This last weekend I went to wine country with my mom, aunts, and cousin to celebrate my mom’s 60th birthday. It’s pretty nice up there.
When I travel, I figure out my outfits in advance to cut down on packing. This last week was obviously very busy and emotional, so I was scrambling to get ready, doing my laundry at the last minute. I put together some outfits, packed, and went to sleep.
My standard airplane outfit is stretchy pants with an elastic waistband, a big shirt, and cozy socks. The stretchy pants are KEY. You have to be comfortable when you’re flying.
When we arrived at the hotel, I unpacked my suitcase…and realized that I had not packed one. single. pair. of pants. All I had were the pants I was wearing – my stretchy elastic waistband pants. My jeans? Still in the dryer.
I immediately reassessed my wardrobe. I’d brought some really cute tops, but nothing that would be appropriate with leggings. Leggings are a new thing for me…and I only wear them when my rear is properly covered. Unfortunately, everything I’d brought wouldn’t cover my tush. I was officially going to be a Fashion Don’t.
Not to mention I was going to have to wear the same pair of pants for three straight days.
So when we went to a fancy winery….I wore stretchy pants.
When we had dinner at an upscale restaurant and my Mom wore a pretty dress…I was in stretchy pants.
The next moring, when we went out for breakfast…I was in stretchy pants.
Stretchy. Pants.
But damn if I didn’t rock my stretchy pants!
But seriously, I could not wait to take those leggings off the SECOND I got home. I might have to burn them.
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I’m giving away a Windows Phone! WOOOO! Who doesn’t love a free phone? That’s right, NO ONE.
To enter, just leave me a comment telling me about a time you forgot something important, and how you remedied the situation. I can’t be the ONLY person who’s forgotten pants, right?
Go forth! Without pants!
Annie Y says:
I will be rocking the stretchy pants this weekend on my flight to NYC.
As for the thing I forgot when I went somewhere…..
I went on vacation 3 years ago and only packed 1 pair of underwear….for a 4 day vacation. Needless to say, I totally went commando!
Laura says:
Nope, you’re not. I’ve forgotten so many things — especially once I had kids and had to pack for them, too — that I can’t even remember them all. But the worst was underwear. I won’t bore you/gross you out with the deets, but as it turns out, underwear aren’t *entirely* necessary. That’s all I’m sayin’.
Veronika says:
Beautiful pics of the wine country and you and your mom! It looks like you had a great time, stretchy pants and all. I usually forget to pack extra clothes for my kids, but I don’t have a wopping story. Plus, I don’t count because I live in Austalia.
Val in Ohio says:
Of COURSE you count, ESP. in Australia…!!!
Elle says:
Stretchy pants rule! Really beautiful photos, Heather. So vibrant. I was 37 weeks pregnant and had gone without shaving for a week or so, okay at least 3 weeks. At my ob/gyn appt. they said they wanted to induce me that day. I was able to go back home and get my bag but forgot to pack a razor.
I know that it’s something most people could care less about during that time but I couldn’t help but think the doctors will see my hairy legs, we’re talking Sasquatch. Not only that, my leg hair was so long that I could feel it blowing in the breeze when I walked in my hospital gown.
The day after I delivered I asked a nurse if they had any razors on hand. She was able to scrounge up the razor from hell. It was worse than 10 disposable razors put together and sliced up my legs big time. Lesson learned. I would much rather walk around with leg hair long enough to braid.
Melissa says:
You and your mama are so pretty.
When I was in undergrad, I lived in a very… liberal household. The entire house was clothing optional, and my roommate and I would often sit around in our underthings, completely comfortably. I got so comfortable hanging out in my underthings that one day my car broke down and my roommate’s boyfriend (who was also part of the clothing-optional household) offered to give me a lift to class on his way to work. He was leaving right then, so I very quickly grabbed my bookbag and ran out to his truck.
It took me a minute of him just looking at me like I’d gone nuts, standing in the driveway in broad daylight, to realize that I’d forgotten to put a shirt on.
LoRena @lamaschida says:
I pride myself on being a good travel packer. I make detailed lists that I enjoy checking stuff off of. So it felt like one of those stress dreams where you realize you are half naked in public and can’t seem to find your clothes, when I realized, the day of my cousin’s uber fancy wedding that I not only didn’t pack an appropriate dress, I never even bought one! I got too wrapped up in planning the whole trip that I didn’t think about what I was going to wear. I ended up wearing a very casual, LBD that I felt so under dressed in and actually did get a catty comment from a relative on how “modern” it was of me to not wear a long dress. (Sigh)
Becky K says:
I totally forgot coats for myself and the kids when we went on a trip to the corn mazes. I had to suck it up and be cold but we luckily had small microfiber blankets in the car that I tied on them like capes and they were just fine.
Vickie Couturier says:
I was flying alone an on the way back,I had packed everything in my send thru bag,an nothing in my carry on bag,NOTHING,so when the snow came an I had to spend the night an fly the next day,I knew I was going to have to wear the same old clothes for another day,I had already been in them for 18 hours,now I had no clean underware,so I knew I couldnt wear stinky panties again,so I washed them in the sink an prayed they would dry,an had to sleep naked in a snow storm in a room alone not knowing no one,oh I was sooooooooo uncomfortable,I thought please lord dont let the building catch on fire an I have to run out butt naked,I think I would have drather stayed in the room on fire than do that,lol,but the panties were close to dry an I wore them anyway,had a shower an wore dirty clothes,I learned a lesson from that always,carry clean underware an a spare change in the carry on bag
Lynn from For Love or Funny says:
A few years ago, I forgot to pack underwear for me AND the kids. Luckily, a Kmart was near our hotel. I quickly remedied the situation and bought new undies for everyone!
Noelle says:
I am notorious for forgetting a memory card or batteries for the camera (sometimes both!) But I never forget the camera
Mandy says:
Several Christmases ago, my then boyfriend and I planned a trip to my homeland for the holidays. We spent hours packing, checking and double-checking our bags.
We got to the airport and my beau realized he couldn’t find his passport. It dawned on him that he hadn’t seen it since our last trip to Canada, and he had completely forgotten to look for it. I got on the plane to visit my family, he went home and searched for hours! It was never found
Needless to say, the weeks before our honeymoon, we were sure to apply for a new passport for him… We would not be throwing another airfare down the drain!
Cathy K. says:
I took the clothes my husband and I intended to wear to a wedding to the dry cleaners, a couple of hours later picked up my husband’s suit but the dress wasn’t ready. Asked husband to pick up dress on his way home from work (which he forgot to do). Took a shower, did my makeup and remembered my dress was still at the cleaners – and they were now closed. Scrambled to find something suitable in the closet, all the while annoyed that I did not have “the” dress. Got over it, found something else to wear in the closet and had a great time at the wedding. Never ask my dearest to pick up the dry cleaning again.
regina says:
On my honeymoon to Disney World, I forgot to pack socks. I didn’t pack a single pair since I wore flip flops to the airport. It sucked because I can’t wear flip flops for very long and I had my sneakers in my suit case. I had to find a gift shop that sold Mickey Mouse socks.
Tracy Marlow says:
I forgot to pack socks on my honeymoon too and it was in March so I definitely needed them. Luckily, a Target was close by.
Catherine says:
Beautiful pis of wine country, I hope I get out there someday. I also hope you brought a few bottles home!
We’ve made more than one trip without specific clothing items. Ouch.
But the worst is forgetting a child’s “lovey” type thing, be it a blankie or stuffed bear/doggie/etc. Those tears!
Patrice says:
Shoes! I forgot my beautiful black strappy high heels. Had to wear boring pumps the entire time.
Manda says:
I usually forget bras or underwear … Thank goodness there’s Target everywhere now! I once had to buy a bra at Victoria’s Secret in NYC .. (I think it was in Times Square too!) what a memory!
Shannon Williams says:
I used to travel for business extensively and I would almost always forget something. But, the time I forgot my cell phone charger, laptop charger, and formal business suit…took the cake. I think I dropped $500 at a department store for a new suit & I’m a TJ Maxx kinda gal!
Aenau says:
I’m usually super paranoid about making sure we have everything, well at least for hubby and kids..I just tend to forget my Migraine medications..you’d think I’d make sure that was packed first! :p
Heather says:
I’m divorced (as evidenced in my angry blog post Saturday while I counted down the last few hours of my doomed marriage)…
5 a.m. on the morning of my first wedding I went to the market here to pick up some last minute flowers… and realized both my betrothed and I had neglected to purchase wedding bands. I ended up buying two inexpensive silver rings at a Celtic jewelry vendor.
If only I have taken that as a sign.
Heather says:
It should be noted that I am now engaged to a wonderful man, and we’ve already order our rings.
Jen says:
I love your blog – the way that you express the strength and power of your love for your girls is so beautiful. Thank you.
I forgot my strapless bra for my wedding, and I realized it as we were getting ready for pictures. We were married in a small town, my home and bra were four hours away. A very dear friend drove to a larger town an hour away to buy a new one for me, and all was well. The wedding was beautiful, and we just celebrated our 10 year anniversary.
I also lost a single black strappy show in the Detroit airport when we were on a layover on a trip to Florida. I pack as lightly as I can, and I only had the pair of shoes I was wearing (my super comfortable sneakers).
Amanda says:
Right before my husband and I were supposed to leave on our honeymoon I realized I had forgotten my birth control pills. We went through my luggage several times because I just KNEW that they were in there. But they weren’t. We missed our flight by FIVE MINUTES searching for them.
C Ramirez says:
I was going away with my child for a long weekend of camping, packed everything. Arrived to the destination, no underwear. Middle of nowhere, no stores, no laundromats. I was at the creek handwashing both of our underwear every day!!!
Sherri says:
I forgot my cat!! I took her in to be groomed (she is long haired and old, so doesn’t clean herself well…so we have her shaved down several times a year.) After work I was running around doing errands, and around 6 (they closed at 5) I realized I had forgotten to pick her up!! Bad mom! Bad me! I RUSHED over, and the groomer was still there, albeit a tad miffed. Needless to say she got a goooooood tip!
Missy says:
Sometimes I forget to go to work…. Whoopsie:)
Dana says:
I am always the one who packs the bags for our whole family. And on one trip between packing for our two children, my husband and myself, I forgot to pack my husbands boxers and socks. From now on…he packs his own bag!!
Jen says:
I work 16 hour day s and am currently breast feeding my five month old. This weekend I forgot breast pads. I ended up leaking through my padded bra and using a panty liner cut in half in my bra. I’ve also forgot to brush my teeth before going to work once. I ended up using a wet paper towel to scrub over my teeth and rinsing with peroxide, then chewing a piece of gum to freshen my breath. I could not wait for the gift shop at work to open so I could buy a tooth brush and paste. That was the longest 6 hours ever!
Corinne says:
Now that I have my son, I make a list on the computer and print out what I need to pack so I don’t forget anything. But before David, I’ve forgotten my underwear, socks, and pants, but my favorite by far was that I was heading up to a friends wedding and forgot my DRESS! So I had to go to the closest store up there and pick one out. $18 later, I had a dress that I liked even more than the one I had originally bought! It was awesome.
Leanne {The Energetic Mommy} says:
The question is… when have I NOT forgotten something!! I never remember to take a diaper bag anywhere. Luckily we have had any serious issues… yet!
Lori says:
I forgot my birth control pills… oi. Had to call the pharmacist, transfer the prescription and then get a refill. Couldn’t remember what day I was supposed to be on so I had to guess.
Meghan says:
I’m currently traveling on a job interview and forgot toothpaste. Not as dramatic as no pants, given that the hotel had some, but for a moment there I thought I would have to get creative with mints before meeting potential employers.
rachel says:
when i got married 8 years ago, my dad forgot my luggage! i had nothing to wear, but my wedding dress. borrowing clothes & a bra from your great aunt=good times!
Mynde says:
We left for vacation once- driving clear to Florida from Indiana- and realized once in Alabama that I had forgotten my make up bag. Talk about something not easily repurchased (or inexpensive!)
Lauren says:
Wow I’m surprised I’m not the only one who forgot underwear!! One time my husband and decided to put all of our super important DO NOT FORGET stuff in one bag. We had our underwear, tickets for a show we were going to see, and socks. And then we got halfway to our 12 hour away destination… realized WE FORGOT THE BAG! We made it work… but oh we laugh about it now.
Emily says:
Pants are optional!
But as for the forgetfulness story… I live in NYC, where things tend to be both fast-paced ans fashion-conscious. I used to have an office job where the dress code was strictly business wear – men in suits and ties, and women in similarly appropriate wear. I was the receptionist, and was expected to be similarly pulled together. Well one morning I walked out of the house FORGETTING TO GET DRESSED. I was getting off the train at my stop when I realized I was far too comfortable to be going to work, then looked down and saw that I was wearing a sweatshirt, flannel PJ pants, and ugg boots. No undies, no bra, no makeup, nothing. Clearly not work appropriate. As I turned around in my embarrassment to get back on the train, go home, and put on clothes, I ran smack into our office manager, who asked where I was going and what I was wearing. After explaining (sort of), he told me to go to the office anyway, where I was stuck in a back file room for the day. On the bright side, I got a day off answering phones!
Katie says:
When my husband and I went to Disney world, I definitely forgot my birth control pills at home (in Texas). Needless to say, the trip was not very magical. ((They don’t sell condoms in Cinderellas palace.))
Carrie says:
Thats hilarious! You are such a trooper!
Last weekend I traveled about 3 hours to run a 5k. Only thing I forgot? My sneakers. I had to run in a pair of ballet flats!
Julie says:
I worked at a very strict office about 20 years ago – women had to wear dresses or skirts every day. No I didn’t forget the bottoms – but one day realized I had not worn a bra!! Good thing I was younger and shall we say, firmer, back then…
cj says:
totally laughing out loud from your story. i would have been so sad and i know that i would have ended up going to buy some new pants….i am impressed that you just made do!!
i’m sure that there is something that i have forgotten some time but i have forgotten what it is at this moment!!!
Elizabeth says:
I love your honesty!! My standard packing fail is forgetting pjs which is more easily hidden than pants, thank goodness!
More recently (ans small scale) I forgot diapers for my three week old on a short trip. I could have bought more, I suppose, but rather just used the size 4 from my older boy. It was dicey but we survived. I guess I just hadn’t gotten in the habit of checking for the new guy yet…
Meghan says:
Well, this past summer we went on vacation on Sanibel Island ,and I forgot my daughter’s entire suitcase! In my defense, I had to pack for five people and accidentally left it upstairs in her room. She was DEVESTATED when we reached our destination (after driving 21 hours) and she couldnt get in the pool (no suit) or even take a bath (no jammies or underwear!) I hopped BACK in the car (again, after driving 21 hours) and off the island. Thankfully, the nearby Gymboree outlet was still open for 20 minutes and they were having a great 4h of July sale. After a huge scramble through the store, I left with a week’s wardrobe. My three-year-old forgave me!
Emily says:
I have forgotten my toothbrush on numerous occasions, ha! Kinda gross but I will use my finger and some toothpaste to do the trick…. may not be very effective but at least I can say I brushed my teeth
April says:
When we went on our honeymoon I forgot bras and underwear. I had to wear the same bra for a week and well we won’t talk about the underwear. We were on a cruise so I had absolutely no choice but to go without! Bad thing was I had mostly sundresses. I didn’t do much bending over!
