15 Things People Just Can’t Believe They Forget To Pack for a Trip

There’s nothing worse than arriving at your vacation destination, full of excitement and ready for your upcoming trip, only to realize you’ve forgotten to pack something essential. While you can usually run to the store and buy whatever items you left at home, sometimes it’s more work and money than you’d like to put into your vacation. However, some items would be nearly impossible to replace at your local Walmart, and forgetting them at home would result in a nightmare scenario.

1. Clothes

Imagine getting ready for a work trip and forgetting to pack all of your work clothes. There are a number of people who have gotten ready for vacation or a trip and swore up and down that they had everything packed, only to realize they had forgotten their entire wardrobe back home.

2. The Kids’ Suitcases

Traveling with a family might cause a few headaches for everyone, but forgetting the kids’ luggage might cause some terrible migraines. It can be hard to remember everything, especially when little ones are independent and swear they have everything. Sometimes, it’s easier to take your child’s word that their suitcase is in the car when in reality, it’s sitting on their bed, completely forgotten about.

3. Suit for an Interview

While traveling out of town for a job interview, there are a few things you might not want to forget. Copies of your resume are easy to print out at the hotel’s lobby, but getting a new suit for your interview might pose some challenges. Hopefully, there will be a department store nearby where you can find a suitable outfit.

4. Passport

Traveling overseas is an exciting time for many, but if there’s one item you can’t forget to pack, it’s your passport. Buying everything else will be easier than finding a way into a foreign country without your passport. Triple-check you have it before leaving your house, and then triple-check again once you reach your gate at the airport.

5. Laptop

Forgetting your laptop, especially when you need it to work, can really throw off an entire trip. Not only do you have to remember to bring your laptop, but remember chargers and any other accessories can pose a challenge as well.

6. Tent Poles

There is nothing worse than packing up your entire car full of camping gear and just hoping you brought everything. While there are workarounds for a lot of camping items, tent poles is a bit harder to figure out on the fly. Before packing up your tent, check to make sure you have everything you need to set your tent up correctly.

7. Winter Jacket

Winter jackets can be pretty expensive, even if you opt for a cheap one you find at a nearby store. When heading to colder climates, especially in the winter, make sure you’re packing your warmest jacket to avoid freezing on your vacation or dishing out more money just to stay warm.

8. Swimsuit

Usually, when traveling to a tropical destination or an area that has a lot of hotels nearby, there will be a store within a few miles that has swimming suits. Taking time out of your vacation to go and buy another swimming suit can be a pain for a lot of travelers, especially when it’s so easy to always pack one.

9. Medication

Prescription Pills and Medicine Medication Drugs spilling out of a bottle — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Packing medication should be at the top of everyone’s priority list when planning a trip. Sometimes, local pharmacies will be able to fill a script if you have refills left, while other times, forgetting medications might have you calling your doctor’s office when you should be relaxing.

10. Baby Care Items

Traveling with a baby can be really stressful for some parents, especially when there’s so much you need to grab before heading out the door on a daily basis, let alone a full vacation. It’s usually really easy to swing over to a store to pick up whatever you might have forgotten for your little one, but making a packing list for just the baby might be the key to saving money and time before you jet off with your infant.

11. Contact Lenses

Seeing is believing, and forgetting contact lenses or glasses on your trip might put a big damper on it. Sometimes, travelers pack contact lenses for one eye but not the other. That’s why it’s important to always check to make sure you have your contacts, any cases you might need, eye drops, contact solution, and your glasses, even if you don’t wear them often. It’s important to have a backup plan, just in case you forget your contacts.

12. Cellphone

It’s rare for people to forget their cell phones nowadays, but there are still moments when they happen. Now, our phones have our plane tickets, cameras, and important travel information on them, so forgetting this critical item might derail an entire trip for you.

13. Makeup

Nothing is more frustrating than getting to your destination only to discover you forgot your entire makeup bag back at home. It can be costly to run to a local store and buy all of the same items you have but just forgot to bring with you on vacation.

14. Warm Pants

If you happen to live in a warmer climate, you might forget to bring warm pants when traveling to the cooler states. Even in the United States, the temperatures fluctuate so much that while it might be in the 80s during the day, the night temps drop, and you’ll be shivering in your shorts.

15. Wedding Outfits

There is nothing worse than traveling for a wedding, only to realize you don’t have your wedding outfit with you. It’s even worse if you’re the bride or groom or even someone standing up at the wedding party. Since these items are usually tailored, it’s nearly impossible to find one that will match everyone else and fit on such short notice.