Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013 Agreement	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jan. 31, 2014 Subsequent Event
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Environmental remediation liability	$ 5,000,000	$ 5,300,000
Maximum potential amount of future payments	13,700,000
Guarantees relate to leased facilities expiry date	October 2017
Recourse provision to recover guarantees	0
Bargaining agreements	100
Percent of Viad's regular full-time employees are covered by collective-bargaining agreements	30.00%
Contribution to multi-employer pension plans	20,313,000	20,669,000	19,601,000
Revenue through concession contract	47.00%
Possessory interest	25,000,000
Estimated amount for personal property	5,000,000
Proceeds from Possessory Interest				$ 25,000,000