Jen Q says:
I live 12 hours from were I grew up. I used to travel back home a lot. I had a pink ratty Teddy bear since the day that I was born. I was always afraid of fires or hurricanes destroying my beloved Pinky so he always came along for the ride. I forgot to grab him when I went home and my house burned the second night we were gone. That bear, my 2 cats, and my kids pictures are the things I miss the most. House fires suck yo!
christine says:
I went away for a three day weekend and forgot my underwear. I had 2 bathing suits so I ended up wearing those under everything for the weekend. Not comfortable!
mlwindc says:
I forgot to pack underpants at an overnight and ended up having to choose between dirty underpants or going commando at CHURCH. I went with dirty underpants.
rachel says:
oh dear, what haven’t i forgotten? i went to visit my best friend for her birthday last year, and remembered to bring a dress for the fancy dinner we were going to, but totally forgot to bring any shoes that weren’t flip flops or sneakers. very quick shoe shopping ensued!
Jen says:
Back when my husband and I were dating, we lived pretty far from one another, so I would usually spend weekends at his house. One weekend I must of like you had a lot going on. When I got to his place and was unpacking all my things I realized that I had forgotten underwear! Yep only had the pair I was wearing nice huh! Thankfully there was a Kmart not far and I was able to buy some. Needless to say from then on it has always been one of the first things I pack!
Jess says:
I’m not sure what has been wrong with me lately, but i’ve left the house, not once, but twice this week with NO shoes on! I got half way to work the 1st time when I realized it and turned back home. The second time I didn’t realize it until I stepped out onto the parking lot at work and said “SHIT!!!”. I had to go next door to Target and buy a pair of shoes to wear, well, I didn’t. I sent someone, cause who is walking into Target with no shoes on?!
From now on i’m keeping an extra pair of shoes in the car….
Whitney says:
I’ve forgotten pants while going on vacation also!
Brittany says:
I was driving myself, my mom and 2 children to Canada from Ohio and about an hour and a half from home realized I didn’t have passports to get back in the country. My neighbor had to go in my house, find them and FedEx them to me in Canada. Then I had to pray they’d let me cross the border into Canada without them. Luckily, I had pictures of my kids since birth and some health insurance info, so the kindly border agent let us in. So thankful for my neighbor that mailed the passports to us!!
saralema says:
There are many, but the first one that jumped to mind was when I forgot my paper that was due for my class after work. I realized this when I was half way to class from work. Since I didn’t think the prof would buy my explanation, I had to turn around to go get it. Taking the back roads and speeding a bit meant I was only slightly late for class.
Gosh, that’s boring.
Saily says:
I forget my make up all the time. Just did it this weekend. However, a quick run to Walgreens and you can find enough to cover your face for a few days!
Heather says:
Once on vacation, I forgot my baby’s suitcase and left it at home. Luckily there was a Walmart close by and I bought her some cheap onesies. My poor baby was stuck in the same pants and jackets for four days, with only changing her onesie.
Jessica says:
Many time when I am staying the night in a hotel I forget to bring something to sleep in and/or something to wear over my bathing suit to get to and from the pool — and I usually forget flip flops to wear to and from!! Typically I end up sleeping in my panties and whatever shirt I had on that day and just walking to the pool barefoot (gross!!) or even skipping it all together.
Jamie In Indy says:
I went on my honeymoon a couple of years ago and forgot underwear and bras. Needless to say, commando and bandaids!
Jackie Mask says:
I forgot things all the time! Most recently body lotion so I had to use conditioner as lotion. It didnt work out so well.
JAMIE Hogan says:
I was flying to visit the in-laws with my two week old son on the same day my husband deployed to Iraq…Half way into the flight my son had a blow out breastfed baby poop! I made my way to the tiny lavatory with baby and diaper bag in tow, only to realize I had forgotten to pack the wipes, or a clean outfit for him to wear!!! After scrubbing him with paper towels, and wrapping him in a blanket, I noticed I had poop all over my shirt sleeve where he had been sleeping…..Thank goodness it wasn’t smelly.
Sarah macon says:
Omg I forgot to bring panties to my best friends wedding to go under my LINEN!! Black dress, I ended up having to wear a pair of the brides MOMs underwear. Major granny panties up to my boobs!!! It was awful and I forgot a slip to so my dress kept riding up the cotton wonderland that is old lady panties!
Sarah macon says:
And I forget to tell the I was the maid of honor. Total humiliaion
Lisa in SC says:
Back before the land of e-tickets and internet, when you still used a travel agent for all your travel needs, I was flying back home from a summer in FL to begin my sophomore year of college. I got to the airport only to discover that while I had all my bags with me, I had left the ticket sitting 2 hours away on a dresser. Luckily for me, my friend was willing to a) put a new ticket on his credit card so that I could get back home and b)drive the 2 hours back to his house, another 2 hours back to the airport, and yet another 2 hours to his home in order to turn in that ticket and get the cost of the new one refunded. I’m not sure how financially beneficial this was, but I was a poor college student, and I know it saved my butt at the time!
Kristen says:
A few weekws ago, I forgot….MY WALLET at the grocery store. Thank goodness someone turned it in. I thought I was going to have a heart attack for the 10 minutes between discovering that it was not in my purse and talking to the sweet lady at HEB. I am so greatful that there are still honest people in the world.
Angela says:
This is so ironic that you forgot your pants this particular weekend… I’ve been reading your blog for quite some time and I guess I must have really been thinking about you last night because I had a dream that I was babysitting Annie for the weekend and when I went to dress her to take her to the zoo she had NO CLOTHES that matched or fit her… which is funny because I think she has some of the cutest stuff in picutres on here.. I think I’m getting way too into the blogs I read when I start dreaming about babysitting people’s children that I’ve never met before.
JLR says:
A fellow pants forgetter!
I went to FL for a conference/trip to Disney World. I of course made sure the children and even the husband had everything they needed for the short time they would be with me for the “pleasure” part of the trip. I managed to forget the following:
– pants to wear to the conference (bought a skirt at expensive boutique in the hotel)
– sufficient contact lenses
– prescription medication
– eye makeup remover
– VPN key thing for my laptop
and on, and on.
I’m right there with you – who needs pants!
Jenn says:
Hi Heather. I know this past weekend was very difficult and draining but I hope you were at least able to find some solace and have a little bit of a good time.
Thanks for sharing your pictures! They are beautiful!
Take Care!
Love to Mike, Annie, Rigby and of course….YOU!
naomi says:
Last year I finally got some slippers that I actually like. Unlike previous slippers, these have a hard sole. Unfortunately, this makes them feel all too much like shoes. More than once I’ve been all dressed for the day and out the door and in my car (sometimes already at my destination), before realizing I had forgotten to take off my slippers and put on real shoes…
kerry says:
I think I forget something small just about every time, but most of the time it isn’t a big deal. A few times it has been a bigger deal! Once, I went away for a weekend to see a concert and forgot the concert tickets. Fortunately, I had just randomly found out the day before that another friend was going to the same town the following day. I arranged for her to get the tickets from my roommate (thankfully, I had a roommate at the time!). Another time, I forgot to pack underwear for a long weekend. Thanks to a 24-hour Wal-mart, I bought a new pack of undies. As much as I can’t stand shopping at Wal-mart and thought I’d probably throw out the underwear after one use, they turned out to be some of my comfiest undies (and the cheapest!).
Lisa says:
Awww, you and your mom look beautiful. Love those last two shots.
One time when I traveled up to Canada to visit my family over the holidays I forgot my winter coat. I thought my husband had put it in the car because it wasn’t sitting by the front door where I thought I had put it. Turns out it was still in the closet. I fortunately had lots of clothes that were good for layering, but I still froze my but off most of the time I was there. Needless to say, every time I travel up to Canada now my coat is the first thing in the car
Lou says:
I haven’t personally forgotten pants on a trip before, but this past summer, my 11 year old son did.
We were going to the beach for a week and other than swim trunks and the shorts he wore down to the beach, he had no other pants. We made do for a couple of days, but being an active boy, that was going to cut it for the week. Unfortunately, he’s a very skinny and somewhat tall boy, so we looked high and low before we finally found a pair that fit him, on the boardwalk of Ocean City MD and then another pair at the outlets—the day before we left the beach.
Oh well, the shorts were cute and he can always use a couple new pairs.
molly says:
I can’t believe I”m admitting this, but I forgot pads one day at the Children’s Museum, where they definitely don’t stock feminine supplies in the gift shop. I had to use my baby’s size 2 diaper in my pants and could barely fit my pants over the entire setup. As if my post-baby butt isn’t big enough.
Kristen says:
My husband I took a cross country trip many years ago. We stayed with various friends in lots of different towns. My unorganized hubby didn’t forget a thing. Me? I forgot underwear. I went commando the entire trip.
Lucy says:
Heather, I just wanted to say how beautiful your photos were in this post! I stopped and oogled over the first three pics in your post for about ten minutes. Gorgeous! (And I’d love to win your Windows Phone, but I’m way up in the wild north. If the random picker chooses my number, give it to the post below mine!)
Heather says:
We took a well long trip to Galveston for a Christmas getaway. I forgot my youngest son’s pants. I bought him one more pair while we were there, and just had him wear those two pairs all week. When we got home, his pile of pants to pack were sitting right on his bed. From that point on, the boys became responsible for their own packing.
Jessica says:
How about the time 2 years ago when I forgot my bridesmaid dress at my house 4 hours away? Luckily I realized it as soon as we arrived at the hotel before the rehearsal dinner. My amazing hubby drove the 4 hours back home to get the dress and then drove back arriving back at the hotel at approximately midnight. The bride never knew and that was a relief!
Jen King says:
Flying to Boston for a friend’s wedding; my husband had Friday off, so would be doing the packing. I left everything I wanted to bring folded neatly on our bed, with the shoes on the floor right in front of the pile (because shoes on bed = gross). When we unpacked in Boston – no shoes except the sneaks on my feet – husband never saw them. On my way to the emergency shopping excursion to Filenes, I ran into the bride in the hotel lobby, and she confessed SHE needed new stockings – hers had ripped. SO, I got new Via Spiga shoes (a total splurge) and got to be a hero to the bride!
Thanks for teh chance to enter!
Erin says:
Once, while flying from Florida to California….with a 6 month old….I forgot DIAPERS (I packed them into the luggage)! 20 minutes into the flight, we had a major blowout and I was forced to fashion a diaper out of a sham-wow. Yes, although I managed to forget diapers, I did have a sham-wow (well, the dollar store version) in my diaper bag. And I have to say….I think I’m onto something with the sham-wow diaper concept.
Love your blog
Wombat Central says:
I forget things daily–appointments, school papers for the kids, paying bills….
Sara says:
This past weekend, I left to pick a friend up at the airport early Saturday. The plan was to pick her up/drop her off at her house then continue to my hometown to get my sister and niece and then head off to the closest IKEA. It was the most logical, fuel efficient route.
Until I realized I left my wallet at home.
So I backtracked, after dropping the friend at her house and ended up about an hour behind my perfectly scheduled day. It all worked out, but for about 5 minutes in the car when I realized I had left it at home I said some choice four letter words loudly!
Nikki says:
Wine country looks beautiful. I wish I could have done more sightseeing when I was in CA for 2 months the beginning of this year, but I had to work a lot and because I was traveling in a group it’s always what the group wants to do.
When I was 11, my family went on a trip to Virginia during the summer, and I forgot my bathing suit. Because it was August, we couldn’t find a store that was selling any. Fortunately, I remembered to bring my lime green and navy blue sports bra (the priorities of an 11 year old girl are baffling), and some navy blue shorts, so I ended up wearing that to go swimming!
Kristen says:
It’s more like what haven’t I forgotten!!! I seem to forget at least one thing way too much, lol! Forgotten wipes a few times so a good wet papertowel had to substitute. The worst may have been forgetting to re-fill my “woman” products in my purse and then having a big woman problem while out and about 28 days later! My substitute for that?? Sad to say but a baby diaper held me over until I got to the store!
Dawn says:
The last time the Man and I took a vacation, it was a motorcycle vacation. Eight days spent on the back of a Harley, camera in hand. It was wonderful. Thye only down side was that I forgot to pack any extra shoes and thought I was going to have to spent eight days in heavy riding boots. In July. Thankfully, cheap-ass flip flops are sold everywhere. I think I bought mine in a gas station.
Caroline says:
I’ve forgotten many things in my life and of course, I always make due. But the thing I forget most, is underwear. My fiance and I go to visit his parents and hour and a half away almost every weekend and usually stay the entire weekend. Since it is his former home, he still has a stockpile of his old clothes there. I, on the other hand have to drag a whole weekends wardrobe down and back up every time. One weekend, I forgot underwear. I do this often. So luckily Target is right around the corner and I bought some. Well the next weekend I did the same thing, but since i forget underwear so often and have to buy more so often, I didn’t want to buy any more. So instead I wore his underwear for the weekend.
Jessica O. says:
I once went to an out of town wedding, and forgot pants for the next day. Since other family was there and we had already made touristy plans, I had to suck it up and throw a T-shirt over a black lacy dress. The look was extra hot because I choose my sneakers and socks over the heels from the night before.
Randi says:
The last thing I forgot was when our family went to Disney, just a few weeks ago. Things had been going GREAT until one day we get to the Magic Kingdom (via the Disney busses) and I realize that while I remembered, the camera, video camera, hats for everyone, and the kids tickets, I’d forgotten mine in our hotel room. So we had to take the busses all the way back to get one ticket, and taking those busses can take some time. It actually took us over an hour to get back to the hotel, get the ticket, and to get back to the park. Thankfully my kids were pretty understanding – although I tried to joke two days later that I’d forgotten my ticket again and my son’s eyes narrowed as he looked right at me and said “I don’t think so mom!”
Aliesha says:
My husband and I travel home fairly often (about 2.5 hours away), so I get used to packing quickly and pretty thoughtlessly. I cant tell you the number of times I’ve forgotten pajamas (not that big of a deal), but even worse, on a few occasions, I’ve forgotten UNDERWARE!! Not something I’m going to wear over and over again. The last time I realized about 2 hours from home that I’d forgotten then, but I conveniently had a store certificate for a free $25 from my favorite place to buy underware…their underware are also conventiently always 5 for $25! I made us stop at the mall on the way to my moms to stock up…score!
Lora says:
We went to the mountains for a few days in August while my husband was home for R&R from Iraq. The plan was to do some hiking, fishing, horseback riding etc, all types of outdoorsy stuff. Well, I only packed a pair of flip=flops! No sneakers or hiking boots. I had to drive in to town, like a 30 min drive from our mountain cabin, to buy a pair of hiking shoes. Major bummer, cause there was only ONE shoe place and they were all super expensive.
But the rest of the weekend was a blast!
Sadye says:
When I was in 1st grade I forgot my Kazoo I needed for my holiday concert. We got to the school and I realized I left it at home. my dad had to speed home to get it. totally traumatizing. To this day my parents will always ask me if I have my kazoo before I leave their house.
Kristy says:
I love stretchy pants…
Went on a trip to Disney World with my son and forgot sneakers! There was so much walking and I had flip flops on for the entire ten days! It was fun but my feet were aching.
Jennifer says:
I forget underwear…like all the time. I think it’s because I’m more concerned about what clothes I’m bringing that I completely forget I need something to wear underneath!
