Use your mobile or camera as a scanner

I often need to print, sign, and return documents. When I’m at home in the US, this is an easy and routine task – I’m simply scan the document to PDF using my multi-function printer/scanner/copier and then email the PDF. But when I travel internationally and rely on internet cafés, I don’t want to take the risk that a copy of the PDF (containing my signature and often other sensitive information like a social security number) might end up sticking around after I’ve departed. A more secure alternative is faxing (secure, as long as the fax machine you’re using doesn’t capture a copy of the page, which some do), but this can be a challenge in certain countries with poor quality phone lines, which often result in failed transmissions.

Travel Tip: Print the document at an internet café, then use the camera in your mobile phone or a digital camera to take a picture of the document once you’ve signed it. Then you can email the picture of the document to its recipient. It may not be as clean as a PDF created by scanning the actual page, but it will often suffice when the recipient just needs proof that a document has been reviewed and signed.