Lost and living it up on Holiday

Summer is upon us and for many it’s the best time of the year – temperatures soar, the evenings are lighter, and across the nation spirits are high. Many people go on holiday during the summer months too, and there is nothing more exciting than counting down the days until you get to jet off for a relaxing and fun-filled trip away.

Everyone looks forward to going on holiday and it’s easy to start packing everything but the kitchen sink, but our new survey has found that many people actually come home with a lighter suitcase than the one they left with. 80% of people actually lose, forget or have something stolen when they go on holiday, and only 40% of people get their items back.

From the survey, we found that Spain was the destination in which holidaymakers most commonly lost their belongings, followed closely by those who enjoyed a ‘staycation’ in Britain. Sunglasses were the item most likely to be lost, stolen or forgotten, but cameras, clothing, and purses were also common items that disappeared while on holiday.

Going on holidays is a luxury for most people, and it’s not unusual to save up for months in order to afford the holiday of your dreams, so we were surprised to find out that nearly a fifth of people had lost something on holiday that was worth £100 or more. On average, people in the UK lose £55 worth of personal belongings per holiday, and as the average number of holidays taken per person each year is 3.2, each person loses an average of £176 worth of items each year. That’s a whopping £1,760 in a ten-year period, easily enough to cover another holiday or two.

Speaking of finances, we all know how important it is to get travel insurance when going away – you never know when you might fall ill, find your flight has been cancelled, or lose your luggage at the airport, so it’s always good to have a strong insurance policy to fall back on. Interestingly though, of those people who said they had lost, forgotten or had an item stolen while they were away, over half of them didn’t claim, even though they did have travel insurance.

When it comes to men and women, both seemed to lose a similar number of things on holiday, but what they lost was quite different. While women were most likely to lose their sunglasses and men were most likely to lose their camera, one of the more ‘revealing’ stats that came out of our data was that men were nearly twice as likely to lose their underwear on holiday than women – that means around 12 guys on the plane home with you may be going commando!

So how do regions in the UK differ when it comes to losing things on holiday? Residents of Scotland were more likely than anywhere else to lose jewellery on holiday, but not one Scot reported having lost their debit or credit card. Those living in the South West were more likely to lose their clothing than any other belongings when they were away, but were the least likely place to lose their sunglasses –  quite the interesting outfit to come home in.

Losing things is never fun, so here are some tips to keep you and your belongings safe next time you go on holiday:

1. Keep your small valuables close to you – the best way to do this is to use a money belt. They can be worn underneath clothing and will keep your money, cards, jewellery and other small valuables as close to you as possible at all times.
2. Use the safe in your hotel – the majority of hotel rooms will have some form of locker or safe, and these are perfect for protecting larger items such as passports, mobile phones, cameras, and wallets. They are easy to use, just make sure you lock the safe using a code you can remember.
3. Use safety straps to avoid dropping things – often items such as phones, cameras, and sunglasses get lost when they are dropped without the owner realising. Using a strap around your wrist for your camera and a lanyard or neck cord for your sunglasses should ensure your belongings never go far, even if you do drop them.
4. Label some of your belongings – if you lose something, how is anyone going to get it back to you if they don’t know who or where you are? Label your luggage and larger electrical devices like cameras and laptops, and make sure you are traceable should someone find your mobile or bank cards.
5. Do a thorough final check before you leave – especially if you are on a multi centre holiday and staying in a few different hotels. It’s so easy to leave something plugged into the wall or tucked inside a drawer, so before you leave your accommodation to come home, make sure you do a final sweep of your room and check you haven’t left anything behind.

With so many people losing things on holiday, and only half of them getting them back, it’s important to make sure that next time you go away you keep your valuables safe and don’t leave your personal belongings lost and living it up on holiday without you!

Now that you are ready and prepared for travel, book one of our multi centre journeys or a holiday tailor-made for you.