What is the 1 Most Important Thing you Forgto to Pack?

[take us away]

As I am packing for a long cruise against my lists, do wonder what important thing I may have forgotten.

 

Had a good friend totally surprise his new wife with a 5-day trip to the Bahamas. He picked her up at work and drove directly to the airport then pulled their bags from the trunk and her passport from his pocket. He did pack 3 of her bikinis - but only the bottoms as he forgot the tops and she did go to dinner in flip flops ....

 

Thought it may be fun to share your story about forgetting an important item.

[TiogaCruiser]

Not a cruise, but years ago we took a cabin in Yosemite for skiing for a week.

I forgot chonies. Had one pair plus the one I wore. The only undies they sold in a be valley general store were for men. And they were huge. The cabin was barely warm enough to take 24 hours to dry the "extra" pair.

 

We still laugh about it, but they are the first thing I pack now.

Edited December 13, 2015 by TiogaCruiser

[SilvertoGold]

As I am packing for a long cruise against my lists, do wonder what important thing I may have forgotten.

 

Had a good friend totally surprise his new wife with a 5-day trip to the Bahamas. He picked her up at work and drove directly to the airport then pulled their bags from the trunk and her passport from his pocket. He did pack 3 of her bikinis - but only the bottoms as he forgot the tops and she did go to dinner in flip flops ....

 

Thought it may be fun to share your story about forgetting an important item.

 

Oh boy, that friend of yours!

 

I can't think of anything I have actually forgoten except a journal for writing up my daily impressions. How boring is that??

 

This promises to be a great thread!!

[cabinluvn]

We went to a resort on a very small, mostly undeveloped island. I forgot to pack anything to wear to dinner. We found the other guests were all German and dressed for dinner. No place to buy anything, so I spent two weeks wearing my bathing suit coverup. Embarrassing! On a Mediterranean cruise, I forgot workout bottoms. I think we found men's running shorts at a kiosk in Pisa. Not very fashionable.....

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[cruisemom42]

I've never forgotten anything critical on a cruise. My theory is that most things are replaceable, more or less, so as long as I get the TRULY necessary things (ID or passport, tickets, debit/credit cards, etc.) Something absolutely essential and irreplaceable for me are all the detailed notes I put together for all of my destinations -- not just history and description but how to use public transportation (bus numbers, train routes), local restaurants, etc.

 

I'm not terribly picky about a lot of things, but a few that I would find more difficult to replace include:

 

-- My favorite tinted moisturizer (Laura Mercier), not sure it's sold ex-US, and maybe a couple of other toiletries

-- Good walking shoes; these can be difficult to find when traveling especially with larger feet (in Japan I couldn't find any size to fit, except mens :eek:)

-- My camera; thought I'd broken it a couple of trips ago when I dropped it on the Appian Way, but still managed to eek out the trip with it

-- My Kindle; previous version got broken on a flight to Rome; I had it in the seat pocket and the (very large) man in front of me kept flexing and moving around in the seat so much that the Kindle broke! I had to buy several paperbacks in Rome, in English to occupy me... :cool:

 

As for the rest -- I can probably find a suitable substitute.

[SilvertoGold]

We went to a resort on a very small, mostly undeveloped island. I forgot to pack anything to wear to dinner. We found the other guests were all German and dressed for dinner. No place to buy anything, so I spent two weeks wearing my bathing suit coverup. Embarrassing! On a Mediterranean cruise, I forgot workout bottoms. I think we found men's running shorts at a kiosk in Pisa. Not very fashionable.....

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

The lack of dinner clothes story has to be my worst nightmare!!

 

I have typed up list of what to take and it hasn't let me down, yet!!

On an Antarctic cruise my boots gave up and blew out (how on earth did that happen?) but S. America was full of shoe shops so I parted with a very small amount of $ for a good pair of replacements! Whew!!

[summer slope]

I forgot my camera charger, but luckily the steward found someone who loaned one to me during the cruise.