Jennifer says:
I forget things ALL THE TIME… but the most recent horror of which was when I flew solo with my 3 boys (7, 5, 18mo) to see my parents. After they picked us up at the airport we had a 4 hour drive to their house…when my boys were needing to rev up the DVD player to make the drive nice and easy…we realized I had forgotten the entire cd case of movies on the plane. 20 movies. Gone. Needless to say the drive was NOT nice and easy.
This is the first time I have commented. I just want to say thank you for sharing your family with me…you have inspired and made me smile on a daily basis. My Charlie (22 mo) LOVES seeing pictures of Annie & Maddie–he’s quite the hunk too. Wink Wink.
Mandi Bone says:
I take a medicine called coumadin.It is a blood thinner. It is very important I take it every day because I have a mechanical heart valve.I am ok if I go few 24-48 hours but after that I am taking a huge risk with blood clots. I forgot to bring it with me while my husband were in the mountains of TN for a week. (Another fun fact alcohol thins your blood.) I was drunk for a week.
Caroline says:
This is only technically something that *I* forgot, but it really wreaked havoc on my weekend, so it should count for something.
I was attending a homeschooling conference, and my whole family joined me. I had packed us all up, and when it was time to go, we all got in the car and took off. 3 hours later, we decided to stop for lunch. As we were getting out of the car, II noticed my son FORGOT HIS SHOES. Ugh! So, we had to postpone lunch and go buy the kid some shoes. He was 5 years old at the time.
I still have to remember to ask that kid “do you have shoes on?”
Stephanie Parnell says:
I honestly can’t think of a time where I have forgotten something important….but I have many years ahead of me and my kid is only 1….so give me time. I’m sure my time is coming, I have no doubts.
Johanna says:
I don’t have a great story about forgetting something, however I was once forgotten by my dad. I was about 13 and we were driving from MN to IL and had stopped at a gas station. My dad went in to use the bathroom and I decided after he had gone in that I too needed to use the bathroom. When I came back out our minivan was driving down the road without me. I started running after it, waving my arms and screaming for them to stop. Meanwhile inside the van, my sister was telling my dad that I was not in the car. He didn’t believe her and thought we were playing a game. Finally, he stopped the car and as he was turning around said “Johanna if you don’t stop hiding right now, I’m going to…” then he saw me running as fast as I could behind the van. He was pretty mortified.
Jenny says:
I packed everything but bras and panties on one trip. Ack! Between commando, wash in sink and inside/ out, I survived. I can MacGuyver just about anything in a hotel room but I could not figure out how to make bras and panties out of available resources.
I survived.
monica says:
Just got back from a cruise. I thought I was Ms Efficient and low and behold I’m standing in line to board and a lady is asking everyone to get out their passports and have them ready to show. Well, I go to get the passports out and count only 3! I had forgotten my passport at home!!! I panicked big time! After a whole nerve wracking hour or so, a friend of mine was able to go to my house, open our safe, get my birth certificate and fax it for me to the port. I was so worried I would be waving bon voyage to my hubby and kids! Never again will I forget my passport!
Angelica says:
I was doing part of a “round-robin” driving trip from Maryland to Orlando and I forgot an extra pair of contacts- and the first pair was dying out pretty quickly, so I resorted back to my old (cracked down the middle of one lens glasses and several bottles of eye drops) along with only driving during the day to help me get through my driving parts.
Heidi T says:
My drivers license or any form of ID. When getting on a flight. Let’s just say I am very thankful that it was a small airport and they let me on the plane. My mom FedExed me the ID so I had it for the return flight.
melissa says:
we travel to my parents at least once a month and we’ve left ENTIRE bags sitting in the garage. Thankfully there is a Khols down the road. Coming home we’ve left our coats, shoes and my purse. We are a mess!
Lacy says:
On a recent shopping trip with my husband and son, I forgot to bring a spare set of clothes for my son. I always bring an extra set of clothes and never need them. Well, long story short, my son peed enough to fill up the changing station…literally. He was floating in the thing, and of course his clothes were SOAKED in pee. So, what else could I do? I used an unused diaper to soak up all the pee, did my best to clean the changing station and my son, and walked out of there with him wearing only a diaper. Luckily, we were on our way out anyway.
Kim says:
For our honeymoon I had our bag packed well in advance. Even though I told him once it went in the bag it wasn’t coming out, my then fiance ignored me and grabbed a pair of shorts from said honeymoon bag one evening. Normally this wouldn’t have been an issue, and super organized me would have noticed. Sadly, 1 week from D-day the honeymoon bag was at the bottom of the list, and as a result my husband was stuck vacationing in Mexico sans shorts.
Liesel says:
Oh man, that happens to me all the time. I frequently forget underwear, shoes, etc. Usually the important stuff. But, my philosophy is that I can buy whatever is replaceable.
Sara Mc. says:
Beautiful pictures! My forgotten item was my camera. We have a children’s Halloween party every year at my sister’s, and anyone that knows me, knows I have my camera with me at all times. It’s always in my purse. When I showed up this year at sister’s house, I realized I didn’t have it. Needless to say I was devastated. I used sister’s camera to take all the party pictures, but the whole night it felt weird. I really think forgetting it made me more OCD about making sure I have it with me. Hahaha…
sandynorth says:
this his horrible but i forgot fathers day once. I was going through some crappy things in my life and totally forgot to call my dad on that special day! I felt awful when i realized it…poor guy was probably waiting for my call all day! anyway…being the good father he is, he forgave me. love your blog!! thanks for a look into your life!
Jill says:
Ha!
One time while my hubby and I were dating, I went to visit him at his parent’s house. It was summer and I had been sporting a tank with a built in bra. I packed a few things for a few days, but alas, no bra. No way that I was going to survive without one, or be able to wear the tank under everything. I had to discreetly borrow their car and sneak out to the mall to purchase one. Embarrassing!
Brandie says:
I have gone on Vac leaving my bathing suit and having to go swim in my clothes. Other I have left everything and had to go shop
Sarah G says:
I too have forgotten shoes. And I always forget something when we travel, usually something of my husbands =]
Sara says:
I will NEVER forget this one: It was Halloween. I was in 3rd grade. Our school was having a Halloween parade in which each classroom walked around the school stopping at each room to show off our costumes. I am adopted from Korea and on a recent business trip to Korea, my uncle had brought home a traditional Korean dress for me. My mom convinced me to wear it for Halloween and go as Miss. Korea Universe. I wasn’t so sure kids would know what “I was”, but went with it on my mother’s assurance. My mom painstakingly sewed a white sash that said “Miss. Korea”, as worn by all the fabulous contestants at the Miss. Universe pageant. Fast forward to the school Halloween parade–while changing into my costume in the girls bathroom, I realized with horror that I forgot my beautiful sash! I began to cry because that was what “made the outfit!” As I sobbed in the bathroom stall, I glanced at the toilet paper dispenser and with quick whit decided to create my own “Miss Korea” sash out of cheapest, see-through scratchy T.P. that was afforded to Peter Hobart Elementary. Taking a few feet of it, I brought it back to my classroom and wrote with red marker, “Miss Kora.” yes, I had forgotten the “e” in “Korea”. So as I paraded around the school, people kept asking me, “Who is Miss Kora?” “Who are you?” And the icing on the cake was that I spilled fruit punch on the “sash” during our class party creating a soggy, wilting, marker-streaked sash that looked more like a bloody kleenex someone used for their bloody nose.
I still own that authentic Korean dress and I even tried to get my daughter, Bella, to wear it one year for Halloween. She didn’t go for it and questioned who Miss Korea Universe was– and told me I was making that “character” up! LOL!
Shannon says:
well, you seem to have many posters who have forgotten underwear, and I am no different. EXCEPT I had the brilliant idea to wash the one pair I was wearing out in the sink and the use the hotel room microwave to dry them. Did you know that underpants will burst into flames in a microwave? Let’s just say when I arrived a few minutes late to the business meeting I was in town for (after stopping at walgreens for some new, scorch free, underwear). The jokes were endless (can we say hotpants anyone?). I think it is ironic that I was working for a tech distributor at the time and was meeting with the microsoft mobility team (the folks who sell the windows phone).
Katie Huha says:
Just this past summer I went on a 3-day beach vacation with my parents, sister, her husband and baby, and my two kiddos. We got down to the cottage we were staying in, and I realized that although I had packed bathing suits for myself and my two kids, I had not packed one stitch of other clothing. Nothing! We wound-up going to a popular t-shirt place and getting a few shirts and sweat shorts for the kids and me, and then running to a Marshalls for new undies for everyone. But it was a beach vacation, so I figured as long as we had the bathing suits it was all good!
Joanne says:
I might be the only person who *hasn’t* forgotten anything – or if I have, I purchased a “travel replacement” while at the destination. My hubby and I have a list of “must pack” items and we keep that list with us as we pack and add to it as we come up with new “must pack” items. Now that I laid it out there, I’m pretty certain I’ll be forgetting something in our upcoming holiday travels…
Jennifer Fetterman says:
Nothing to daring comes to mind, though I’m can safely say I’m an unorganized, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants sort of gal.
I did forget my phone charger once. (I’m sure I’ve forgotten it many more times than that). So I went to the front desk… and they let me search through the hundreds of chargers left in rooms, pick one out and take it with me. Nice tip for traveling!!
Love your story, by the way. Hilarious!
Suzanne says:
I am pretty good with remembering clothing, maybe I have forgotten a toiletry here or there. But for some reason, at least half the time we go on a trip, I forget the camera. I have thought about asking strangers to take a picture and email me but never had the nerve. A few times I have bought disposable film cameras. Unfortunately, I had to do that at my brother’s wedding in Pennsylvania. You can imagine how those pictures came out, lol.
Lamb says:
I forgot my socks! Sexy Nerd and I were driving to Tucson to see my family for the holidays and we stopped to eat at McDonalds. It occurred to me that I hadn’t packed any socks while we were sitting in the dining room, which was empty except for us and one older guy who was sitting at a small table in the corner. Sexy Nerd said “you forgot your socks, didn’t you??” and I put my head in my hands – and the older guy started cracking up!
Jessica S. says:
I was about 10-11 and my parents were taking me and my younger brother for a weekend in the Keys. We were staying a beautiful hotel with an awesome pool that I was so excited for! Mom went out and bought me ALL new clothes from “Kids R Us” which was awesome back then. I got new bathing suits and all. Since I was 11 going on 30, I thought it would be awesome to pack my own bag. After driving 2 1/2 hours we were finally at our hotel. Dad brought everything down from the jeep and i said “um pops did you grab my ballet bag” and he said “nope, never saw it”….
we had left it in the driveway! we had to call my neighbor to get the bag and I had to go to K-Mart and get clothes for the weekend! BOO!
Crystal says:
One a trip 5 Hours away from home I forgot my entire suitcase at home!!! The only thing I had was some pjs and the outfit I wore that day. I bought a couple of tops when I arrived, but i burned the jeans I wore for 4 days after I got home. : )
daysgoby says:
I usually end up packing waaaay too much for the kids(‘but what if they spill ice cream on EVERY TOP THEY OWN? ‘says the little packing ogre in my head. ‘Better pack SIX extra’) and forgetting something non-essential for myself.
Like UNDERWEAR.
Rinsing my unmentionables out in a hotel sink every night? NOT SO MUCH FUN.
Liz says:
My honeymoon…2004…Cabo San Lucas. I forgot to pack my underwear! Not a single pair to be found. So my husband made a suggestion that we go into town and check out the local markets for underwear. Admittedly, I was miserable and mean and did not want to shop for underwear on my honeymoon! All I found were shops with bins of underwear. I did not buy a single pair.Instead I made due wearing my bikini bottoms and washing them by hand every day. On the final night of our trip, I dug to the bottom of my bag to find a pair of jeans and low and behold, just under the jeans was a pile of at least 10 pair of underwear! Who brings jeans to Cabo in July anyway!!!
You looked gorgeous in the photos no matter what you were wearing!
~Liz
Bridget says:
I have never forgotten pants for myself (because I’m an extreme overpacker – also not good) but I often forget an extra outfit for my 7 month old daughter, Mirabelle. And of course, these are the times when she decides to have an “accident” that requires one! Somehow, they do it on purpose, right?!
knoxvillepixie says:
On my romantic anniversary trip with the Hubs to Asheville, NC for our anniversary last year, I left all my makeup in my makeup bag at home. I didn’t realize it until i had gotten out of the shower at the hotel, 45 minutes before our fancy dinner reservation! As a former makeup artist, this situation was as dire to me as forgetting your pants!
Lisa_in_WI says:
My goodness, I’ve forgotten so many things! I think the funniest was when I ran over a lampshade I’d bought from Pottery Barn because I forgot I took it out of my trunk and set it down behind my car.
Kelly M says:
I forgot to pack something to sleep in on my trip to Vegas once. I was young and modest and wasn’t one to go comando. Well, that all changed that night. It was only one night so it wasn’t that bad – oh, and I had my own room so no one knew about it until now.
Cynthia says:
Pants…who needs ’em?! You certainly don’t.
Last year the hubby and I went to NYC for a long weekend. Upon arriving, I realized I was missing my medication; the one that gives me awful withdrawal symptoms if I miss a daily dose! And of course it was a weekend.
Thank goodness for parents! My mom stopped by our house, picked up the meds, and overnighted them to our friends hotel. (We were staying at an apt. and didn’t want to miss the delivery.) Man…I hope that doesn’t happen again.
And here’s an extra one… My dad was traveling to Saudi Arabia. When he arrived in Saudi Arabia, he realized he had the wrong passport with him! (He travels so often, he has two. And he didn’t have the one with the Visa!) My mom had to fly to Amsterdam with the correct passport, and my dad had to fly back to Amsterdam, they met up, completed the exchange, and they both headed back to their respective places. Not an item you want to forget!
AppleTree says:
I am a horrible packer, perhaps because I am not exactly organized in life…
A year or so ago I went to visit my parents for a few days, and for got underwear. My teenage nieces were also visiting, so we all had to go underwear shopping at the local small-town discount store.
Good times.
Connie Lightner says:
I have become notorious with my girls for not arriving at my destination with pajamas. Which is very odd, since anyone who knows me will tell you that if possible, I would live in my pj’s. And yet time after time, pajamas are left behind…Some might say it is a subconscious thing, if you don’t have something, you have to go and buy more…hmmmm, will have to think about that one… : )
Becky says:
A couple weeks ago I took my two boys (2 years & 9 months) to the zoo and forgot wipes! Wet cheap paper towels just don’t work as well.
AliceH says:
When my husband and I went on our honeymoon 14 years ago we went to St. Maarten for 10 days. I had sneakers on for the plane ride, but when I got there I realized I never bought my shoes or sandels. Having a 10 wide shoe the only thing I could find to buy was flip flops. So, in the evening when we got dressed up I had no choice but to wear the flip flops. Looked funny, but who cares, I was sure comfortable.
Toni_in_Chgo says:
Humm, I have forgotten underwear before. I am not a girl to go commando, so I went out and bought some more.
Jlondon says:
My hair is VERY thick and takes forever to dry. The only blowdryer that works for me is from walgreens (I think it’s for guys). It has a brush on the end. I have forgotten it many times on trips. I even have dreams about forgetting that damn blowdryer! I think I’ve had to go out and buy a new blowdryer at least 5x on trips. At 29.99 a pop, I figure that adds up to one really expensive GIRL blowdryer.
amy d says:
Your story reminded me of the time my sister-in-law arrived at my bachelorette party (2 1/2 hrs away from where we live) with 2lbs of makeup, every hair accessory under the sun, and NO pants!
We were going to a fancy restaurant for dinner and then hitting the casinos, so she wouldn’t be able to wear the sweat pants she had traveled in. Oh…it should also be noted that she realized this fact 20 minutes before we were to walk out the door.
We sent her down the street to a K-Mart with instructions to buy ANYTHING that looked somewhate dressy! She returned and actually didn’t look half bad. That was nearly 7 years ago and that story is still told through gasping fits of laughter.
Good times;)
Nicci says:
I always forget my husbands tennis shoes when we travel in the summer because I am so used to him wearing boots all the time. Of course in the summer you can’ t wear boots with shorts so if he isn’t wear his tennis shoes then I usually forget them leaving to him to a fun filled weekend of wearing boots with shorts or having to but new shoes! Needless to say he usually just rewashes his jeans several times to continue wearing them. He has used that as an excuse to buy a few new pairs of tennis shoes and I can’t even get mad because it is sooooo my fault!
LisaJ says:
TOTALLY not alone.
I consistently forget my toothbrush. And deodorant. I am sure this means something, but fortunately I can usually find what I need at a drug store.
Saerie randomly booked a big modeling job that took us to the Bahamas for a week. I was only allowed to take 35 lbs of stuff for BOTH of us (Dear Lord, you should have seen the airplane ::::shudders::::) Anyway, I totally did not pack enough baby food, and they totally do not stock organic anything on the out islands. Needless to say we had a very quick entry into the land of table food. I felt like the world’s worst mom ever. (Oh, and all the other model moms had these cute little dresses and I didn’t bring any. Just two pairs of shorts which I wore and rewore.) And on the SAME TRIP I forgot my nursing cover. Yeah…let’s just say that I am now a pro at nursing in public. LOL.
Ree says:
Milk for the baby! We stopped at some skanky gas station and managed to find some that wasn’t expired.
samantha jo campen says:
I have to take meds every day. Like, no ifs ands or buts. So of course when we traveled out of state I forgot my meds. I had to make five emergency phone calls to various pharmacies, my doctor and my local pharmacy to get it transferred to where we were staying. FUN TIMES!
Jenn says:
One time we went out of town and my hubby forgot his underwear. We ran out to the store and bought him more and realized we had grabbed the wrong size and they were way too big. He didn’t want to go back so he just wore them.
Melissa says:
You look mahvelous!
Taking a vacation to Florida years back I forgot to pack something warm. Because WHY? Thats why I was going, it was going to be warm right? Freak winter storm hit upon arrival and high winds for the entire time we were there. Wore the same sweater and jeans I came in f0r a week.
Kelly says:
When we went out of town for spring break, I forgot the cleaning solution for my contacts. I have the kind that can be left in for up to 30 days, but I always take them out every night because it totally freaks me out to sleep with them in. I ended up leaving them in, and doing just fine… but I’ve never forgotten the solution again!
Erin @ One Particular Kitchen says:
On Kiddo’s first trip to the beach when he was a baby we got in town and I realized I’d forgotten diapers. DIAPERS! By this point he had spilled milk all over himself in the carseat, too, so we stopped at Wal Mart and I stripped him down to just his diaper and a t-shirt and we went in to buy more diapers. At this point I realized my child was barefoot and pantsless in a Wal Mart in Alabama. WE HAD ARRIVED.
Emily says:
I am the queen of forgetfulness. I need notes for everything – I’m turning into my father! On my wedding day, I totally forgot the flower girl’s basket and ring bearer’s pillow at my house. Luckily, they were able to just hold hands walking down the aisle. Crisis averted!
Lindsey says:
I loved the pictures of you and your mom. She is beautiful. You both look so much alike!
I once allowed my 7 yr old son to pack his own luggage (at his insistence) for a fishing trip to Canada. He forgot to pack any underwear at all! So he went without and I’ll never forget my father-in-law coming in from a long day of fishing to announce that Ethan peed off the boat and was obviously not wearing underwear! He thought it was funny, my persnickety mother-in-law was mortified! I, of course, felt like the worst mother ever!
Beth says:
This post is written at a perfect time for me. We went to Arizona over the weekend to celebrate my parents 40th Anniversary. I most excited to try out my new camera and photograph the cacti (is that spelled right?) etc. Well, when I got there I had my camera, but my battery was charged in the wall at home. So frusturating! So, I took crappy cell phone photos.
Then, I left my cell phone in the van on the way to the aiport!
Seriously.
pilotswife97 says:
We met my in-laws for a photo op at a dafodil field one year. I told them to come for a picnic that I would provide. When we got there I realized I forgot bread for our sandwiches. We ate rolled up lunch meat and cheese. I felt like a dummy.
pilotswife97 says:
I obviously can’t spell dafodil, daffidil? I give up.
Amanda C says:
I’ve forgotten my cell phone before and felt naked…lol! Great give-away!
Sarah H. says:
I once went on a trip for work and when I unpacked, I realized all of my bras and underwear were back at home in the dryer. It was also very late at night in a location without a mall nearby. I washed what I was wearing in the sink and although it was still damp the next morning, I made it work. Now I double check when I pack.
PS – 11/29 is my birthday!
Jenny says:
I forgot my winter coat when i went to ireland in april and while that doesnt sound bad an is it cold there in the morning! so i did a lot of layering which sucks because it gets warm during the day so instead of taking off 1 thing i was taking off 3! ugg
Kristina says:
Diapers and wipes when going to dessert at someone’s house whom we didn’t know very well. Of course our darling son who was 2 at the time decided to make quite a messy diaper. I had to run out to CVS and buy the necessary supplies. Thankfully it didn’t leave his diaper….
Erin says:
I often forget my pajamas, but the worst was when I went camping and forgot my….uh…feminine products. At the worst time of the month, of course. After driving around for a couple hours, we finally found a camp store that sold only the big fat overnight pads (and I am strictly a tampon girl). I survived, but not happily.
Catherine Beers says:
I forgot my son’s backpack for school this morning. Just had to turn back around and go back to the house.
Angel Penate says:
I SO FEEL YOU! I went on a two week backpacking trip with friends across Mexico. I didn’t seem to get the memo that you should wear either jeans or dresses, shorts are not appropriate where we were visiting. I had one pair of jeans and a 10 pairs of shorts. So I wore the same jeans for two weeks, hand washed (no washing machines or dryers where we were at) and wore the jeans mostly damp b/c they were not thoroughly dry when I plucked them off the clothesline. But that wasn’t the bad part… the bad part was that I forgot my underwear – I had the one pair that I was already wearing. I got my period so going commando was not an option. Besides that, you know you never really feel clean when you have DIARRHEA? I had it for our entire trip and then for two months after we got home. It was awful, I scrubbed my vagina when I got home in boiling hot water. I ended up going to the doctor because I thought that maybe I had vaginally ingested something horrid that gave me toxic shock syndrome or something. Now I always double pack underwear and jeans. Lesson learned!
Elizabeth says:
I am KNOWN for forgetting socks. Whenever I pack a bag and I’m either wearing flip flops or heels but the next day I plan on wearing sneakers I forget the damn socks and it’s my personal pet peeve, I can not wear sneakers without socks. I am also known for forgetting underwear and the most embarrassing, bra’s!!!
Lisa says:
i totally forgot to pack underwear on one of my trips to Florida. my remedy was easy….no, i didnt go commando i actually went to the store and purchased some cheapie grannie panties =)
Vanessa says:
I played competitive softball as a young girl. We would travel on weekends to tournaments and there was one particular tournament we thought I would have to miss, but at the last second I was able to go. As we rushed to drive the 2 hour distance and figure out who I would stay with, game times, where my siblings would go, etc. we may have forgotten my uniform. Thats right my uniform. I ended up having to scour the small country mall that was my only available resource for white pants and all we could find was a mens Medium white (practically see through) sweatpants, with pockets I might add. I paired those with my coach’s shirt and a teeny tiny pair of cleats and I was a winner and by winner I mean loser.
Andrea G. says:
I have forgotten socks more times than I can count. So then I end up wearing the same pair of socks every day. I think that’s grosser than the same pair of pants…..
Linda Stewart says:
A few years back I was traveling for work and found myself in Palm Springs, CA. ALL the way across the USA from where I live in small town Western NC and not a Wal-Mart in site! We had been traveling with work, doing 7 cities in 6 weeks from the East Coast to the West Coast and back again. I was exhausted when I packed and did so in a hurry. I needed one good nights sleep before this last trip to the West Coast and knew the trip was going to be hard, fast, and furious. When I arrived in Palm Springs and made my way to the hotel the first thing on my mind was to unpack quickly hanging my clothes in the bathroom, turning on a hot shower, and shutting the door so I wouldn’t have to iron. While unpacking I realized that I had forgotten to pack jammies but that wasn’t an issue since I had my own private room and don’t mind sleeping nude when given the option. I proceeded to unpack and while putting away my luggage I realized that I had not unpacked any extra underwear. The only ones I had with me were the ones I was wearing on my backside and they were black! The clothes I had brought for work were khaki and definitely not made for black underwear. I had two days in Palm Springs and a third day traveling back home and no clean underwear for any of those days. I knew I could wash what I had, hang them to dry, and have clean undies ever day but it wasn’t appropriate with the pants/skirts I had to wear. Only thing worse than going commando in a room filled with 500+ people is wearing the wrong color undies and everyone in the room knowing what color you are wearing. Was even worse sitting on a filled to capacity plane, cross country, next to strangers, wearing a skirt, and knowing that I didn’t have on any underwear. I almost felt like they could see through me and know that I was bear underneath!
Jenb says:
We went on a one week vacation and left one of my sons suitcase sitting in his room! Walmart saved the day for us. He didn’t mind all the new clothes.
Meagan says:
I am always forgetting something. Ill forget my brush or toothbrush and the 1st day of the trip will be spent at the local walmart buting whatever we forgot! Kind of a boring way to start a vacation but hey, i cannot go more than a day without brushing my teeth, thats nasty!
Penny says:
I forgot underwear one time when I went to Houston to visit my sister. The only pair I had were the ones I was wearing. We ended up going to Wal-Mart and buying a pack of cheap underwear.
Kate says:
I wear hard contact lenses 90% of the time, and I often forget to pack my glasses when I travel. Generally the only fix for that is to take my lenses out just before I go to bed and then rely on someone else to guide me to the bathroom in the middle of the night if need be. Here’s to good friends who’ve never let me crash into the walls… too hard.
Rebecca says:
When I was about seven my MOM forgot me in the toy aisle at Wal-Mart. She would always let me play in the toy section while she got laundry detergent, shampoo, etc. . .Well one day she did her shopping, went through the check out lane, took everything home and as soon as she sat on the couch she said (or so she tells me) “Oh shit! I left Becky at Wal-Mart!”. She hightailed it back to Wal-Mart where I was still playing with the toys.
Karen says:
Um, I always seem to forget my toothbrush.
I’ve gone do far as to “share” my husband’s (yuck) but usually am fortunate to find a nearby store or a nice conceirge who has a stash for people like me.
LauraLynne says:
I’ve forgotten all my shower/bathroom/hygiene supplies – I packed them all up in baggies, and made sure they wouldn’t leak on anything and in a seperate little travel case…which ended up not traveling at all. It was still laying on my bed when we got home.
Kate says:
My mother keeps an extra handful of toothbrushes at her house because I always — always always always — forget to pack my toothbrush. It doesn’t matter how many notes I make when I’m leaving to visit there, I never grab it. There is something about toiletries and I, because last time I visited her I left my shampoo and conditioner at home, too!
Though the worst was I left my Gameboy Advance in a hotel. It was a couple years old and I was able to replace it with a Nintendo DS, but I never saw it again. Stupid me.
Elaine says:
When my mother was alive she lived 300 miles from me and I went to see her frequently. And, I frequently would forget little things. Fortunately there were stores where the left behind item could be replaced if it was necessary. But one of the last times I went over there I left my entire makeup case at home with all my prescriptions, electric toothbrush, etc. That was a problem.
Glad you were able to make do with the stretchy pants. Elaine
Sara GC says:
I’m with you- I just got my first pair of leggings (slow to get on that trend)…and only wear them with tunics/long cardis, etc.!!
The most doh! moment was when I was a kid- it was just after I was old enough to start packing my own skating bag for competitions (I was a figure skater) and I TOTALLY FORGOT MY SKATING MUSIC. Yep – forgot all copies – you’re suppose to have at least TWO! And my mom drove me 2 1/2 hours to that competition….my fellow skaters all hummed my music…but let’s just say my mom went back to double/triple checking my bag.
Jen L. says:
When my son was 4 weeks old, we traveled from NYC to DC to visit my in-laws so my husband and I could sleep for the first time in 4 weeks. I forgot my breast pump. OUCH. Fortunately, my sister in law is a nurse, so we were able to get one from the hospital where she worked. That really sucked.
Erin says:
ummm, I have forgotten things too numerous to count…
Once I forgot the kids medications…had to have the pharmacy transfer prescriptions…on Thanksgiving…and turns out the insurance only covers out of state prescriptions on an emergency basis…and I had to pay the $200 out of pocket until I could talk to them…
OR the time I showed up at my ex-inlaws for Christmas…but my bag didn’t…everyone else’s did, but mine didn’t. Wore my mother in laws clothes on Christmas…
Mary says:
As “the responsible one” I volunteered to hold the train tickets when my brother and I (at 12 & 14 years old) were going to visit my Dad…and I left them in the car. I didn’t realize that until we were well on our way…we thought we were going to be kicked off the train.
Mel says:
I, too, forgot my extra pair of jeans. We were visiting our daughter in Mn. for a week and I just had the 1 pair of jeans I wore on the plane. I had a stuffed suitcase full of sweaters and tops, but no bottoms. Buying wasn’t really an option since jean shopping is a whole day adventure and my husband was not up for that challenge. I could not wait to get those puppies off and washed.
Tara says:
LOVE the third photo! I wonder if people that worked at the hotel were debating whether you wore the same thing every day or if you had many sets of the same outfit, like that girl in the Seinfeld episode. Hope your mom had a great birthday!
Carla J. says:
My dog, Harley, has digestive problems that require medication added to his food, the food needs to sit for 15 min. or so before he can eat it. One day I mixed the food and while waiting the 15 min. I was getting all my things together that I needed for work that day. Since I was in a hurry and running late, I forgot to give Harley his food. I didn’t even know I forgot to feed him until I got home from work, poor little guy…he was spoiled with extra food, treats and walks for like a month. To this day my Mom doesn’t let me forget it. Good thing I don’t have kids!
Kristi F says:
Went to Central Oregon for the 4th of July one year totally forgetting that it gets COLD in the high desert in the evenings so packed no jackets for any of us. Had to make a quick trip through the Big Dog outlet store for sweatshirts so we wouldn’t freeze in the evenings – oh and my hubby and mine matched because those were the only ones on clearance!
Stephanie says:
So I just had a very bizarre dream just like this last night. A co-worker somehow won the CA governor’s race as a write-in candidate and to celebrate, we went swimming. Only, I forgot my bathing suit top, so spent the time hiding in the water. Okay that’s weird.
AmazingGreis says:
I’ve never forgotten pants, but I’ve forgotten socks, underwear and shoes before. Not on the same trip. Each time I had to rectify the situation by a quick trip to Target (or Wal-Mart).
I will not be forgetting anything in a few weeks for Vegas!
Clair says:
I traveled to Europe with two girlfriends right after college, and I was responsible for planning all of our train trips. I bought this huge Europe by railroad book and created a pretty detailed itinerary. And then left the book on my bed when I went to the airport. We didn’t have any big transit failures, but that book would have saved a ton of time in all the countries where none of us spoke the language!
Rachel Whitten says:
One time I completely forgot to bring bras to sleepaway camp. I simply wore the same one all week. yeah it was really disgusting by the time I got home!
deanna says:
We blissfully drove away from our wedding, only to discover, about an hour later, that my new wonderful husband had left his wallet in his tux. Luckily, nothing could dampen our spirits that day!
Dawn K. says:
When Ella was born, we remembered to take the camera, but DIDN’T remember to take a charged camera battery. Parenting FAIL!
Darcie Cotton says:
I recently forgot the entire toiletry bag. I know…you can buy soap and shampoo. It was my glasses I missed the most! I felt trapped in my contacts for an entire week!
erin says:
I recently went on an anniversary trip with my husband. We had planned to go running together since we never get to go together when we are at home. of course, since this was our one opportunity to something we both love together, I forgot my running shoes. we considered buying me a new pair but I have a brand new pair at home. we decided to just get drunk the night before. That way we didn’t even want to run the next morning. Problem solved!
Heidi says:
Love the pics! looks gorgeous up there.
When my first son was about 7 months, I went to the bank and the DOL. I was only 5 min from home and I left without the diaper bag. I had no back up anything. So of course my son thought it a good time to have a blow out. I could not just drive him home sitting in poo… so I dug through my car and managed to find a coat, a pair of pants and a wash cloth and an old unused (I hope) dried up wipe. I got him all cleaned up and wrapped the wash cloth around his bottom, and put on the cloths that I found. I went straight into the DOL anyway! Thank goodness it was the one day that there was no line! We were in and out in 5 min. I will never leave my house without back up clothes, wipes, and diapers in my trunk again!!
Lori says:
We decided to suprise our kids and take them on a trip. We picked them up from school and drove straight to the airport. When we reached our destination we realized that we had left our daughters suitcase as home. It was a great trip for her because not only was she on a surprise trip she also got all new clothes while there so don’t feel so bad about the pants.
Sarah says:
Most recently I went away with friends for the weekend without underwear. I had to go into town to buy some at the Dollar General. They teased me relentlessly all weekend long.
jeannine says:
i always forget something. Underwear, SHOES, toothbrush, jacket… i am constantly having to find the nearest target to replace my forgotten item. One time i went to an event for work and forgot shoes (only had the flip flops i’d worn) and it was like 32*. Yes it is California but Yes i still looked and felt pretttty dumb (and cold).
Im surprised you didnt go buy a pair of pants, lol!
Allison M. says:
I always seem to run out of baby wipes in the diaper bag without knowing it. Usually if it just a pee diaper then I am ok with just throwing on a new one. When it is poo…I could just kill someone. (because I am not the one who uses the last wipe and does not refill the container!) It is a circus show in the bathroom trying to wet a paper towel and keep my son on the diaper changer and not get poo EVERYWHERE!
…not too exciting but I am sure a few of you can relate.
Mary says:
My wedding rehearsal.
I didn’t technically forget, I simply miscalculated Dulles Airport to Capitol Hill traffic on a Friday…in the rain…with no cell phone. Suffices to say, my then fiance was left at the church, holding the wedding shower bow bouquet while his three older brothers nudged him and helpfully teased him that I had finally ‘wised up.’ When I finally arrived, the priest decided to skip the rehearsal entirely.
I made sure I was VERY early to the church the next day.
Heather says:
Oh, I have so done this! One year when I was coming home for winter break from college, I did not pack anything for my bottom except for the dress pants I needed for Christmas and the jeans I was wearing (which, for some reason, were my most unfavorite pair). The only place to buy jeans in our small town was something like a really bad kmart type store. Let’s just say everytime I see generic jeans I think of that Christmas. So hot.
Ren says:
I once forgot the oatmeal on a backpacking trip (it was our only breakfast for the whole trip). That was devastating.
Chandra @ConsultantMom says:
I constantly forget to re-stock the diaper bag once I get home. I can’t tell you how many times I was out of wipes. Now, I keep a large container of them in each car.
Wendy says:
For Halloween, I went up to Portland, OR with my husband and baby. I live in AZ so when I bought my 9 moth old a Tinker Bell costume, I wasn’t thinking about the weather. But before we left I picked up a pair of white tights for her to wear…..and then left them at home. But it all worked out because I had a pair of black leggings, which didn’t match at all but at least kept her legs warm!
Natalie S says:
Last month we went to South Carolina for a wedding, and I forgot my toothbrush, deodorant, and my dress shoes..yikes! Needless to say, I took a trip to Target to remedy the situation
Katie says:
I forgot my toothbrush. On my honeym0oon…..
SUSAN SPARKS says:
Well, considering that if I don’t make a list I will forget something for sure, I always make a list of what to pack. But being one not to go ANYWHERE without makeup and hair done, didn’t think I needed to put either on my list…..well, when I got to my hotel realized that I had not packed either and had to go and buy all new makeup and hair stuff….needless to say, play money turned into emergency money!
LD says:
Beautiful pics!
I once was going to do research in a library 2-3 hours away. My firstborn was just a baby, so I didn’t want to stay over night. I got up at 4:30 with the intention of driving and arriving right when the library opened. I got maybe an hour and a half down the road when I realized that I didn’t have my wallet. I had my books, notebooks, and even my breast pump, but no wallet. There was no way to buy gas, get lunch, or even get into the library without money and an ID. I called my husband, and he drove halfway to where I was to bring the wallet, because I didn’t even have enough gas in the car to make it all the way back home. A 2+ hour trip turned into an almost 5 hour trip. IT was a long, long day.
Masie McGraw says:
I forgot underwear and deoderant on a business trip.. Luckily the hotel had little sample size deoderants that they gave guests for free when they forgot, but they told me I was on my own in regards to underwear.. I washed them out every night, thankfully only a 2 day trip
Gillian says:
You and your mom are so damn cute. You make me wish I had freckles.
I once forgot a breast pump at work. And I could not make do. So I had to drive the hour and a half home (I had a LONG ASS COMMUTE) to get it, before my chest exploded.
Jenny says:
Gillian,
THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME TOO!!! Except I didn’t forget the whole pump, just the breast shields. Well what good is the whole Medela shebang, if you have no BREAST SHIELDS? (For non-pumpers, these are the funnel looking things that go on the breast to pump it! All that tubing and machine is nothing without the part that hooks it all to your boob) By the time I was home I swear milk was building up around my collar bone!!
HA! How could I have forgotten the importance of my forgetting that?
LisaJ says:
OMG!!! Me, too. Like two weeks ago–how did I forget that?
And I do not have a stash built up…fortunately the school resource officer ws still at school so I was able to get my pump. But Oh.my.God. did I freak out on that one.
And while I am feeling confessional, I also forgot to double check on the kiddos’ bags (the older two–I packed the baby’s and triple checked it was in the car).
We went to Disney without my 12 year old’s bag. And let’s just say she was NOT happy when we got there and realized she had no bag. Can we say pre-teen drama queen?
Erica says:
Here’s a classic! I took my daughter (who is almost the exact age as Annie) to the gym to go swimming a couple months ago. I put her in a swimmy diaper and bathing suit before we left, and just grabbed my bathing suit and ran out the door. When I got into the locker room I realized that I had my tankini top but not the bottoms! Ahhhhh! What to do? Well, I was wearing boy short panties that *kinda* matched the tankini top, so I just went with it! I wore my panties into the pool with the bathing suit top, and then went commando on the way home
Christina says:
I have forgotten the “small” things before. Small in size, not in importance. Socks, for one. I wear flip flops so often that I frequently forget socks even when I pack sock-requiring shoes! I take frequent road trips to visit family for the weekend who are 4 hours away. Often I travel at night and wear one of those tanks with a shelf bra and some yoga pants. That darn shelf bra does me in WAY too often. I think, “I can just wear the same bra for the weekend” and leave. But DUH, my bra is built in! I have had to go to Target a couple of times. Pretty sheer tops don’t look so pretty with a very old shelf bra tank under it that has a few stains on it from late night ice cream on the couch. Also, I just recently went on my honeymoon and forgot all of my jewelery. I had carefully picked several costume earrings and necklaces that would go with every outfit. I just went without for the honeymoon aside from 1 necklace I bought in Venice. When you have wild, curly hair, that’s your biggest accessory anyway! I just played it up the whole time!
And thank you for following the leggings/booty rule. Life ain’t a jazzercize class!
Patsy says:
There is always SOMETHING. Electronic chargers top the list for me. I had to fly to a funeral and needed to to some work while I was there. The laptop cord was sitting on my kitchen table. The Ipod charger is the most frequently forgotten item now.
The Domestic Goddess says:
Just ONE time I forgot something important? Oh dear. That’s haaaard. Just last week I forgot to make very, very important cardiology appts for my kids. Is that bad?
Susanne says:
To my husband’s amusement (not always) I always forget things. I never remember where my keys, my phone charger or my laptop charger are or where I put my cell phone (I have called my own phone so many times with our house phone – it is not funny anymore…). I have forgotten my driver’s license heading to the airport to take a plane to Dallas – my husband had to turn around and speed 20 minutes back to our home and 45 minutes back to the airport – needless to say that it was very quiet in the car… I forgot my make-up bag when flying to Germany and had to go shopping for all my cosmetics in overcrowded stores in Germany on December 23rd (no fun!). I visited our daughter’s godmother one day and handed Emily (at that time 10 months old) to her for some snuggle time, when a few minutes later she handed Emmy back to me, after Emmy had wet herself and her godmother’s shirt. I had to admit in front of her entire family, parents, sibblings, cousins and all that I had forgotten to put a diaper on Emily… There was no way I could blame it on potty-training… On 9/11 we were flying back from Europe and got stranded on Newfoundland for 5 days – could not get to our luggage and I had only my laptop in my carry-on… Swore to myself after that experience that I would never fly again without a change of clothes in my carry-on – I do not think I have actually ever taken a change of clothes with me since then… but next time, definitely… We bought very special earrings for me to wear at our wedding. They went perfectly with my dress – well until this day I have no idea where I put them after we bought them and of course I had to wear different ones on our wedding day… But I swear this is not my fault – there are good explanations for all of those things! … I might need help…
Jenny says:
One of our first long weekends away, when we first started dating, I forgot my now-husband’s underwear. We were to be in Vermont skiing for 5 days and he had only the ones he’d worn there – not a walmart in sight. I can’t remember, did he wear dirty, commando? Dunno. He was so mad at me, I wasn’t allowed to pack for him ever again. Oh, poor me. Now every time we pack to go somewhere, and I am getting three kids and myself ready, but deep down I’m sulking that I don’t get to pack his underwear because *sigh* I’m just not responsible enough!
Caren says:
I made an appointment to bring in some very important paperwork to a very important office. I completely forgot it. Didn’t think about it until I was almost to my appointment.
Jennifer says:
I have totally forgotten one of my children. Before you all jump on me, I only got down the stairs and into the car without him. I freaking the bejezus out and ran back into the house.. He was sitting in his room playing.. He totally didn’t even know we had left. I played that one off so no one tell him!!!!
Lisa says:
My husband forgot all of his shirts one time when we went on a cruise. He got to advertise the cruise line all week by wearing all of their shirts!
Stephanie Griggs says:
I love love love reading your blog!
I once went on vacation to Key West with my best friend. My husband and I recently changed banks and I left my brand new debit card at home. I had no way of getting it to me down there, and i had to spend the whole week long vacation mooching off my friend. Thank GOD she was able to help me out and have me pay her back when we got home. Crisis averted!
debbie says:
I’ve forgotten my cell phone – way too many times. and had to turn around to go back and get it from home. Once, while going away for the weekend, we drove close to 45 minutes back home to get my phone. I brought my CHARGER – but no phone.
sigh….
thanks for the giveaway – I’m been drooling at the commercials for this phone!
krystal says:
Stretchy pants is a must for not only airplane trips but also road trips. I cant say I’ve ever forgotten pants but I have forgotten other things like tampons when camping, diapers when out for the day and far far away from a grocery store and other countless things.
cori says:
Love your story. I always pack way to much stuff, when I travel. Always thinking I will forget something. At this time I can not think of anything I have forgotten. I have misplaced items while packing, they always end up in strange spots in the luggage!
giselle says:
ugh one time i forgot to pack extra bras for a work trip. No problem, I’ll wear the same one all week, I say. well come Wednesday morning and one of the straps SNAPS right off. At the clip part, so it’s not like I could just tie it in a knot and go on with my life. And let’s just say that I’m on the extremely busty side. I made the strap go from my left front to my right back, so at least the bra would stay up. So I had to go around for 3 days with only one side supported. I’m sure I looked very business casual.
Jules says:
I went on a business trip and lost my luggage and of course it was the one trip I forgot to pack a change of clothes in my carry on. So I had to do a presentation in the clothes I traveled for nearly 24 hrs in-so gross. Luckily I did get to shower but still-i was mortified. I just made a joke of the whole thing and everyone thought it was pretty funny.
Stephanie says:
Awesome pictures, even in the same outfit, looks like such a nice trip!
I was flying to Las Vegas to meet my mom one time and I forgot my cell phone, which wouldn’t have been a big deal but I had to call my mom to pick me up when I landed. Of course I didn’t have her number memorized, it was just on speed dial. I tried a bunch of different number combos but none were her phone. So I sat at the airport for about an hour before she finally figured I wasn’t gonna call and just drove to the airport to check. Good thing or I might still be sitting there!
Tamie says:
Ever since my bags got lost on a flight as a kid, I’ve always travelled with a spare pair of underwear in my carry on bag. But packing? Last Christmas I organised a last minute 5 day holiday somewhere hot, and decided to go the day after our work Christmas party. Unfortunately, I packed while extremely drunk. When I arrived at my destination, I found:
4 pairs of shorts
2 t-shirts
2 pairs of underwear
hair straighteners
Because obviously you need hair straighteners at the beach!!
Anna says:
When I was applying to boarding high school 2.5 hours from my house, I forgot my birth certificate at home! This was necessary for application and we were already 1.5 hours away when we realized it! So we had my grandparents making a mad dash to my mom’s office as it was almost 6 to fax the thing to our hotel. It made it, thank goodness…
Cassandra says:
I never end up packing quite enough pairs of underwear. Every single time I go somewhere, the last few days turn into no-undies days. Not good.
Laura says:
I planned a wine tasting trip up to Monterey with my then boyfriend (now husband). I remembered to pack everything I needed for the trip I planned. We went wine tasting on the first day and I got proposed to. The next days was a whole day planned by my fiancé. It was a surprise and he told me to wear jeans and dress super casual and in layers in case I got cold. I did as told but I wore flip flops (the only cas shoe I brought). We finally arrived in Carmel at a ranch. He surprised me with a day of horseback riding! He knew i loved horses and riding so he figured it was the perfect surprise. It turns out you can’t ride wearing flip flops!! They had to DUCT TAPE my flip flip to my feet and to the stirrups!!!! It was hilarious!!!
Kathy says:
I forgot my camera last Christmas when I flew home. I couldn’t believe I didn’t bring a camera to my son’s first Christmas! Ahhhhh
Amy D says:
My husband and I went on a trip to Portland and he ran out of room in his I-don’t-know-why-he-uses-this-too-small-to-travel-anyway-bag. He asked me to throw his boxers and socks in mine for him, and I completely forgot. Needless to say the first stop from the airport was Target!
Marcea says:
One trip long ago, I forgot to pack bras and bathing suits.. (I was wearing a tank top with built in bra in it at the time) I had to run to Kmart to buy bra for the week and bathing suits for me and my hubby. Kmart was over half hour away! but we really wanted to swim!
Catherine says:
When I was working my first job out of college, I would work out and get ready at the gym beforehand. I had to pack everything to wear and one morning forgot my bra. I cannot rock the no bra look. Thankfully my Mom came to the rescue!
Jenni Sullivan says:
I forgot my child in the car…while it was running…and locked…and he was 7 weeks old. THANK GOD for AAA
molly says:
one time i forgot tampons/pads on a camping trip. you don’t want to know how i remedied that one. another time or timeS, rather, i forgot baby wipes. i found paper towels actually worked BETTER.
Angela says:
When we left for our honeymoon to Ireland, I forgot my digital camera AND makeup bag at security at SFO. Needless to say, they were both gone by the time I got back to SFO two weeks later. Ugh.
Erin says:
I arrived in Hawaii only to find. No. Shorts. So, easy enough, just went shopping. Problem solved!
Sheila says:
As the mother of a toddler, I can honestly say that I’ve forgotten my mind on several occassions! LOL
nan says:
On an 8 hour car trip to PA to visit my Grandma, I forgot formula for our three month old baby. I remedied this by hysterically stopping at Target about 2 hours into the drive. Oh, I also forgot water to mix the formula with….
alex m says:
I forgot my photo portfolio on my way to my entrance interview for a photography school! Duh! Oh well, I still got in and had a great time in the classes
Melissa says:
I was flying home from Tennessee to Illinois.. Forgot my phone and any money I had.. Also knew only 1 number by heart that was not a cell number- because you can’t call collect to a cell.. And I called my boss and asked if she could call my mother to let her know I was coming and thankfully everything went right and mom showed up at the airport as I walked out of the baggage area!
Marin D says:
I always forget pajamas for vacations. Which doesn’t sound bad until you think about the fact that all I have is jeans with me and sharing a space with someone other than your husband. They don’t want to see my underwear and I don’t want to wear my jeans ALL the time. And it isn’t something I want to buy because I have plenty at home. LOL.
Rian says:
I managed to not pack one of the 8 new, carefully selected, bathing suits I purchased for our 10 day beachfront honeymoon. I realized it on our way to LAX and could have kick myself. When we arrived in Mexico our first stop was something close to a WalMart. I found two bathing suits that would work, however they both smelled like pork and cheese.
beck says:
I also like to be comfortable on a plane, so when I went abroad to europe, I wore my glasses for the flight. I an not usually a glasses wearer but I thought it would make napping easier.
Of course, I forgot my contacts – only glasses for my for 9 months. Not one photo without them.
Carra says:
I forget my coat EVERYTIME I leave my house…you would think I’d learn, but I don’t. I remedy the situation by walking very quickly and swearing.
Jill says:
I am always forgetting to pack underwear! Usually when heading down to my father in laws house for the weekend. Well I admit I can’t make due with one pair of underwear, and Target is only a 5 min drive away, and what a great excuse to get out and hit Target!
Tia says:
Okay, it was th summer of 1990. I was 14 years old and was going on vacation for 3 weeks with my father and stepmom. I forgot my entire stack of shorts at home. It was crushing. My stepmom took me to some dollar store clothes shop and it was pretty much the worst store ever. Needless to say, I was NOT getting any cute boys phone numbers on that vacation!
melinda says:
I once forgot to pack my makeup bag. I didn’t realize it the day I flew into town. I realized it the next morning when I was getting ready. I was in Boston for a conference. Thank goodness I could slip on some sunglasses and walk to a drugstore nearby to stock up!
Patty Smith says:
I forgot Heinz Ketchup when I went to China for a year. Rural China. For one year. It was several weeks before I figured it out. I was having a moment of severe homesickness. Then the panic set in. It took 6 weeks to get me a bottle from the states. I was then in Ketchup heaven.
Anna says:
I think that sentimental gifts are the most memorable way to do more with less. My favorite gifts are photo calendars, filled with memories. These are easy and affordable, and can be tailored for families and friends.
Lastly, don’t forget to spend a little something for those who can’t spend – whether it is adopting a family for a holiday or buying something small for a toy drive. When I was little, I was the recipient of a secret toys-for-tots gift (I had no idea where it came from, it was left at my doorstep), and it helped me continue believing in Santa although my family was not able to afford gifts that year!
Denise Thomas says:
Back in my twenties (approximately 150 years ago), I was going to the beach house that my then boyfriend shared with 5 other friends. Me and six guys for the weekend. Me. And six guys. The day we went was really hot, and we were going to the beach, so I threw on my bathing suit, with a tee and shorts over it. Great. Had a great day at the beach. Went to the house to get settled and showered to go out. NO BRA. Me and six guys in a house for a weekend and I had NO BRA. Top THAT.
Rebekah says:
I forgot my razor once. Fortunately we were visiting NYC, where there’s a shop on every corner.
Shannon says:
I can’t even remember all the thing I’ve forgotten. I always end up running to the store. I usually pack for my whole family so there is almost always something missing. I’ve forgotten my husband’s socks, my kid’s shoes, wipes. I wish I could remember a really specific one, but we almost always end up running to the store. I’m so proud you survived in your one pair of pants.
Stephanie M says:
Extra contacts. It involved a drive to DC on a Friday night, in the dark, rain & fog, on a rural highway in…oh, it was probably Maryland at that point (coming from West Virginia). Three hours into a six hour trip…bam! Touched my eye the wrong way, and out popped a contact, never to be seen again. No problem, I traveled so much then I just kept a “travel pack” in a bag for my trips, including all the basics, all I had to do was add clothes and I was set. Guess what wasn’t in my travel pack? I managed to drive the three further hours, and we spent the next day at the mall waiting on glasses to be made for me at Lenscrafters.
heather@tripleblessing says:
WELL, it’s not actually a time that I forgot something. My maid of honor did me a “favor” and packed my overnight bag for my wedding night. We were only going away for one night before leaving on our “real” honeymoon. When we got to the hotel, I opened my bag and found that the only she packed me was lingerie. No clothing. No shoes. I had to put my wedding dress BACK ON to go to my parents house the next morning.
Amanda M. says:
I went on a trip to San Francisco for the weekend and totally wore the same jeans three days in a row. Three days in a row for pants isn’t a big deal if you’re not pooping yourself or rolling in mud!
Andrea says:
I forgot underwear AND socks when visiting my aunt and uncle. Luckily they had a washer and dryer so I just washed the same pair with their laundry every night.
Jaime says:
Ok, I’ve never forgotten anything as drastic as pants! Oh my! But I’ve forgotten multiple birthdays and anniversaries and I need help managing that so I don’t forget any more!
Penny says:
Years ago my husband’s Grandmother passed away and we all went to her home state to have her funeral. It took place at the church in town. We then had to drive 45 minutes to the cemetary. Grandma had been cremated so we would bury her ashes next to Grandpa. This cemetary was very old and we had to dig the hole oursleves with a post hole digger, yeah, I know…
Well, since it was such a far drive we all decided to car pool from the church to the cemetary. Once we arrived and all gathered around to dig the hole we all looked at each other, where were the ashes? Yep, you guessed it, we forgot her in another car that was left at the church. So we had to wait another hour and a half while my father-in-law drove back to the church and back, to bury poor Grandma. She did always say she would probably be late for her own funeral. God bless her. She was a funny funny lady! I miss her.
Kelley says:
When I was studying abroad, I only had about 10 outfits to last me four months… and the very first time I did the laundry, I had one red thing in there that turned EVERYTHING purple. So the rest of the semester my jeans, shirts and socks were purple. I guess it’s good I love purple!
Sarah says:
I love you for forgetting your pants! I forget everything, all the time. One time when I took a trip to Paris I forgot my camera lens. There’s really no way to remedy that! I did manage to find a lens baby to use for the weekend, though, so…at least I’m resourceful?
JAS says:
I forgot Epipens for a food-allergic kid … had to find the closest pharmacy at 3 am.
miracle says:
I forgot my pump at work. Boobs going to explode. Went around and borrowed parts from all my coworkers- three or four to be exact.
Carrie says:
I recently went to a wedding where we were getting changed in the hotel beforehand and realized I forgot dress shoes! Fortunately there were a few stores locally where I could buy a new pair…
kalen says:
I forgot our diaper bag once when we went out to eat. BIG mistake. Noticed halfway thru the meal when she had a poopy diaper.
themoira says:
Once went for a week long trip to SF and left my undewear and make-up case stacked neatly on my bed. It was an interesting week.
Chris says:
So, it’s not PANTS or anything, but Hubby and I have these really nice latex pillows that we spent a boat-load of money on and have to take with us anywhere that we’ll be sleeping. On the occasions we’ve forgotten them, we’ve barley slept at all. DON’T FORGET THE PILLOWS! is frequently shouted in my house.
Caroline says:
Years ago, when my oldest was a year old, we went to my grandma’s for xmas dinner. I discovered there were no diapers in the diaper bag when my son had a blowout! I tried to wipe off his diaper so I could put it back on him. I didn’t want anyone to know that I forgot to pack diapers. It was an enormous mess!!
Dawn Killam says:
Wow! That is awesome. I feel for you!
So when my children were about 2 and 4 we went camping and I am super planner and have to make lists and all of that crazy stuff. So I did and had everything packed and ready to go and we loaded up and headed to the beach and unpacked and set up camp. Everything was great until I needed to change the kids for bed and I discovered that neither of them had any clothes. Anywhere! I had packed them in the same bag and the bag didn’t get loaded. Soooooo… We ended up at the Fred Meyer buying stuff to make it through our week long trip. Thankfully there was a clearance sale and it was end of summer. It was awful.
Cassie C says:
I had to do a fieldwork study at a school south of the twin cities and I live north of them…so each night before I’d pack up and head to my boyfriend’s house who conviently lives in the city but on the south side of it…I totally forgot my undies one night! I did not realize I was without until I went to get dressed the next morning being I was expecting Aunt Ruby to show up that morning I totally needed undies. So, I washed them in the sink – then dried them with my hair dryer.
What I won’t do to win something as cool as a Windows Phone…!
Amy K says:
On a trip to the UK with my husband, I left my purse containing our passports, money and plane tickets in the back of a taxi. All of the Sikh taxi drivers in the city of Birmingham got on their radios and helped us hunt down my purse, and then the driver waited for us to pick it up from him at the local train station. I was sooooo relieved to get it back! The driver wouldn’t even accept a reward for his help and all of his wasted time.
Earlier on the same trip, I left our Britrail passes under my leg in a chair at the train station, and when I stood up and walked off toward the train, a janitor threw them in the garbage and I had to go fishing for them. I cut my hand on a broken bottle. It’s true – I might be the world’s worst travel companion.
eliza says:
You’re such a beauty Heather. Pants or no pants. I wasn’t able to stop by last week to comment. But I thought about you every day all day last week. I hope you’re doing ok.
Melissa says:
In August, my husband and I were going to a friend’s wedding. We made a special trip the week before to get the card and gifts, so that we weren’t stopping on the way to the wedding (and then being late!) to get it at the last minute.
We forgot the present.
It’s still in our dining room.
Kim says:
I always forget something. Phone chargers, bra, shoes that match. I guess I should let someone else pack my suitcase. Saturday my son and I just to get away went to a hotel in a town about 20 mins away. Guess what I forgot? Underwear? Who forgets underwear. I knew I had packed some, guess they invited those underwear in package for just this occasion. Thank God it was for just one day.
Charmi says:
Last Jan, when V was born, he was about a week old and I was worried he wasn’t gaining enough weight. So, off we went. Packed up the diaper bag, packed up the baby, my sister came to take me, because I was in BAD BAD shape still after delivery. We get there, and the doctor has me strip him down. Height, weight, blah blah…”Oh, Charmi, you can go ahead and put him in a diaper.” “Thanks Doc! Let me just get one…right…here…wait..”
No DIAPER.
Naked newborn. No diaper. Naked newborn starts to cry, first time he breaks out in the purple silent cry, and then I start to cry. I wrap him in a chuck and call my dad to bring me a diaper.
Good times.
shea drummond says:
When we traveled to adopt our son, we brought our international phone but forgot the charger. We had pre purchased an international sim card for the country we were in. We begged our facilitator to borrow his daughter’s old pone, and praise God, he had one.
Esther says:
I packed a wonderful coming home outfit for my newborn son but hubby forgot to bring the suitcase to the hospital when he came to pick us up. The little one came home in a undershirt with the hospital logo on it and wrapped in hospital blankets. Still have the undershirt and my son just celebrated his 38th birthday.
Adara says:
I have for sure had a couple trips where I have forgotten to pack extra under garments! I would wake up in the morning, wash them in the sink with hand soap, and sit and blow dry them with my hair dryer….such a waste of time and all around not fun! After a few trips gone bad, they are now one of the first things I pack!
Kris Shields says:
I forgot my daughter’s medicine once. We were going on vacation in the mountains. Most of everything was able to be transferred to a local pharmacy, but one was a controlled drug. So we got to meet the nice emergency room doctors as there was no local pediatrician who would see a new patient on a weekend, and no urgent care center in this town. Fun, fun times!
Lesley says:
I like to forgot entire pieces of luggage. My husband and I had a bad run of forgetting luggage for a while. The worst was when we left my luggage in the middle of a hotel lobby in Mendocino and then drove off. We were staying in Healdsburg in Sonoma County (for da wine) and were having a nice anniversary dinner that night. I had to borrow underwear, clothes, makeup and everything that night. Nothing like your boobs in the wrong bra.
Kelly says:
I am usually a very careful packer. I start way in advance, double check things, make lists so I don’t forget.
On our honeymoon, I had packed everything. Nothing was forgotten, I had extras of everything. However, somewhere between our flight to Miami, and our cruise, my bag didn’t make it onto our cruise ship. Being newly married, I hadn’t even thought of the, some stuff in his bag, some stuff in my bag, concept.
We were on a 7 day cruise, and I had the clothes on my back, plus clothes I bought in the various shops on the boat, and at our various stops along the way. Nothing like looking like the Super Tourist. Every photo we have of us, I’m basically wearing the same thing.
Missy K says:
Heather you take the most beautiful pictures. With your week it is perfectly ok that you forgot pants. I went on a week long vacation to the beach last year & realized that I had forgotten to bring bras. Oh well…spent the majority of my time lounging in my swimsuits (of which I brought FIVE) at the pool or beach so I just washed out the one bra I had each night for the next day’s dinner outings…IF we even ventured out. Hey…resort hotels…they have everything under one roof. No need to change from the swimsuits. It was actually the best vacation EVER!
Vana says:
We go camping in the summer–a lot. Even with my famous lists, we have forgotten many things over the years, but I have to say the time I forgot my underwear is the one I remember. Thank God for a pair of swimsuit bottoms, but on our last night, I actually did–after a few cocktails–burn them ceremoniously in the firepit! Thanks for a great giveaway opportunity!
amy says:
I will be in Vegas when Dec 8th-12th…any chance Annie will tag along? and Rigby? Everytime you post you a new video, my entire office cracks up…Hope I get to meet you in Dec!!!
Laura says:
I went to visit the in-laws and forgot to bring my daughter’s binky! Not a big deal you would think but she would only sleep with the ugly green on that the hospital gives you. So needless to say I ended up driving 35 miles to the nearest hospital for a replacement once I got off the plane!!!
Emily says:
How timely….
I literally JUST finished BREAKING MY KITCHEN WINDOW because I forgot my keys today. Seriously.
I got home from work and realized I had no way to get into my second-floor apartment. I only have ONE door, and all of my windows are second-story. I ended up “borrowing” a ladder from my neighbor’s yard and climbing onto the roof so I could crawl through a kitchen window, which was unlocked, actually. I broke the glass while trying to push it open with the palm of my hand.
Today was the THIRD time I’ve had to do this in the 3 months we’ve lived here.
Awesome.
Rachel says:
I forgot to pack pants for my post-highscool graduation party. I had to wear loaned sweat pants:(
Leslie says:
When I was a kid I used to be the WORST for forgetting shoes. Anytime we took a trip and I needed shoes other than the ones I wore while traveling, I forgot them every time! The last straw was the day I had to wear my black patent church shoes with my jean capris and tshirt. I’m pretty sure that was the last time I forgot shoes.
Bethy C says:
We were new residents of the lovely state of Florida several years ago when along came a hurricane named Andrew. Heard of it? Yeah, I thought so. We were in its path. Well, we had this lovely 3 1/2 year old son who had a BAD case of chicken pox. We knew there was no way they would let a disease ridden child into a hurricane shelter if the need arose, so we booked it out of Florida to ride out the hurricane. We went to Georgia. We get to Georgia and are confined to a hotel room since said child was contagious. The next morning my husband gets out of the shower and realized I, yes I, didn’t pack his underwear. I brought nearly every other article of clothing we all owned in case our home got blown away in the storm………..but no underwear for my husband. Thankfully the hotel was directly across the interstate from an outlet mall…………we were able to buy new underwear for my husband and averted disaster. Oh, and the hurricane did nothing to our home………we were VERY lucky.
Bobbie says:
We took our two boys on a day trip to Block Island, RI, which included a one-hour ferry ride. My husband took off with them on the ferry, feeding them doughnuts and who knows what else. My 2-year old was fine until the boat stopped to back into the slip; the combination of greasy doughnuts and diesel smoke caused him to puke all over me. I had two changes of clothes for each child, but nothing for myself. I bought a Block Island t-shirt the second we got off the boat!
KateB says:
I always seemed to forget the baby hats. I have two adorable redheaded boys who burn very easily. We have hats from many venues around town, including the STL Cardinals, St. Louis Zoo, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, etc.
kim says:
I’ve forgotten to bring so many things over the years, but the one thing that keeps popping into my head is how many things I’ve forgotten to take out of my pockets, accidentally washed and henceforth destroyed. In the last week….memory card full of pics and my cellphone. yay for cell phone contest!
Greta says:
I once forgot my friend’s birthday (shame on me, I know), and I had to meet her that day. I was on my way when I saw people hugging her across the street… Lucky me, I was standing next to a flower shop
Alice says:
I have never forgotten anything like pants for a trip. But I did forget one of my friends daughter’s birthday parties once, like we totally spaced it all together and I didn’t even realize we’d missed the party til hours and hours later. I felt like a real heel for that one!
page says:
I forgot my assistant’s dance performance, a mere 24 hours after telling her I would be there. I scored a free ticket to Arcade Fire from a friend and had a wonderful time at the show.
The next day, she asked me “Where were you sitting?” and I excitedly asked, “At Arcade Fire?” She looked at me and slowly shook her head. She actually had to tell me I’d forgotten.
I did the door at her next show. And bought her drinks. I still bring it up, 4 years later, as a reason why I should always have things in my calendar on my phone.
ADD. Man, it’s a wonderful thing.
Aimee says:
I totally forgot all of my makeup. Believe this is important–as you would not want to see me without makeup! I also forgot my little electric razor thing to trim facial hair–so not only would have “UGGGGG” face, it would be HAIRY! Thus I found the nearest drugstore and bought what I could to survive.
Jewl says:
if you are in need of a pad and do not have one, ummm a diaper does the trick, haha. Shhh..I’ve never done this, promise
Carrie says:
I forgot diapers for my daughter when we traveled last December. Fortunately it was a car trip and the closest store was only 10 miles away. But still. She’s my second child, and I packed diapers for her brother, but none for her! Mommy brain moment, I suppose.
Kathy says:
I once went to stay with my cousin in KY and did not bring my underwear. I was only in about second or third grade. My aunt had unpacked my stuff and came out in the other room to ask me where my underwear was and I just stared back at her realizing that I had completely forgotten it. Needless to say, I was not able to just wear the same ones for a week, so a quick trip to Wal-Mart was a must!
Lisa says:
It wasn’t a huge deal, but I forgot my toothbrush on a recent 2-night trip. No big deal, hotel front desks usually have complimentary toothbrushes, right? Yeah, don’t use the free toothbrushes from hotel front desks. Cheapest toothbrush ever! I was literally spitting out bristles with my toothpaste, then had to pick more bristles out from in between my teeth. So gross!
Michelle Pixie says:
My biggest fear is doing something like this so I am the overpacker. I pack everything and then a little bit more. Makes my husband absolutely nutty. Although a couple of years ago we were going to Disneylad and were headed to the airport very early, when we got to the security line my husband realized he was still wearing his slippers and had forgotten to put on his sneakers. You know how much walking you do at Disneyland…there was no way those slippers were going to do the job. We ended up having to my him new shoes in Downtown Disney that cost us a pretty penny. Needless to say I haven’t heard much complaining out of him since then about how much I pack.
Korin says:
I have an almost 4 month old daughter. Well our first outing was to the pediatrician, she was 4 days old. I didn’t bring a diaper bag. What the heck did I know?!? While I am undressing her for weighing, she poops all over. I look at my husband, and we realize we don’t have her diaper bag.
Parents of the year, right here!!
sarah says:
i haven’t forgotten anything. but it makes me laugh because i was taking bets on facebook that my husband would, since i was making him pack for vacation for himself this year; the first time he ever had to. I even gave him a list! but i know him too well. So on his list was “dress shirt” for going out to dinner. When we got to the hotel, I told him to give me anything that he didn’t want wrinkled, and I would hang it up. He hands me a shirt, a shirt that i recognized and believed to be our 9yo son’s. Sure enough, it’s a kid’s 12/14. My husband is skinny, but even that was a bit much. He didn’t need it, it wasn’t as crucial as pants, but it was still funny.
Kelly says:
Ok, so mine was not so much a what did you forget, but what did the store forget? I was going from California to Chicago for work, needed somewhat business type clothing, so I bought a suit the night before the trip. Packed everything up and then as I was unpacking in the hotel, realized the store forgot to remove the stupid tag, you know the one that will spray ink all over if you try to tamper with it. I thought it was on a seam, so I tried undoing the sleeve, but nope, not really in the seam. Ended up going to the meeting without the jacket–so not entirely business like, but it had to do! Needless to say the store could not explain how I got out of said store without the alarms going off–doh!
Monica says:
Ha, lol, loved your burning pants story I am such a crazy woman, running around like a chicken with its head… well… um… when I am leaving to go anywhere that somehow I don’t forget the major important things. One time I forgot my pumper so I did have to drive home to get it which was an hour round-trip. That stunk. But I figure when traveling, there is always a Big Box store in every town now so I try not to sweat the small stuff… like undies
Amber says:
A free phone? Wow.
I think I can beat you with my ‘forgotten story’….
My baby girl was seven months old, we were going on a 15 hour road trip (no I didn’t forget HER), and I brought out ALL our bags and loaded them into the car. When we arrived at said destination, I couldn’t find her bag. No diapers, no clothes, no nuthin’. Lucky for us, my brother was flying in the next morning so I begged him to go to my house, break into my garage and grab her bag and bring it. Bless his heart, he went to my house and low and behold, the bag. THAT was an awful feeling!
You could have gone and bought yourself a pair of jeans, no? Glad you made it through with your trusty stretchy pants ;o)
Em D. says:
I forget to pack underwear all the time! I just wash them out at night and they’re dry by the next morning.
Sophie~Bug's Mom says:
I forgot to pack onesies and socks on my pickup trip to adopt my daughter in Guatemala. She wore the ones she arrived in for 3 days and ended up having an “accident” through the only onesie in the airport on the way home. Needless to say, that was left behind in the trash in the international airport! LOL!
lindsey says:
It’s so hard to recall those memories of forgotten items…I pushed them deep. I have forgotten some sort of ID before flying, I forgotten to bring the entire diaper bag with me on 2-3 hour shopping trips, and most importantly I forgot to pick up the pizza on the way home for dinner that night.
Maybe a snazzy phone could help me remember?
TwinMomJulie says:
Not once, but TWICE last season forgot the tickets to the Dodger game…and one of those times we were ON Stadium Way!!!
Brandy says:
When my son was about 9 months old we went to church like usual and I was completely sure I had the diaper bag decked out as usual with diapers, wipes, burp cloths, and extra clothes. It was near Christmas so he was dressed to the nines in his adorable penguin outfit from Gymboree. He was breastfed so he had lovely yellow poop at the time. In the middle of church he decided that would be the best time to let loose a massive transaction, which leaked out and covered his clothes. I went to the bathroom to clean up only to realize I in fact had NO clothes in the diaper bag and a naked baby on my hands. I ended up searching through the car only to find a too small 4th of July sleeper that had somehow ended up in the trunk. He looked quite the picture when we went back in. Everyone got a huge laugh over his “Daddy’s firecracker” outfit and of course had to get the appropriate pictures. It’s nice to plan for something adorable but at least I could laugh it off when he looked like he forgot what holiday we were actually celebrating.
Courtney K. says:
I forgot a bra last year when I went to an out of state wedding. I didn’t know that I forgot it until the very last minute so I had to go braless. It was….uncomfortable. I had to resist the urge to drink because I was afraid I’d get tipsy and my boob would fall out.
Jessica says:
I forgot my pj’s when we went on vacation. So I slept in my tank top and thong. My in-laws showed up bright and early at our hotel room and my hubby let them in. I had to stay under the covers until they left the room.
Suzanne says:
On a trip this past spring to visit my in-laws, I forgot almost all my underwear. I only had two pairs for a whole 6 days. After wearing each pair twice I rinsed them in the sink…but they didn’t dry. In retrospect, I could have asked my mother-in-law to borrow the washer/dryer but admitting I had forgotten ALL MY UNDERWEAR was really really embarrassing.
Sonya says:
Believe it or not, I forgot to show up to be induced. The hospital called me two hours after my appointment time asking if I was going to show up to have the baby.
Dee Dee says:
Ok so how important is it to have a new bra each day when you are traveling for 4 days. Yep, that’s right, I forgot to pack bras once when I was going on a college visit with my son. So, thank goodness it was not hot (no sweat on the one bra I had) and thank God I didn’t pack a white shirt to go with the one black bra I brought. I must admit though, I didn’t tell my son I was wearing the same bra all 4 days we were there
Mia C. says:
Oh, that’s easy – try every. single. trip!
I’ve forgotten bathing suits when I went to visit my mom in Florida. I’ve forgotten pants — just like you. And I’ve forgotten bras.
The remedy is always the same — a trip the the nearest mall/outlet store to buy the missing item(s)! (A great excuse to go shopping!)
-Mia C
isabel khan says:
I once forgot my 3 month old son’s supply of breast milk when i dropped him off to day care. Unfortunately, we had just moved almost 45 minutes away and returning home was out of the question. I had to gather a group of teacher friends to take over my class while I drove back to day care to nurse him every couple of hours!
Katrina says:
I often leave for trips without packing bras. I don’t know what it is about them that I can’t ever remember to throw them in the suitcase! At least bras are something that you could feasibly wear for a few days straight, although they might have to be burned like your pants after returning home!
Tiffany says:
I left for a trip to visit my in-laws early in my marriage. They lived about 3 hrs from our house at the time. I forgot both suitcases including all clothing. My husband was furious. I woke up super early the next day and went to Kohl’s for a weekend’s worth of clothing from underwear up. Fun times!
Heather says:
I totally forgot to pack normal socks. I was so happy to be packing my rainbow striped toe socks that I forgot all other necessary socks. I decided to tough out our weekend snowboarding trip without purchasing any either. And boy was it a mistake! Your toes are friends and keep each other warm. Separating them with novelty socks and shoving them in snowboarding boots is cold and uncomfortable!
Karen Junge says:
I guess this don’t count, because I didn’t forget but the airport lost my suit case for a couple of days with no change of clothes toothbrush,make up, hair stuff. I had to go buy a few things as in new underware and tooth brush.
Susie says:
I went to a wedding in rural NH this summer and made a long weekend out of it. Planned all kinds of fun things to do. I remembered the bug spray, suntan lotion, hat, hiking boots, camera and charger, stainless steel water bottle. I remembered everything I needed except I left the garment bag with my dress and shoes for the wedding at home and had to have my family overnight the whole thing to me. Thank goodness for next day Saturday delivery service.
Krish says:
So I went on a vacation to hawaii last month, for a week. I nagged and reminded my wife time and again to pack extra clothes and inners, only to realize that I had packed 2 days worth of underwear :-|
Needless to say, I was (bare) butt of all jokes that vacation
LibraryGirl62 says:
I left without my bras and underwear-had to run to Walmart and buy some!
OH-and I went to a conference without my PURSE!!!!!! Had to have my mom Fed-Ex it to me. Thank goodness my friends fed me that whole day.
Kimmy says:
Usually my forgotten items can be purchased cheap at a store. The most recent was when I went to a wedding with my family. We stayed for the weekend & my brother wanted to go to the gym with me. I had PJs that could double as gym clothes, but no sneakers — I didn’t think I’d need those for a wedding! Luckily I was able to get some at a store across from the hotel.
Jeanette Milam says:
Oh, I always forget plenty of things….the worst being when we were going on a cruise and drove to the port city about 6 hours away when I realized I left my hanging bag in the doorway at Home! I had no blouses or dresses! Only casual clothes packed in my suitcase! And no time to drive back home! I had to buy a few new pieces in the expensive shop on the ship! Cost me way too much….I am so frugal to begin with!
Ana G says:
I forget everything…I think that sometimes I must have ADD because if I dont write everything down..I will never remember! I have to write down appts for my kids, afterschool activies, pay bills, etc…I don’t know if its hereditary because my mom is the same…hope my kids dont come out like me!
Tracy says:
We went to stay with my grandparents one time and I have no excuse for my forgetfulness. I not only forgot pajamas but also undies. UNDIES of all things?! The remedy? Sleep in your borrowed uncles tee shirt & go commando a few days
Kyle says:
My family took a trip to Ireland when I was 15 and I forgot my glasses. So I had to wear contacts as long as possible and just be blind (legally blind without contacts/glasses) the rear of the time. I remember it was beautiful, blurry but beautiful.
