If you’ve been reading Road Warriorette for any length of time, you may know that the packing list for each trip holds a very important, special place in my heart (and trip preparations). I have a formula that I use for planning what I need to pack (which you can get if you sign up for my email list!), and I keep a running list going in my phone the two or three days before my trip.

Because I just use Notes (instead of like an actual list-making app) the way I track what I’m packing is by putting “xxx” in front of the item once it’s in my suitcase. If there is anything I need to pack right before I leave (makeup, computer, etc) I put an asterisk next to it. This is not a high tech system but it works for me.

Unless, that is, I don’t look at my packing list before I leave the house. Sigh.

Last week I went to a conference in Las Vegas. I had planned my outfits for over a week, and packed all of my clothes, toiletries, and hair tools without any issues the night before my 8am flight. There were a few things I waited to pack until morning, like my makeup, phone charger, and powerbank. 

This was a bit of a challenging morning because I left *just* late enough to have some overlap with my kids getting ready for school. I tried to help for a few minutes after I finished getting ready, and of course I ended up running late. I had to use my makeup before leaving so it was simple to throw in my suitcase, but I didn’t look at my list before leaving. If I had, I would have realized I also needed my phone charger and powerbank.

Note: In the normal course of things this isn’t an issue as I have a phone charger that lives in my travel purse. I *highly* recommend this for things you need for every single trip like toiletries and chargers. However my last one broke and I hadn’t gotten around to replacing it. 

I was about ten minutes from my house when I remembered. Ugh. So I paid twice the price at the airport for the charger, and just went without my powerbank. 

Many hotels have a collection of spare phone chargers from guests forgetting them. I definitely recommend checking with the front desk if you forget yours. In my case, I was heading to the conference from the airport and wouldn’t be arriving at the hotel until very late.

The silver lining–now I have a designated travel charger again, although I will be stocking up on some extras just in case. I’m super lucky it was something easily replaceable and not, like, my wallet, makeup, or passport (all of which I’ve forgotten in the past). But it’s a good reminder to check the packing list before I leave my house. If I had taken the 30 seconds to look it would have saved me a bunch of trouble. 

Readers, what is the worst thing you’ve forgotten on a business trip?

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