[Foggy Bay]

Not on a cruise, and I've forgotten various things over the years, but the one that still takes the cake is when my husband and I took a weekend break in Anchorage, from our jobs in Fairbanks. We got halfway to Anchorage (a long way), and he looked at me and said, "Did you put the suitcase in the trunk?" I said, "No...I thought you did." Well, neither of us had--waayyyy too far to drive back and get our luggage, so we spent the weekend in the same clothes we had on, with WalGreens toothbrushes/toothpaste and hairbrushes. Our motto: These People Will Never See Us Again Anyway.

 

We still talk about that trip!

[take us away]

Looks like I forgot spell check - oops!

[mame42]

As a newbie, on one of my first cruises I did not pack a spare pair of shoes and a set of neutral undies in my carryon. I have a small shoe size, so when my luggage went astray, I spent three weeks in the late summer Med in one pair of shoes because I could never find anything that fit. They were so stinky by the end that I threw them away.

 

Worse, I had traveled in black undies, which in late summer severely limited my clothing options, both aboard and ashore. Black undies showing through pastel/white cotton/linen may be an edgy, trendy look on a thirty year old, but trust me, it does nothing for a lady of a certain age.

[chefestelle]

This is a great thread! Brings back memories. I've only been on one cruise but I have three occasions where my philosophy of if-you-need-it-badly-enough-you-can-buy-it didn't really cut it. The first one was a road trip to spend Christmas with my sister's family. I was travelling with my mother and other sister. We were also bringing the turkey, trifle etc. We remembered everything except my suitcase. And we arrived late on Christmas Eve! The second was when I took mom and my infant daughter to San Francisco where I was attending a conference. As we were going through security, I realized I left DDs passport on the dining table! No time to go home for them, US immigration let me through but I had to dance on hot coals to get back into Canada! That was October 2001. I have a feeling I wouldn't have been on that outgoing flight today... And the last one was an overnight business trip to Vancouver. I arrived late and realized I forgot toothpaste. The shops were closed and I had to wander the mean streets of Vancouver early the next morning looking for a shop where I could get some! I'm a list maker and I don't usually forget things but there's a first time for everything. And second. And third!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Our most recent cruise on Norwegian a few weeks ago in November my husband forgot his Electric Razor. He has one of the fancy new Norelco shavers that it has a stand that cleans the blades and charges it. He had it in there thinking he would charge it up good for the week and totally forgot to pack it. So it became No Shave November for a week. Then for the first time I forgot something as well and that was my lanyard but no big deal just bought a new one ;)

Other than that we have been very lucky in all our travels :)

[CowPrincess]

My DH forgot to pack shorts -- you know, summer clothing -- for our trip to the Caribbean. He then thought he could buy some in Tampa, but in Tampa it was winter. So they didn't have much selection of summer clothing. When we finally found a pair, in his size, he thought they were overpriced :rolleyes: :eek: I left him standing in the store, and he finally made the right choice about buying them :D

[tim22361]

Binoculars

[RuthC]

I was all set to head off on my second cruise ever when I had a strong sense I had forgotten something. Dress shoes for evening! :eek: Fortunately, that error was caught before I left the house and a major crisis was averted. Haven't forgotten anything since.

 

Now I keep a list of absolutely everything I could possibly want on any cruise---any length, any where. I just print out a copy, then mark what I want on the cruise this time. As I pack I note the list. Double and triple check it before I close the suitcase and bring it to the door.

[dakrewser]

Just last week I forgot the power cable for my laptop. In my defense, I did pack a power cable - just the wrong one!

 

It was a blessing in disguise as I had to actually forego doing work, answering emails, etc. And I did have the iPad (with cord) for social networking...

[SilvertoGold]

I was all set to head off on my second cruise ever when I had a strong sense I had forgotten something. Dress shoes for evening! :eek: Fortunately, that error was caught before I left the house and a major crisis was averted. Haven't forgotten anything since.

 

Now I keep a list of absolutely everything I could possibly want on any cruise---any length, any where. I just print out a copy, then mark what I want on the cruise this time. As I pack I note the list. Double and triple check it before I close the suitcase and bring it to the door.

 

Same here except: what I will pack gets crossed off in red ink ONLY when it is in the suitcase(s). Crossing off what IS packed has been a savior for me!

