I said earlier when will you need this document and why should you apply for it now. Remember the statement I said earlier "when will you need insurance? When you need it". The same is true with the I-131 Application for Travel Document. The application is free so why not spend a little time now to insure you will have it if the need arises.

 

The purpose of the I-131 is for a re-entry permit, refugee travel document or advance parole travel document, which allows you to return to your country to attend to pressing matters (should be used for emergency's, like a death).  It allows the recipient the freedom to travel in the event of an emergency and return. It is not for vacations, sightseeing excursions while you are petitioning for your AOS. It's not recommended that you leave the country during your AOS processing time but if you need to do not stay out of the country longer than one year as immigration may disallow your reentry on the grounds that you have abandon your LPR status.  To allow you to reenter the U.S. as an LPR, the CBP officer at the port of entry must determine that you are returning from a "temporary" trip abroad. If the trip abroad wasn’t temporary, then you have "abandoned" your LPR status, making you ineligible for readmission.