Pension and Postretirement Benefits - Multi-employer pension plans (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Multi-employer pension plans
Viad Contributions	$ 21,988	$ 23,152	$ 20,313
Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	916145047
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Green	Green
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	No
Viad Contributions	$ 5,632	$ 6,369	5,524
Surcharge Paid	No
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	May 31, 2015
Southern California Local 831—Employer Pension Fund
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	956376874
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Green	Green
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	No
Viad Contributions	$ 2,485	$ 2,481	2,244
Surcharge Paid	No
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	Aug. 31, 2017
Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters Pension Fund
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	366130207
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Yellow	Yellow
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	Implemented
Viad Contributions	$ 1,887	$ 1,946	1,614
Surcharge Paid	No
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	May 31, 2018
Electrical Contractors Assoc. Chicago Local Union 134, IBEW Joint Pension Trust of Chicago Plan 2
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	516030753
Plan No:	002
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Green	Green
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	No
Viad Contributions	$ 1,190	$ 1,081	957
Surcharge Paid	No
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	Jun. 03, 2017
IBEW Local Union No 357 Pension Plan A
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	886023284
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Green	Green
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	No
Viad Contributions	$ 1,150	$ 1,457	1,631
Surcharge Paid	No
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	Jun. 16, 2018
Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Plan
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	366044243
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Red	Red
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	Implemented
Viad Contributions	$ 948	$ 1,018	836
Surcharge Paid	No
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	Jul. 31, 2015
Southern California IBEW-NECA Pension Fund
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	956392774
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Yellow	Yellow
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	Implemented
Viad Contributions	$ 835	$ 768	184
Surcharge Paid	No
National Electrical Benefit Fund
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	530181657
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Green	Green
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	No
Viad Contributions	$ 771	$ 167	193
Surcharge Paid	No
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	Jun. 18, 2018
Southwest Carpenters Pension Trust
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	956042875
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Green	Green
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	No
Viad Contributions	$ 750	$ 885	812
Surcharge Paid	No
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	Jun. 30, 2018
Sign Pictorial & Display Industry Pension Plan
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	946278490
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Green	Green
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	No
Viad Contributions	$ 541	$ 439	367
Surcharge Paid	No
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	Mar. 31, 2018
Machinery Movers Riggers & Mach Erect Local 136 Supplemental Retirement Plan(1),
Multi-employer pension plans
EIN	361416355
Plan No:	001
Pension Protection Act Zone Status	Red	Red
FIP/RP Status Pending/ Implemented	Implemented
Viad Contributions	$ 502	$ 993	430
Surcharge Paid	Yes
Collective bargaining agreements expiration date	Jun. 30, 2019
All other funds
Multi-employer pension plans
Viad Contributions	$ 3,869	3,491	2,032
Pension Plans
Multi-employer pension plans
Viad Contributions	20,560	21,095	16,824
Total contributions to other plans
Multi-employer pension plans
Viad Contributions	$ 1,428	$ 2,057	$ 3,489

The Tax Identification Number (TIN), also known as an Employer Identification Number (EIN), is a unique 9-digit value assigned by the IRS.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation 12B
-Number 240
-Section 12b
-Subsection 1

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Three digit plan number for a pension or postretirement benefit plan to which two or more unrelated employers contribute where assets contributed by one participating employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 80
-Section 50
-Paragraph 5
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49170332&loc=SL14450657-114947

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Amount of contributions made to multiemployer plans by the employer. A multiemployer plan is a pension or postretirement benefit plan to which two or more unrelated employers contribute where assets contributed by one participating employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-SubTopic 80
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Indicate the multiemployer plan's certified zone status as currently required by the Pension Protection Act of 2006 or a subsequent amendment thereof. The zone status categories are red (critical status), orange (seriously endangered), yellow (endangered), and green (none of the above). The acceptable values are "red", "orange", "yellow", "green", "other", and "NA". A multiemployer plan is a pension or postretirement benefit plan to which two or more unrelated employers contribute where assets contributed by one participating employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers.

+ References

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-Publisher FASB
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Expiration date of the collective bargaining arrangement requiring contributions to the multiemployer plan, in CCYY-MM-DD format. A multiemployer plan is a pension or postretirement benefit plan to which two or more unrelated employers contribute where assets contributed by one participating employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers.

+ References

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Indicate whether a funding improvement plan or rehabilitation plan has been implemented or is pending for a pension or postretirement benefit plan to which two or more unrelated employers contribute where assets contributed by one participating employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers. The acceptable values are "no", "pending", "implemented", "other", and "NA".

+ References

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Indicate whether the employer paid a surcharge to the pension or postretirement benefit plan to which two or more unrelated employers contribute where assets contributed by one participating employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers. The acceptable values are "no", "yes", and "NA".

+ References

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