How failing to properly prepare for your next vacation could cost you nearly $400: research

A survey of 2,000 Americans who travel for work or leisure suggests that forgetting essentials can make a trip more expensive: respondents say they have spent an average of $363 replacing items at their destination. The findings also describe how people prepare for flights and the plane habits they criticise, while admitting to some of the same behaviours themselves.

Travellers start packing an average of three days before departure and forget about three items, most often toothbrushes, chargers and toiletries. Gen Z respondents report spending $427 on forgotten items, compared with $154 among baby boomers. Although airlines and airports typically recommend arriving two hours before a domestic flight, only 10% follow that guidance; the average arrival is an hour before departure, and 75 minutes before an international flight.