Educating on a minor typo in an(!!!) Internet forum? Really? Actually, there were more to be found in that quote...

Like I said, never needed to show an(!!!) itinerary anywhere in the world. Printing some paper with arbitrary flight numbers proves/means nothing. If they really want to check your flights they would need to verify the e-ticket.

Grammar Nazis around here are pretty hardcore!!

Along the same lines as an(!) immigration official asking to see a printout of a flight out of the country, I've also been asked on occasion for my hotel information while in-country. Not that they've ever scrutinized the printout, but having it made the conversation really short.

While the printouts don't really prove anything and aren't going to deter anyone with a seriously nefarious purpose, I guess they're a way for an immigration official to ferret out people who don't really have a plan to leave the country or don't know where they're staying, perhaps planning on sleeping on the streets or beaches.

I read where Bermuda has (had?) a problem with illegal camping, and as such is one of the countries that actually asks to see your hotel printout when entering the country. They did so for me, even though I was traveling with wife, mother, two small children, and no camping equipment!

I've only encountered a few places that demanded actual paper. If I have the email confirmation, it will suffice most of the time. Any place that requires paper - usually a voucher - has made it very clear in the email.
I print paper copies for two reasons. One I have given before, and I can only say until it happens to you, you'll probably think I'm obsessing. But a bricked phone can really ruin your day.
The secondary reason I print is the same as why I keep the electronic confirmations. Not to prove anything, but as a reminder to ME of what exactly has been booked.

I like having a paper boarding pass so I can just hand it to the GA. I don't like putting my phone face down on the flat scanners and the one time I tried a mobile pass I was A1 on Southwest and the GA couldn't get my phone to scan and I was holding up the line got it to eventually work though.

If a passenger is denied entry, the airline that brought him there is required to take him back to where he came from. You don't get to fly onwards to your final destination. If you could, this would be an easy way to avoid applying for a transit visa. "Oh, CBP denied me entry, no problem, just escort me to the departure area for my next flight."

I have had to show an itinerary for New Zealand when flying into the country on a one-way ticket. I showed it on my phone, and I believe they looked at the confirmation code and pulled up the ticket (which was on a different airline).

1 online checkin with carryon only
2 print accommodation details / emails if not carrying phone/etc with emails etc on it

interesting re immigration!

I've been asked to show my hotel reservations when entering China and I've watched the person in front of me find the hotel confirmation to enter Argentina. I don't recall specifics, but I would expect Russia to ask for the hotel reservation and, in fact, it's possible that they could do this when you exit the country.

Some foreign airports ask where you stayed as part of the security question about where your luggage was packed. I've seen airport security employees ask for documentation that the passenger did indeed stay in the hotel that was named, although presumably a bill would be better than the reservation for this purpose.

Always. In addition to everything everyone above has said, there is also the 'appearance' factor'. I have watched other people, including colleagues, be grilled about their plans by immigration, and having to bring up info on their phones, dig around in bags for scraps of paper etc. I've come to realize that you are often treated better (airline, immigration, hotels) if you are organized - for complex itineraries I carry everything in a folder, information in chronological order, tabbed according to whether it is a flight, hotel, car rental, visa or other document. Having print outs has saved me a few times, especially when hotels have tried to tell me my reservation is not paid (when it was a pre-pay), that I did not reserve a non-smoking / king bed / club room when I did, and being able to get from an airport to a hotel in a country where I did not speak the language, nor did the driver, but the picture of the hotel on the print out made him say 'ah ha', and took me to the right place!

I still print it out because basically, the alleged benefit to speed of using your mobile is offset by the fact that people spend too much time trying to find it at the scanner, then their phone goes to sleep at the wrong second, the scanner misses it, then they scroll through all their pics to get it back. In short, people don't know how to use it efficiently.

Paper is easier.

Lastly, in the event that you are stopped by a customs or security person somewhere who demands to see it, it is better to give them paper than let them look into your phone

stops them being nosey and going through other stuff when they shouldn't be, also safer cause thieves won't see where you're putting your phone if you're not using it

Ever since my business travel became directly sync'd with TripCase, I've stopped printing out flight/hotel information, since I just have to open the app to get all the details and it even updates to show revised flight timings in case of changes/delays. Of course in case of that I do also verify with the airline, but it's a handy app and works offline, so I don't have to trawl through my email to find what I need. I do check before I fly that everything is in there, and will still print out information if I'm heading to a new location (most of my travel is just to our company offices in US/EU), or for countries like India Philippines where you might need to show your itinerary just to enter the airport.

Yes, paperwork would be easy to fake, but the requirements will catch most potential offenders which is a good starting point.

After having some "officer" took the phone and start looking at it, swiping around; I now have printed hard-copy for them to nose around.
I still use digital BP when I know I am in control of my device at all times during the scan process.

I do as well. Being able to hand my printed hotel reservation over to a front desk clerk a few months ago saved me in a verbal joust that went "I have a park n fly reservation" then "No, you don't." Back and forth a couple of times until I produced the printout that listed the details. He then relented. Sometimes even the confirmation email doesn't have all the details (e.g. exactly how many nights of free parking I get) so I save the printout from the reservation process. This can be handy especially when the hotel changes terms and policies between the day I make the reservation and the date of arrival. I've had similar issues with rental car reservations.

Yes, to all those reasons to print paper. I print two copies of the flight itinerary and put one in the outer pocket of my carry-on roller bag in case it gets gate-checked and separated from me. The other, I keep in a folder along with any hotel bookings, conference information, etc. And, usually, printed piece maps showing the locations I need to find if it's an unfamiliar city, with public transport directions.

There are all sorts of reasons why I use the phone versions solely as backups. Trying to use a tiny map square on a phone is unpleasant; I don't want to hand my phone to people; there may be weather conditions or locations where I don't want to take it out; and it's just easier to hand someone a piece of paper. The hotel bookings and flight itineraries/boarding passes end up in my expenses file for tax purposes.

wg