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Original poster

What’s the worst thing you’ve forgotten to take on holiday?

356 replies

Ricekrispie22 · 29/07/2021 19:51

There’s always something I forget! Our car is all packed for the off tomorrow but it feels like I’ve forgotten something.

OP posts:
Imnothereforthedrama · 30/07/2021 08:17

I always forget something one holiday I forgot my straighteners, spent the whole week clipping my hair up as was a frizzy mess no matter how much blow drying . This year I will remember everything…

Scarby9 · 30/07/2021 08:29

@CassandraCross
I know this thread has moved on somewhat, but you are right about my thoughts when I unpacked the pillowcase rather than sheet sleeping bag.
Luckily I had my own room, but just a rollout yoga mat thing to sleep on, and the friend I was staying with brought me a cup of coffee in each morning.
I was 21 and liked him a lot (though we were just friends and nothing more ever came of the friendship) and just couldn't bring myself to explain, so I made sure I was up and dressed with my 'bed' tidied away by 8am each day.
I slept on the bare yoga mat - far too hot to use a towel or anything. It felt very exposed.
Great summer, though!

daisybrown37 · 30/07/2021 08:35

@bloodywhitecat

Not me personally but we recently got married and my (now) husband's daughter's boyfriend forgot to pack his suit trousers when they came up to stay.
My husband forgot to bring his suit to our wedding! Fortunately he realised once we got to the hotel venue to night before and it was not too far to go and fetch it.

He also forgot the suitcase when taking the kids away. I dropped them off at the airport and he was sorting them out while i said goodbye - got a phone call as I headed away to say that he didn’t get the suitcase out the car. Had to drive up to a roundabout and head back!

He has also forgot his pants and had to buy new ones when we got there.

Fortunately I don’t tend to forget anything!

Roselilly36 · 30/07/2021 08:53

I always forget something. And always something that I need, in the past I forgot to pack contact lens solution. But the worst thing was forgetting to pack my polarised prescription sunglasses, I refused to buy another pair of sunglasses as I had two high quality prescription pairs, safe at home! So sat around the pool in a pair of the kids England sunglasses. Rocking the look, not 🤣 didn’t care as no one knew me!

beautifullymad · 30/07/2021 09:43

Husbands clothes.....that didn't end well 20 years ago.

niki26 · 30/07/2021 09:54

Not quite the same but on a holiday to Dubai three years ago I calculated how many nappies we would need (to the best of my ability!) and made sure we had enough as our friends out there advised it could be a nightmare to buy them out there.

Nearing the end of the holiday I realised we were going to be short - I couldn't understand it but luckily we managed to get some pampers in a local supermarket.

Got home from holiday and was sorting out the washing. Husband opens the 'secret compartment' of his suitcase and about 20 nappies fall out! He then remembered that he'd squeezed them into every zipped section that he could!

Saisong · 30/07/2021 10:51

Like a previous poster one small DC got in the car without shoes on. It was an early morning drive to ferry so they were still in PJs and onsies - I guess shoes didn't feel right! Fortunately I had packed crocs for the beach, but of course they were deep in the boot. We practically had to unpack/repack the car in the queue for the ferry.

Another family holiday I left behind the bag of swimming gear. I had a backup bikini in my case, but it required a swift supermarket stop to find shorts, rash vests and pool shoes for the kids. French hypermarkets are usually well stocked fortunately.

A black bra when going to a wedding miles away. Only had my rather grey and tatty white bra that I'd worn for comfort in the car. My dress had a sheer black top, old grey faithful wasn't going to cut it. Fortunately we had arrived very early for a late afternoon wedding, so spent a pleasant couple of hours in the local town. Found a chichi lingerie shop and scored some rather sexy underwear - DP was happy to pay for Grin. He was also atoning for the fact he'd chucked his water bottle in the boot of the car into the first bag he saw - which was mine. It leaked all over my outfit - while we were shopping my stuff was hanging in the hotel bathroom with the extractor fan running. Fortunately (as mentioned before) it was mostly a sheer fabric and dried quickly.

BikeRunSki · 30/07/2021 11:05

@beautifullymad

Husbands clothes.....that didn't end well 20 years ago.
Mine managed to leave his clothes in a hotel in Canada. It was a skiing holiday. He’d packed his ski stuff at the end of the week, put on his jeans, and forgot the largely unworn casual clothes he’d bought. Fortunately we were spending a few days in Vancouver on the way home and the first hotel sent them on.
DoubleHelix79 · 30/07/2021 11:34

I seem to have a habit of leaving passports behind at holiday destinations, but thankfully luck has been on my side so far.

Once I left my passport behind in an airport toilet while changing over in New York. Realised about 10 minutes later and raced back. Incredibly, they were still exactly where I left them.

