I travel a lot and I constantly forget various small items in the places I go. For instance, I recently left my travel adapter in a Starbucks and a few months ago I forgot many toiletries in an Airbnb.
What are some heuristics to avoid this? I do compartmentalize the items in my bag, which seems to work fine for the most important things (e.g. I never lost my passport) but nevertheless it's not enough.
There are a variety of strategies you can use but they all involve a cost of time. I use different strategies in different places.
First and foremost is what we calling "walking the campsite" (because it came from camping trips where leaving something behind could be catastrophic). You literally walk from room to room in the hotel (or wherever you are) looking for your things. I just look for things that I recognize, but if that's hard for you, you could use a written list of things to find and pack away.
Second strategy is not to see if x is still where you left it (by going and looking in the bathroom for example) but to see if it is where it's supposed to be when you leave. Having specific pockets and places for specific things. Chargers are the sort of thing that are often last to pack and need to be gotten quickly, so they can have a special pocket in your bag. Check that pocket before you leave to be sure you have your charger. For your toiletries, again they're typically in a specific water resistant bag, so make sure everything that's supposed to be in there is in there.
Third strategy is to evaluate the places you put things as you put them there. Wow, this plug under the table cries out to have my charger forgotten in it. Then either put a sticky on the inside of the door that says "charger under table" or don't leave the charger there without a phone on it. When the phone is charged, put the charger away until tomorrow. Yes, it takes longer than just leaving the charger there all the time, which I can do on a desk or somewhere obvious. Same with toiletries -- should I make a point of keeping them out here where I can see them, even though that means carrying them into the bathroom when I need them? Or put a note somewhere reminding me they're in a weird place this time?
Fourth strategy is to have spares. I always have at least one spare USB cable, with which I can charge things even if I forgot my charger. I typically have spare nail clippers and other small things - the smaller they are the easier it is to bring spares and the more likely it is you'll leave it somewhere weird and not see it. Travel adapters you should definitely have a lot of because so much grinds to a halt if you can't use the local electricity. For paperwork and documentation, your spares might be photocopies, or digital versions on a laptop or phone, or digital versions in cloud storage that you can retrieve even if you lose or forget the originals.
And the final piece of the puzzle is not to sweat it too much. I once left two good blouses (that I could wear on stage or to meetings) in a hotel closet because I forgot I had brought extras and still had clean clothes in the closet on the last day. I remember the incident, which reminds me to check the closet when packing, but I don't beat myself up over it. The cost of replacing forgotten things is part of the cost of traveling.
I make a conscious, visual check of my surroundings every time I leave the place (restaurant, lodging, bus, etc) I've been in. "Conscious" is important: running one's eyes over the walls and floors and so on so that you're really seeing what's there.
Works very well, and has become a useful habit.
Those things (which I also often forget) have something in common: they are out of sight and out of mind, and easy to overlook especially when in a hurry:
As a backup, it helps to have a fixed space in your bags or pockets for such easy-to-miss items, so that even if on your 3rd sweep of the room, you didn't properly look under the damp towel in the bathroom or behind the cabinet where the only usable plug was, you'll notice the item is missing because the space for it in your bag or pockets is conspicuously empty.
Side pockets of bags are great for this because you can just pat them to check they feel right. (Just don't put valuables there if you're going somewhere with a pickpocketing problem)
If your luggage doesn't have compartments like this, e.g. a trundle suitcase that is just one big compartment, you could consider things like packing cubes which won't fit together as expected if one is missing or under-filled - especially sets that are different sizes and colours:
Remember that you can forget things, so e.g. for the charger, when it is not attached to the computer, put it in your bag. If you need it again, you will take it out again. Put things in evident places. I put often my umbrella under my chair at restaurants, so that I would probably see it also if it stop raining. If you forget your bag, it is probably that the restaurant keep it (BTW it is required by law, in Europe).
Then I go out (office, home, restaurants), I check 1-2-3: keys, phone, purse/moneys. Now it is nearly automatic, I may make few meters before to check and go back.
