I always tease my husband because for all the years I’ve known him (and we’re talking over 30 years, when you include friends/dating/marriage), any time he travels, he uses a packing list. I mean, he STILL uses one, even today! And yet HE’S the one who forgot his passport before our most recent cruise and who usually forgets to bring these most important things on most trips.

And OK yeah, I did lose our passports the night before our trip to Japan, but I found them before the flight!

Anyway, apparently Joe and I aren’t the only ones who forget to bring things on vacation. In fact, Americans, in general, tend to forget the same things over and over. Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water commissioned Talker Research to learn what Americans forget the most.

The research company surveyed 2,000 general population Americans online between July 1 and July 8, 2024.

What they discovered

About 90% of their respondents said they’d forgotten something while packing for a trip. These are the top 7 things that Americans tend to forget to bring when they’re on vacation (and if I have any suggestions for them, I included that, as well)

Charger

As attached as we are to our phones, tablets, earbuds and laptops, 34% of us forget to pack chargers for them. This means either buying new ones, borrowing from a hotel if possible, or doing without.

My suggestion: If you travel enough, make yourself what I lovingly call a “Bag O’Wires.” I keep chargers for everything (a second set of them; they all stay in the bag), an 8′ long extension cord, spare batteries for my mouse, etc. When packing my bag, I grab my Bag O’Wires and I’m set.

Toiletries

OK, fess up. How many of you have forgotten to bring deodorant with you on vacation? Your razor? Makeup? Apparently 32% of us forget something, which usually requires buying a replacement.

My suggestion: Similar to my Bag O’Wires, I also carry my Wall of Toiletries (a.k.a.: my WOT. It’s a cloth and plastic thing with a handle and about 8 pockets of varying size, that close with zippers). Again, everything in it is dedicated to the WOT, so I don’t have to worry about taking my perfume from the counter and adding it to the WOT.

A couple of years ago, I made a secondary WOT that doesn’t include liquids, so I can use it if I’m only traveling with a carry-on bag.

Sunscreen

27% of Americans tend to forget to bring sunscreen. You probably weren’t planning on buying yet ANOTHER bottle, but there you go. But it’s either that or an increased risk of skin cancer.

My suggestion: I got nuthin’ – sunscreen is on Joe’s packing list, LOL! Although if I was traveling alone more often, I’d probably just add it to my WOT or would have a small bottle that would go in with my Bag o’ Liquids.

Medication

Having your meds with you is pretty important to most people, yet 18* of those surveyed said they’ve forgotten to bring their medication when they’ve traveled.

My suggestion: If you forget over the counter, you can always buy more. But having to get prescription meds can be a pain (here are the basics of how to do it. And if you’re traveling overseas, don’t forget the common meds that are illegal in some countries).

Socks

According to the survey, 17% of Americans don’t bring enough socks with them when they’re on vacation. Who knew???

My suggestion: When I figure out what I’m going to wear each day, I grab a pair of socks to go with each outfit (and I usually take one more pair of socks, usually white, just in case we’re delayed by a day). If that’s not how you pack, I suppose you can just wash a pair of socks in the sink? Or buy some more socks…you can never have too many pairs of socks (said she who’s something of a sock collector LOL).

A water bottle

In an effort to help the environment, many people choose to bring refillable water bottles with them when they travel instead of buying individual bottles of water. Unfortunately, 14% of us forget to bring a water bottle.

Wallet

I suppose if Joe could forget his passport before going on a cruise, people can forget to bring their wallets, too. According to the survey, apparently 8% of us do. Happily, that’s not a huge amount. But really, from having more difficulty getting on planes, to not being able to rent a car, to having no credit cards, to potentially not being able to buy alcohol, forgetting your wallet would kinda suck.

Other fun facts

Talker Research’s survey gleaned some other interesting facts about Americans when they travel; you can read it all on this page of their website.

Your turn

Have you ever forgotten to bring something important while you were traveling? Go ahead…we’re all friends here; post it in the replies.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary