Britons Are Set To Splash £1 Billion On Items They Forget To Pack For Their Summer Holiday

Britons need to ensure they take extra spends on their summer break this year as two thirds (67%) of holidaymakers will forget to pack two essential items, despite spending nearly a day packing. This absent mindness will result in Britons spending a collective spend of £1 billion on replacing their much needed forgotten items.

Holidaymakers will spend an average £35 replacing items they have left at home which includes items such as: the essential toothbrush, the phone charger which they cannot live without, sunglasses, perfume / aftershave, swimwear, sandals, toiletries, books, toys for the children and the essential sun screen.

These findings have been revealed in a survey out today by Travelodge which surveyed 1,500 British adults on their holiday packing habits. This year, 69% of Britons are taking a Staycation and spending on average £874 on a week's holiday. Collectively Britons will boost the UK economy by £40 billion by holidaying on British shores this summer.

However eight out of ten adults find packing for their holiday very stressful and are not packing efficiently which results in extra holiday spending on essential that they already have at home.

Just a fifth (20%) of Britons pack like a pro and use the rolling technique as recommended by experts. Over half of adults (52%) like to stack their clothes and over a quarter (28%) of us are 'flingers' and throw everything into the case and hope for the best. The table below details Britons packing style

Other key findings from the survey revealed that a third of Britons over pack and return home with up to three unworn outfits and three pairs of shoes that were not suitable for their holiday.

Interestingly we have also become tech travellers and we will take on average three devices and gadgets to use during our holidays. A quarter of Britons also reported that they cannot leave home without packing their favourite tea bags.

The report also revealed Britons will spend on average £142 on new purchases for their holiday such as clothing, shoes, accessories, sunglasses or even a gadget.

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokesperson said: "Annually over 18 million people stay with Travelodge and everyday our 567 hotel teams across the UK are helping customers find essentials they have forgotten. The phone / tablet charger, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaver and umbrella are the most popular essential items holidaymakers forget to pack. Essentials are usually forgotten because we are juggling other jobs whilst we are packing, spreading the process over several days or leaving it till the very last minute."

To ensure holidaymakers spend money on the fun things during their holidays and not on forgotten items, Travelodge has created its Top Five Packing Tips as detailed below.

Travelodge's Top Five Packing Tips:

• List It
  Save yourself time and effort and make a list of everything that you need for your trip and use this as a check list to review your case. To ease the process, choose one or two colour clothing schemes so that you can easily mix and match. Also plan your outfits before packing.
• Roll It
  Roll your clothes. This maximises space and minimize wrinkles. Pack heavier items of clothing at the bottom of the case and more delicate items on top.
• Section It
  Pack your clothing and items in sections so that you see what you have too much of and what you might have missed.
• See It
  Invest in see through travel bags and group small items together such as toiletries, chargers and beach items so that they are easy to find and all in one place in your case .
• Charge It
  Invest in one compatible charger for all your devices and take a portable battery pack to ensure you are charged throughout your trip.

Notes to editors:

The survey was conducted with a sample of 1,500 British adults

The £1 billion figure was calculated via the following calculation

This year 69% Britons are taking a summer holiday. Source Travelodge Holiday Index May 2019

69% of UK adult population = 45,935,718

On average 67% of Britons forget two essential items when packing for their holiday. 67% of 45,935,718 = 30,776,931.06

Britons will spend £35 on average replacing essential items they have left behind

30,776,931.06 x £35 = £1.07719259 billion

Travelodge Holiday Index survey was carried out in May 2019 with a group of 1,500 adults. The £40 billion figure is calculated via this formula: 
69% of adults are taking a Staycation break this summer

69% of British adult population (66,573,504) is 45,935,718

Average holiday spend is £874 x = 40,147,817,532

About Travelodge

Founded in 1985, Travelodge is Britain's very first budget hotel chain and today is one of the largest budget hotel chains in the UK, with a portfolio of over 600 hotels and over 47,000 bedrooms across the UK, Ireland and Spain.

In Spain, Travelodge has an established profitable presence and as of April 2024, its portfolio doubled to 12 hotels, having recently acquired a further six properties. Travelodge has ambitious growth plans within this market and has identified the top 20 key locations where it would like to open additional hotels in Spain.

Welcoming over 22 million guests annually across the UK, Ireland and Spain, the majority of Travelodge hotels are located in major cities, towns and holiday hotspots as well as by airports and key business hubs. With 90% of its hotels rated 4* or above on TripAdvisor, Travelodge is proud to offer guests across its diverse customer base a good value experience – whether they are travelling for business or leisure. In 2023, approximately 50% of rooms were sold for less than £60.

Whether out celebrating a birthday, going to a concert or sporting event, visiting friends and family, taking a business trip, working away from home, or taking a short break, we help people to go and do their thing by Being the Brilliant Base.

Travelodge continues to invest in its ongoing hotel refit programme which is expected to see 50% of the Travelodge room estate upgraded to its new design by the end of 2024. The brand is also continually evolving its quality offering to deliver a better experience for its diverse mix of business and leisure guests such as its new look Bar Cafe design, 85 Bar Café, which has been rolled out to selected UK hotels as part of the refit programme.

Travelodge is focussing on its environmental and social impact, with sustainability integral to its business strategy. It's Better Future sustainability plan aims to build a more sustainable future for its customers, colleagues and the planet, and it is underpinned by three core pillars: Inclusive – ensuring we are accessible, inclusive and well-priced to our customers and colleagues; Caring – creating a caring and healthy environment for our colleagues and customers and ensuring their wellbeing; and Conscious – Travelodge is conscious of its impact on the planet, taking into account the waste it produces, the energy and other resources it consumes and the carbon emissions it generates.

For further information visit travelodge.co.uk or the Travelodge Hotels Limited LinkedIn page.

The Travelodge Press Office
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