For accommodation: I try also to put things together: charger other the open luggage if I'm not actively using it. Toiletries: all in my toilette purse, so it is much more visible. I tend not to put things on closets (but on long stays). Usually before I exit last time, with all luggage closed and near the door I do a last check in all rooms, and under the bed and I move the bed sheets (my weak point of loosing things).
tl;dr Be tidy and leave cupboards and draws open to indicate you’ve checked they’re clear.
I have a sequence I follow when leaving a location I’m not returning to, particularly hotel rooms but most applies to any location.
Tidy my surroundings, it’s harder to find things in a messy environment. This includes clearing rubbish or at least consolidating it into a pile. In a hotel room it includes straightening the bed sheets and opening curtains.
Move all the things I want to take with me to a single location, perhaps by the door, one end of the table or even just into my pockets if I only have a few things.
In a place like a hotel room, once you think you have everything, go open every cupboard and drawer, check it’s empty, then leave it open. This gives a good visual of where you have/haven’t checked.
Go check all plug sockets.
Go round and close all the doors and drawers, double checking they’re empty as you go. A bonus is if you can get someone else to do this step for you, since a second set of eyes is always useful for finding things.
I’ve never left anything in a hotel room using this method.
Write a list of everything you want to take with you on a trip, use it to pack your bags, then at the end go through that same list and check you still have those things before you leave
Some tips that might help:
What I use is a Trello board with three lists on it:
To keep things clear between trips, I keep my base list of stuff I normally pack as a "template" board, and make a copy of that template for every new trip I take.
This process has helped keep my return trips relatively stress-free for the last five years: hopefully, it'll work well for you.
If you can reduce, the number of things you carry with you, outside of where you are staying, so you can check for them every time you stand up. As a habit I now check for my wallet, keys and phone every time I stand up, and they all have their own pocket. In essence Awkward Zombie was on to something
Doing a search of each place you leave prevents most lost items.
The other thing is to get everything back into place after each use. That means a lot of taking stuff in and out of bags but it does help.
The other tip that is harder to get used to is to remember the feel of the back weight and bulk. I travel enough that I can notice small changes in weight, not as small as a travel adapter, but even forgetting a charger or guidebook is something I immediately question as to why my bags are lighter than before. This however takes the discipline of putting things exactly in the same bags each and every time.
I'm not sure how applicable it is to travel, but I have a technique for not leaving my things at work. I count them, and should always get the same number. If I didn't bring that thing with me that day, I count it off all the same.
I take my keys, wallet, phone, headphones, drink bottle and sunglasses. Before I go home I pat each object in my pockets, or think "that's in my jacket downstairs" or "I didn't bring that today", counting them off. If it doesn't add up to 6, that means I've forgotten something.
For me, it's all about interlocking - making sure I can't get past one thing without hitting something else.
If I'm staying in a hotel, my jacket doesn't need to hang up in the wardrobe. Best place for it is over the door handle, or hanging off the door closer.
My keys, cards, etc., can all be in the jacket. The door will be deadbolted and quite possibly wedged, so nobody's going to put a hand around it and help themselves.
Can't get out the door without remembering the jacket. Can't remember the jacket without remembering the cards. Even if it's suddenly too nice to take the jacket for a day out, I'll feel the weight of the stuff in the pockets and remember to transfer it to something I'm wearing.
My backpack doesn't need to be on the nifty suitcase stand they provided. It can be on the desk where the outlets are, which means I can loop the cables for my laptop and phone charger through the straps before plugging them in. Laptop and phone are plugged in, so they're not getting forgotten either. Can't even put the backpack on without being reminded.
The only thing I forget these days is toiletries, and they're easily replaceable at the airport. The sizes that you can get through security, you're probably not going to get more than a couple of trips out of them anyway. Honestly, who cares about those?
It means just a little thought when you're unpacking, but it soon becomes second nature.
Another solution that I take is; when you unpack, for a those brief minutes, be more mindful, focused and 'present' about what you are doing and where you are putting things, eg don't be thinking of anything else at the same time. This will help you put things in the correct places and also it will help you remember where you put those items when you come to look for them.
Also, be mindful for a few minutes when you do your last minute check; again this will help you recall where you put your things and it will get you to check in the correct places.