More recently I left the whole family's passports in a taxi before a flight home from Italy. DD was alread overtired and angry by that point, and the thought of having to find emergency accommodation and deal with embasy etc almost brought me to tears. were lucky to have arrived about 2 hours early, which gave us time to try and get them back. The information desk lady said that there were only 3 or 4 companies that tended to do airport drop-offs, so she would try and call them. The first company she called was the right one, the driver was located within 10 minutes, and 30 minutes later he had very kindly dropped them off for us (alongside the handbag they were in, and a fair bit of cash and some jewellery).

alloalloallo · 30/07/2021 11:46

All my stuff - DH insists on packing the car before everyone is sure they’re finished, rather than just waiting until everyone has brought their bags down and we can make sure everything is there.

Me running around making sure we have packed passports, phone chargers, hairbrushes, dog food for her week at Mum’s, etc, and my bag got left on the landing.

He left his own bag behind a few months later when we went away for a weekend

user1471538283 · 30/07/2021 11:48

I always worry I'll forget something but as long as you have your passport, money or card and are not going anywhere remote it's ok.

We managed in New York initially with nothing as our luggage went missing!

midsomermurderess · 30/07/2021 11:52

A swim suit. It was out of season where I went, although the sea was still swimable, and the people tend to be pretty small. I struggled.

usernotfound0000 · 30/07/2021 11:54

We went on a city break abroad a few years ago when DD1 was about 4. DH did final sweep before we left and didn't pick up her back pack which was basically our plane survival kit with snacks/toys/tablet/headphones in etc. We were too far away before we noticed to be able to go back it.

usernotfound0000 · 30/07/2021 11:56

A also went on a school trip to America when I was 15. We flew out of Heathrow and I left my passport in the toilets. It was a horrendous 20 minutes before I noticed, retraced my steps, luckily went back to the toilets and it was sat on the toilet roll holder. I was in trouble!

AvaCallanach · 30/07/2021 12:01

When I was 11 we went camping for a week and my suitcase got left behind. I had the outfit I was wearing and a bikini that had been packed in Mum's bag. This was in Africa so no supermarket to pop to. That was fun.

marmaladehound · 30/07/2021 12:03

My purse!!!

ItsSunnyOutside · 30/07/2021 12:04

Not a holiday story.. but I bought a lovely floral dress to wear for my friends wedding, I was excited to wear it as never really wear dresses.
Got to the hotel to hang it up....only,I hadn't packed it, had I?! It was hanging from the back of the bathroom door back home.
I was gutted and didn't have time to go out and get something else .Fortunately, I had a few extra bits (as we were staying for 2 nights)
My outfit was pretty boring for a wedding but it worked , black high-waisted culotte trousers with a cream cami top, I was thankful I had my glitzy gold heels and big chandelier earrings!

clary · 30/07/2021 12:07

This thread has reminded me of the time I got on a train to go to a wedding and realised I had left my outfit at home.

I have no idea what I did (got off train and drove? went in what I was wearing?) or even whose wedding it was, it is soooo long ago, but the feeling of dread has come rushing back.

tbh it's not so bad on holiday, you can usually buy stuff or improvise and no one sees you (unlike a wedding). I dread forgetting contacts or tweezers tho.

iamprobablynotyourcupoftea · 30/07/2021 12:08

Medication
Had to register with a doctor surgery on holiday, because I forgot to pack epilim. One I can't live without!!!!!! Which was typical Blush

Summertime21 · 30/07/2021 12:24

City break dh forgot his coat when it was forecast rain all week

MarmaladeToastAndAMarmaladeCat · 30/07/2021 12:41

Thermometer and calpol. Our first night away with 5 month old ds1 he came down with something and was boiling hot but had no idea what his temperature was. I was on the phone to 111 saying my baby has a temperature but don’t know what it is. No shops nearby and ended up being sent to a&e.

manuelandviolin · 30/07/2021 13:15

Passport...

manuelandviolin · 30/07/2021 13:31

UK let me go but the destination refused my entry. DH whispered 'cry and beg!' So I did and it worked... I stayed there without a passport and safely returned as scheduled. I also once forgot a visa but again managed to sort it out in the neighbouring country before entering the one where a visa was required... These happened as I often forgot my nationality was different from the rest of the family (hence different treatments applied)!

Serenissima21 · 30/07/2021 14:39

These happened as I often forgot my nationality was different from the rest of the family
Easily done! We went as a family to Croatia from Italy and I totally forgot that I was meant to take my passport whereas everyone else could travel on ID cards!

Branleuse · 30/07/2021 14:40

my glasses, as i usually wear contacts, but i completely forgot my glasses for the evenings and mornings and it was a total pain