Millions of British people who are forgetting to pack their holiday essentials such as their toothbrush are having to pay £96 million to replace them when they get to their destination. According to a new survey, holidaymakers are having to dip into their holiday funds to buy everything from swimming costumes and underwear to phone chargers.
Almost two thirds of people jetting off on holiday this summer will leave behind an important piece of clothing, accessory or gadget by mistake. On average, it will cost them £13.17 to buy a new one at their destination. The research was gathered by travel firm Ebookers and it found that women are most likely to forget a holiday necessity, despite the fact that they take a day longer to pack than men.
The age group that is worse for forgetting important items is 18-24 year olds. Four in ten of 18-24 year olds forget to pack their toothbrush, in comparison with a quarter of all age groups. Three in ten of them are also likely to forget their suncream in comparison with a fifth of adults.
Overall, a toothbrush was the most forgotten item followed by suncream, medicine, sunglasses and phone chargers. One in ten people leave behind their swimwear or camera, whilst one in 20 forget to pack their bras, pants or shoes.
A spokesperson from Ebookers said that whilst we are aware of how expensive it can be to go on holiday overseas, we rarely factor the cost of replacing forgotten items into our budget. Therefore, the company is advising people to create a checklist before they leave and take the most important items such as phone chargers in their hand luggage.
Which items do you most regularly forget when you go on holiday? For me, it’s a piece of clothing. Not a vital one, but something I would have planned as part of an outfit and then forgotten about.
For more about how forgetful us Brits are, check the full list of forgotten items from Ebookers here.