[RocketMan275]

On our cruise this last November, we were staying in a hotel in Lake City on the way to Fort Lauderdale. Wife had packed my medications in individual baggies for each day with the date written on the baggie. I looked through the suitcase three or four times but couldn't find them. We left the hotel. Wife drove. I got on the smart phone and located a CVS on 17th Street close to the hotel. Called the doctor. He called in replacement prescriptions for blood pressure and acid reflux. Picked up the prescriptions. (Great pharmacy BTW, just a block or two from the Embassy Suites).

 

The next morning I found the baggies in the suitcase.

 

I used to travel maybe two or three times a week, usually to the same locations. One time I got to the motel and found I didn't have a credit card. The clerk asked when I would be back and I told him in about three weeks. The clerk said don't worry, you're here so often, we'll just bill you when you come back again.

[WeLoveCruising]

I'm a pretty well prepared for packing, but my forgetting it story is what I forgot NOT to pack.....the last night of the cruise I packed before going to bed, including all my shoes. I had to leave the ship in the little slippers.

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we started to take vacations -- land trips -- in the 70's -- no computers. So I hand wrote out everything we needed for each suitcase and carry-ons.

Then when I got my first computer, I typed up lists for 14 and 21 day cruises.

Of course over the years medications and clothes we have bought new have changed and I do have to up-date those lists.

Have never forgotten anything we really needed.

[WeLoveCruising]

When we started to take vacations -- land trips -- in the 70's -- no computers. So I hand wrote out everything we needed for each suitcase and carry-ons.

Then when I got my first computer, I typed up lists for 14 and 21 day cruises.

Of course over the years medications and clothes we have bought new have changed and I do have to up-date those lists.

Have never forgotten anything we really needed.

 

I do the same thing, I have a packing list typed up on my computer. I have a "cruise" list, a list for Disney, and other custom ones. It really helps.

 

The other thing I do that helps quite a bit is I have a closet in one of my guest rooms stocked with vacation things. I keep some of my cruise specific clothes in there - although the formalwear is becoming less important to take. I keep extra chargers, electric adapters, foreign language guides, etc. I also buy extras of toiletries, sunscreen, things I see on sale throughout the year and stock them in there. It makes it so much easier to pack.

[Foggy Bay]

Worse, I had traveled in black undies, which in late summer severely limited my clothing options, both aboard and ashore. Black undies showing through pastel/white cotton/linen may be an edgy, trendy look on a thirty year old, but trust me, it does nothing for a lady of a certain age.

 

Hahaha! Oh my gosh, this one made me laugh in sympathy. Black undies should come with a little alarm that says, "Beep! Do you really want to be wearing black undies?" I won't elaborate on my black undie story.

[crystalspin]

These were all land trips, but still, forgetting is forgetting.

 

* AA Battery charger when that was what my phone used (remembered in time to stop at a Target that was visible from the freeway to LAX; had to carry what felt like 10 lbs of AA-cells!).

 

* Computer charging/AC cord.

 

* My husband's pajamas (he ALWAYS asks now!).

 

Up until two cruises ago, I did not take a comprehensive OTC-med/first-aid kit, so you could say I "forgot" cough medicine and cold tablets. VERY expensive on the ship, and annoying to have to spend port time finding a pharmacy.

 

NOTE to those who travel with carry-on only: Mucinex makes cough suppressant in pill form! Hallelujah!

[sppunk]

Only thing I can think of for cruises is we forgot contraceptives - that was a bummer of a learning experience!

 

For land-based: had a wedding across the country to be in as a groomsman. Packed the pants, shoes, tux shirt, tie. Forgot the jacket. That sucked too!

[arzz]

On our recent 45 day "Tales of the South Pacific" cruise DH only packed one pair of shorts! I decided that was what our two days in Honolulu was for - to go to the mall and buy shorts! (As well as school supplies for Fanning and Dravuni Islands) Turns out the two pair that he picked up at the Gap are now his favorite shorts.

 

I once travelled for a month without a nightgown. I will not comment further on this topic.

 

And years ago DH forgot his jacket and tie when we were staying at a fancy resort for the weekend. Really put a crimp in where we could eat dinner!