They don’t pack a lot of common sense.
A new survey revealed the shocking number of Americans who forget essential travel items – including their phones – before a trip, along with the surprising number of those who don’t go back to get their all-important items.
OnePoll, which surveyed 2,000 Americans on behalf of DoorDash, found that 39% of people forget more than five items each month and the average person has to return home to retrieve four forgotten items in the same period, Talker reported.
Most notably, 31% of adults accidentally leave their cell phones at home, 28% forget water bottles or drinks, while 25% start rolling without items like deodorant, body lotion and makeup.
A burned 21% also forget to pack sunscreen and 26% admitted they would go ahead without oiling if they did.
Most of the time people will move on without essentials as only 19% will go back to retrieve their left behind items – when they are just a street away. Only 15% will leave once they’re several blocks away, and 14% said they’ll never return.
Of these forgetful Freddies, only about one in five could travel without their phone, according to the survey.
Just 20% of respondents said they could do without their phone, 30% would leave behind forgotten beauty products and 26% would go on without their sunscreen.
A fifth of respondents said they didn’t even realize what they had forgotten until they opened their suitcases while on vacation.
Learning about what’s left behind can spoil a vacation, the numbers show. About 56% of people said they experience stress when trying to replace their forgotten items on a trip, and 62% said their relaxation is ruined when they replace or retrieve something they forgot have to.
One respondent said they were “discomforted by the lack of sunglasses” and two others “had to eat a snack, which bothered them [their] Stomach.”
At 76% and 75%, respectively, people in the Midwest and Northeast suffer the most from this fear.
When it comes to forgetful packing, many experience summer sadness as 41% say this is the hardest time of year to make sure they have everything they need loaded before leaving the house.
An estimated 59% say it’s because they need several different items during the summer, 51% say they’re too focused on other things, and 45% say they don’t have as many during tank top and shorts season have pockets.
Although many respondents admit they stuff about four different items in their bags in the summer, only 15% put the limit at one or two.
It also found that 28% of men are more likely to “refrain from getting up to get something to stay relaxed” compared to 17% of women.
When it comes to relaxing in summer, many seem to have simple pleasures: 41% drink water, 40% try new foods, 36% drink juice and another 36% eat fruit, while 35% have ice cream, popsicles and chips in addition to 32 % who prefer popcorn.
Others like to spend money when the weather is warm, 34% like to buy new beach towels and 33% like to get new toys for their children.
The survey also looked at the most important beach items. Beach towels and cold drinks topped the list at 38% each, and sunscreen was just below at 36%.
These have been found to be the largest beach paraphernalia.
Top beach essentials
- Beach Towel — 38%
- Cold drinks – 38%
- Sunscreen – 36%
- A comfortable chair – 34%
- An umbrella – 32%
- A coneflower – 32%
- A cooler – 31%
- Snacks — 30%
- Small fan – 26%
- Beach toys – 26%