastic ones for travel, which I reuse/re-label by using my label maker, fit nicely into backpack, providing there is not a ton of material in them.

 

[boomer70]

I am on the road quite a bit and use a traditional Tumi briefcase as opposed to a backpack so my folders slide in with the closed end down as opposed to standing up. My static folders that I carry Action Support, Waiting For and Upcoming Meeting info are Smead Poly file folders which last a long time. Most other projects I use heavy duty manila or colored file folders but they aren't carried for extended period of time so don;t wear out that much. For collection, mainly receipts etc I have tried different things. I like zippered envelopes but the zippers seemed to break off so I have been using a red Snap envelope from Staples. I don't love it but it is standing up longer.

Attached are photos as well as the labels with item numbers etc.

 

[Rotterdam_Guy]

I have a set of the very nice plastic file folders Davidco used to sell. They are pretty colors, pre-stamped with “Inbox’ and other labels, and wear very well. They are very heavy, and papers slide out sideways easily. I use them in my office, but not for travel. The flimsy plastic ones are light, and papers are much less prone to slip out. Just brutal practicality, I’m afraid. I carry a thin Circa-compatible notebook with plastic covers instead of the gorgeous leather Circa notebook I could use instead- it’s just too thick and heavy. It’s not like luggage, where if you look carefully and are willing to pay more, you can get stuff that is light and holds up very well.

Unfortunately they are no longer available. I’ve been looking for them.

 

[dtj]

For substantial trips I use a manilla folder, with a summarized itinerary, include maps and directions. Things like lodging and activities stapled on the left side, and travel stuff on the right. I like having a hard copy available of everything, "just in case". Many years ago I got such packets when I did corporate travel and it was invaluable, so I adopted it.

When my son and two buddies did a cross country roadtrip after they graduated from high school. I made packets with all the info for each of the boys, and a set for each set of parents, so they could follow along. The parents were blown away.

 

[Rotterdam_Guy]

For substantial trips I use a manilla folder, with a summarized itinerary, include maps and directions. Things like lodging and activities stapled on the left side, and travel stuff on the right. I like having a hard copy available of everything, "just in case". Many years ago I got such packets when I did corporate travel and it was invaluable, so I adopted it.

When my son and two buddies did a cross country roadtrip after they graduated from high school. I made packets with all the info for each of the boys, and a set for each set of parents, so they could follow along. The parents were blown away.

That is a good tip, I just pile everything up on one side so the top one is always the first one I need.

 

[boomer70]

I agree with the hard copy of the travel itineraries, especially when traveling overseas. I have a heavy duty sleeve for those. I was recently in the Netherlands for business and on the last night before heading home, the SIM card on my mobile decided to stop working. Thankfully it still worked on wifi but the peace of mind having hard copies of everything at hand was priceless!

 

[mcogilvie]

I agree with the hard copy of the travel itineraries, especially when traveling overseas. I have a heavy duty sleeve for those. I was recently in the Netherlands for business and on the last night before heading home, the SIM card on my mobile decided to stop working. Thankfully it still worked on wifi but the peace of mind having hard copies of everything at hand was priceless!

I was like that for many years. These days, I find that synced local digital copies on multiple devices is faster, easier and more reliable. I do print out trail maps for national parks where cell service is often bad to non-existent, although apps like All Trails download maps and GPS works independently of cell service. Once someone we met on the trail misinterpreted their paper map and we all ended up with a much longer end to our hike than we expected. I convinced everyone we were headed in the wrong direction using All Trails, No harm done, but now I don’t hesitate to check if there is any doubt.

 

[dtj]

I learned my lesson many years ago, to always have hard copies. When we arrived at the rental car place in Cozumel, I learned just how nuanced the notion of "Download a copy of ..." can be. Apparently, in my case, it meant to copy the deep link, and not like a pdf or something. Thankfully it was a small outfit that we were renting from, so it wasn't a problem, but I sure felt stupid.

 

[Rotterdam_Guy]

At Belgrade Airport they didn't accept the digital boarding pass. It had to be printed... I was glad a rental agency would print it for me since checkin wasn't open yet (we did check in online and travelled with carry-on only). The joy of traveling...

 

[boomer70]

I'm a big believer in preparing for Murphy's law. Which, for those not familiar is, if something can go wrong it will!

 

[mcogilvie]

I'm a big believer in preparing for Murphy's law. Which, for those not familiar is, if something can go wrong it will!

I think the truth is more like expect 1 sigma, prepare for 2 sigma and 3 sigma, have a plan for 4+ sigma but know that you are likely in trouble. Assuming badness is normally distributed, which it is not. I think I travel prepped for a 3-sigma event, which would occur a bit less than once in a hundred trips roughly. 1 sigma is just normal (sorry, bad joke).

 

[boomer70]

On my recent trip, my SIM card failed on my final night and one of my credit card companies decided to start declining gas purchases on my debit card for fear of fraud. They flagged them as fraud where they were made overseas. Mind you, I had been using the card for 2 weeks overseas! I keep 2 checking accounts with different banks, just in case of a similar issue but never needed until this trip. Murphy showed up on the trip but, thankfully not until the final night!

 

[dtj]

On my recent trip, my SIM card failed on my final night and one of my credit card companies decided to start declining gas purchases on my debit card for fear of fraud. They flagged them as fraud where they were made overseas. Mind you, I had been using the card for 2 weeks overseas! I keep 2 checking accounts with different banks, just in case of a similar issue but never needed until this trip. Murphy showed up on the trip but, thankfully not until the final night!

That my nightmare. Thats why we pre-pay many key things and also have backup bank and credit cards, insuring their our eggs are in as many baskets as possible. My wife and I have seperate finances, in addition to joint accts, so we have alot of redundancy, like being at different banks and such.

 

[benedikt]

I am going very lightweight on this. I recently got myself an A4 document leather pouch. This is my personal inbox on trips. Emptying it whenever I feel the need to do so. Final clearance happens when I return.

In addition to this, I have reference material in physical form (passport, boarding pass, travel route, etc.) in a smaller pouch. Usually my phone provides most of this, but having a physical backup is priceless.

 

[Oogiem]

Based on my recent trip to import sheep I now have one blank check each from all personal and business accounts in my wallet. We had to buy a new truck after ours was totaled in an accident and wire transfers are not accepted for 3 days. But a check would have been fine. I pleaded and got multiple folks on the phone and convinced the car dealer to let me drive away with a big truck with a promise I'd ge the wire transfer done first thing Monday morning (it was late Friday). Showing the import paperwork on the sheep and indicating that I had to get them to our farm in time for their mandatory official federal post import inspection and genotyping probably helped but I could have saved a lot of angst if I'd just had a check with me! Murphy was working overtime on this trip. No one would believe how much went wrong.