Debbie S.S. says:
One morning on my way to work, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I noticed I had chipped a nail. No clippers or file on me. No problem…I’ll just use my teeth to smooth it out until I could get to work and use the spare file I have there. Put my finger in my mouth….NO TEETH!!! NO.TEETH.!!! I wear dentures and they were still soaking in the little bowl on the counter in my bathroom! To this day I put my teeth in before I leave the bathroom..and thank God for a chipped nail….if not for that I would have shown up at work with NO TEETH!
Anna says:
I went on vacation when I was younger with my family and forgot my bathing suit. Not a necessity, but still instead of going out and buying something reasonable I just went swimming in the hotel pool, outdoor pool, and the ocean in a pair of boxers & t-shirt that I borrowed from my older brother.
Jamie says:
I forgot pieces to my breast pump at home one day when I went to work! Luckily there was a WalMart across the street and I acquired an emergency hand pump!
Jessika says:
I forgot my hairbrush on a trip to NYC once. It was awful since I didn’t discover it until I was almost out the door to my friend’s bachelorette party – and it was too late to buy something but my hair was a crazy mess!
Brandy says:
When I was younger (and single) I went on vacation and I forgot shoes. All that I had were the flip flops on my feet. The rest were sitting in their own special bag at the foot of my bed. Walking in Vegas, and going out to clubs in flip flops was not ok! I wound up spending souvenier money on shoes. Bummer!
Barb says:
Hello, Heather
By way of intro, I am Matt Logelin’s cousin via marriage (Lizzie was my cousin). I found yr site via Matt’s blog, and have been reading regularly ever since. Annie’s birth annoucement is proudly hanging on our frig.
I have several “forgot” stories. One: Hubby and I were leaving work to go to dinner. Rather than take our two cars from the office to the restaurant, we left one at the office and drove one to the restaurant. After a pleasant date night, we headed home. As our garage door opened, we looked at each other and said “Where is our other car?” Yes, we forgot it at the office. This has happened so often that we no longer leave a car ANYWHERE but at home. Two: Our first daughter was five months old. We had enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at sister-in-law’s and were ready to go home. We packed up the diaper bag, baby toys, baby bottles, wrapped baby in her cozy snow suit, and snapped her into her carseat carrier. We bundled ourselves up and carried everything to the car. Almost everything. As we backed out of the driveway, we noticed there was no baby in the car… Three: Our first daughter was nine months old. Early Sat AM, baby was napping and I was going to the grocery store. Told hubby he had baby duty and off I went. An hour later, I returned home. I carried in groceries and called for hubby. No answer. Baby was still sleeping, but hubby couldn’t be found. I tho’t it was very funny that hubby was playing hide-n-seek w/ me. I checked closets, basement, backyard…Couldn’t find hubby anywhere – because he had FORGOTTEN he had baby duty and gone to the hardware store. If baby had NOT still been asleep, I would have been upset that she was left home alone. Instead, it makes a funny story to tell our daughter – now 14-yrs-old and a daily reader of yr blog.
Jenny says:
The first time I met my (now) fiance’s parents I was going to be staying at their house for the weekend. I was so stressed about meeting them, and since he is ten years older than I am and they live in Buffalo (I live in Raleigh) I was worried about being judged for my age and being from the south. April in NC means 70-80 degrees. April in Buffalo means still snowing. I forgot socks. I was so afraid to ask his mom, and so I tried wearing the same ones for two days…but it was snowy and my feet got wet (gross). His mom has miniature feet, and the only ones I could borrow were his dads. When I went to give them back his mom just made a face and said “You keep them. We’ll just buy more”.
Tamara says:
When I went on a sorority retreat in college, I forgot to pack underwear. How did I solve it? I didn’t. Commando all the way after the first day. On the 2nd night, a fellow sorority sister thought it would be funny to pants me. My entire sorority saw my bare bootay. Not my proudest moment. I played it off by yelling at the chick that she pulled so hard, she GOT MY UNDERWEAR DOWN TOO! Fortunately, no one asked for proof.
Carmen says:
At the first pediatrician checkup for my daughter (our first child), I forgot to bring a baby bag. No, I’m not joking. I just drove to the doctors with the baby, carseat, my purse, and NO baby bag. As in, no diapers. So when the pediatrician removed the dirty diaper to do the check up she threw away the diaper and left me to re-clothe her. Except I had no diaper. Luckily, they had extras, so the nice nurse gave me one. And that was my first “I’m a terrible mom” feeling.
Teri says:
Not a very funny story, but I forgot my reflux meds last time I went across the country — nothing like stress plus new foods plus reflux to make for a memorable vacation!
Dawn says:
Me and my kids had been sick for a week. I was delirious after a week of fever, sweating, chills, vomiting and taking care of the kids that were sick on top of it. My son was finally better to go back to school on a Tuesday. He picked out his own outfit that day – his standard jeans and ratty old t-shirt, layered with a second ratty old t-shirt – it was so worn out if I had been feeling better I would have argued and made him change but didn’t have the energy to care.
When I pulled up at school I see on the billboard that today is picture day. OMG. Actually, the short sleeve faded navy blue t-shirt over the faded long sleeve camo shirt looked really cute in the pics. My favorite ones so far!
Dawn
P.S. Oh! Once we had THREE lost teeth in one week! Unfortunately, the tooth fairy accidently fell asleep early and forgot to leave cashola. Oops. She remembered the next morning and left an apology note along with $5. I’m grateful it was the nine year old’s tooth as he doesn’t believe anymore but goes along with it not to ruin it for his younger sister and he gets $. Win win for him.
Amy says:
About 7 years ago we bought a small Boler travel trailer. Our first camping trip! Very fun until we readied for bed and I realized we had not packed ANY bedding or pillows. That was a very long and uncomfy night
Not a phone person, just wanted to share my favorite “I forgot” moment. My mom’s are much worse; twice she left a sibling of mine behind on a road trip, WHILE on the road. Ooops. Guess you have to do a head count when you have so many kids as she did
Jenna says:
I did the same exact thing this weekend. Neglected to pack pants and only had the pants i wore on the plane — comfy pants. So I went to Old Navy and bought new jeans. Not the most responsible route, but I love the new jeans!
Courtney says:
Nope, I wore my nice stretchy track pants in the car on the way to stay with some friends a couple of nights at a beach house. TOTALLY FORGOT MY JEANS and my track pants were ORANGE! Luckily the wife of the couple we were sharing the house with was my size and had an extra pair of jeans I could borrow for the two dinners out.
Kimberly says:
Oh Heather, last winter I dropped my my then-8 yr old daughter off at YMCA overnight camp and realized that I had forgotten her toiletry bag at home. Inside was her toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, and most importantly her Nasonex nasal spray! Ugh. It was 8 pm and we were one hour from home, on a week night. The next morning I called my favorite courier service and had them deliver the bag to the camp.
The courier has also picked up and delivered for me her diaper bag when she was a baby and I forgot it at home for the day, her shoes to school when I forgot to put them in her backpack and didn’t want her to be in her wet boots all day, and her violin to school. Quicksliver Express Courier is my very own personal assistant.
Angela says:
I once left the house without a bra on. The pathetic thing is that I realized it when I was right outside the front door but I was too lazy to walk back upstairs to my bedroom to get it. It was a cold morning so I just threw my sweatshirt on but as the day got warmer, I couldn’t take it off. I’m a teacher so walking around the school with my girls hanging out would not be a good idea!
Veronica says:
week long vacation in New Hampshire with my now hubby’s family and I forgot my underware, I wasn’t to worried as there is a WalMart on the way there so we stop to get underware and there was bomb threat at the store and we had to evacuate the store minus the panties!! What a nightmare at 9 at night, ended up having to shell out more $ at victoria secret so I could have some underware!!
Donna says:
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made it “down the road” and realized my cell phone is at home. I’ve been late on several occasions cause really, who can live without them these days? I have to turn around and retrieve!
Terri Kaufman says:
My husband and I thought we would surprise our children and take them to Myrtle Beach for the weekend. I packed everyones suitcases, then a cooler with snacks and drinks. We had a great time driving south for 3 hours, arrived at the hotel ready to take a swim in the ocean and thats when I realized I had packed everyone’s suitcase but mine. It’s still a funny thing we talk about but the kids swear I did it on purpose to get new clothes.
Pam says:
After a hectic wedding day morning, my friend offered to put my honeymoon bag in the back of my car. After a perfect wedding, my husband and I drove one hour away to our honeymoon suite. Imagine my surprise when I opened the trunk to find NO BAG. Luckily, I had a pair of (too small!) jeans and a ratty sweater in the car, in case of emergency. I spent the day after my wedding wondering around in my wedding shoes, jeans, ratty sweater and makeup-less. We’ve now been married 21 years and still get a good laugh out of this memory!
Heidi Case says:
Beautiful photos – as always, Heather! Glad you got to enjoy some quality time with you mom on her special day!
My forgetful story isn’t anything big, but when I went in to be induced to have my first child, I forgot my hair brush and comb. I had to have my husband buy me one in the gift shop…he bought a mens comb. Oh well – I made it work.
Jeni says:
When my husband and I took our two girls (7 mos. and 2.5 years) camping, I forgot to pack birth control. We stopped at the local gas station to buy some and ran into an employee of my husband’s. (He has a cabin in the area) Not wanting to die of total embarrassment, we didn’t buy any. Nine months later our son was born. He is now 7.5 years old. I am so grateful every day of my “forgetfullness!”
Michelle Ramsey says:
When I was pregnant with my second son, my husband and I went to the wine country for our anniversary….I had all of my clothes hung by the door…maternity clothes…and left them ALL behind. I had to go to the outlets and buy some clothes!!
Kelly says:
Hi Heather!
Guess what? I was on the flight with you from LAX to Oakland on Friday! We live in Austin and had a connecting flight in LA, and as we were waiting in line to board in group A, I looked over and totally recognized you! I so wanted to lean over and say hello, but didn’t want to come across stalkerish and/or bother you. I even called my sister on the plane before it took off to say “you’ll never guess who is on the flight with me!” (she is mommy9times and follows your blog as well) I know there were a ton of folks there, but we were the ones with the newborn baby (actually 4 1/2 weeks old) on board – thank goodness she slept most of the flight! We also rented a car so we were actually by you and your friends for quite some time…glad to hear you had a good trip, albeit with one pair of pants.
Dawn @ What's Around the Next Bend? says:
I forgot underware… and we were up in the mountains in a cabin not ANYWHERE close to a store.
The pair I came in got washed every night before I went to sleep (because OF COURSE there was NO washer or dryer!) and put back on every morning.
Trust me… I TRIPLE check my suitcase for underwear when I pack now!!
Jennifer Laird says:
Once, on a family trip I completely forgot to pack ANY clothes for the baby. They were folded neatly in a neat stack, right next to where I set the suit cases to pack every elses clothes. Worse, she was pretty young and definitely required at minimum one change per day as she was quite urpy. It definitely required a trip to Target.
MyBabyBeluga says:
That is too funny. At least they were comfy pants!
sb says:
i always forget something. usually it’s relatively fixable (like contact case or saline), but every once in awhile i forget something important like extra underwear or pjs when i’m sharing a hotel room with my coworker. *sigh*
kris says:
i went on vacation to mexico years ago with girlfrieds and forgot pj’s! i ended up buying a cheap t-shirt (no problem finding that!!) to sleep in.
Katie K says:
Totally forgot my bra, for a weekend. Thankfully it was mostly bathing suit activities, but it sucked! love you guys!
Ann says:
I forget diapers all the time! Guess that means I need to be potty training soon!
amanda says:
One time in college I went to sleep wearing a sweatshirt, and I woke up the next morning late for class. I decided to just throw on some jeans and wear the same sweatshirt. Half an hour later when I was sitting in class, I realized in horror that I had forgotten to put on a bra.
Michelle H says:
The diaper bag… multiple times.
One time my youngest pooped and I realized I didn’t have it with me. Was too rushed getting out of the house and to the oldest one’s football practice. Bummed a two sizes too small diaper off another mom and used hand wipes that were in the car to clean him up.
Another time – extra clothes when he was potty training. We were at Grandma’s house and he had an accident. He proudly wore an extra pair of pink tinkerbell undies my mom had hanging around from my daughter…. He even went home in them and had to walk into our house with them on and no pants. If any neighbor saw him, I’m sure their eyebrows went up!
Melissa says:
I quite regularly forget to pack a hairbrush…I don’t know why it just doesn’t stick out as a ‘must pack’ item. It may not sound that bad, but after two days and nights of not being able to brush your hair…it turns into a rats nest and a bun becomes your only look!
Erin Ferris says:
On different trips (thank goodness) I’ve forgotten all underwear and all socks (and when you live in the Midwest, socks are a necessity or you’ll freeze to death). I make better lists now!
Kristin says:
I went to NYC for BlogHer this past summer and left my cell phone with ALL my contact info at home. I called my hubby and had him overnight it to me. I simply couldn’t be without my phone.
Swiggy says:
Days before our wedding, while my fiancé and I were waiting at JFK for my in-laws flight from the UK to land, I realized I had forgotten my birth certificate at my parents house in Brooklyn…the birth certificate I would need in less than 24 hours to get our marriage liscence in Vermont. So I did the only thing I could think of. I left my husband to greet his parents and sped back to my parents house at top speed to get my birth certificate. When I returned to the airport I had no idea where to find them (it was before cell phones) so I went to where we had originally parked and there they were, waiting after a very long flight so we could take a very long drive to Vermont.
Jenny says:
Hmmmm…. my “moment” isn’t nearly as interesting as the majority of responses I frequently forget my cell phone charger… During one particularly long vacation, I forgot my charger and ended up paying over $50 for a new one. Bummer!
I wish I had a more interesting story to share!
Lora says:
Down along the lower end of the South Carolina coast is a little gem of an island where you can play in the sun, sand and surf. My best friend and I would drive down to Hunting Island whenever we were lucky enough to score a weekend camping trip and since we were young and we both drove a POS I decided to treat us to a rental SUV. Cooler with food, check. Booze, Check. Nice ride, Clothing, Suits, Sunscreen, underwear…its a go. After a late departure, and 4 hour drive we arrive…way past nightfall. Its hot, there are mosquitos…Quickly we must set up the tent. My friend pulls out the tent and I hear her call…Where are the poles?I call back..In the bag with the tent. Um, yeah…NO they weren’t. We stared at poor, sad, very flat tent and decided it was time to open the booze.
Well, its summer, its the beach, its SC bayou. Did I mention the mosquitoes? The SUV is plenty big enough for us to sleep but since it is 90 billion degrees, we need to open the windows. But if we leave the windows open, we’d be mere husks of flesh in the morning. Ever industrious, we draped the tent over the rental…strategically aligning the mesh so we woudn’t suffocate. And wouldn’t you know it was one of the most comfortable nights of camp sleep I ever had. Until we heard a fellow camper walk by and remark in the early morning….”look, they drove into their tent”
Marsha says:
Hi Heather:
I am ashamed to say I forgot my CAMERA for my sons birthday party!!!! Ugh it was so awful and I deserved the bad mommy of the year award. Thankfully all was not lost as my sister remembered hers. Soooooooo embarrassed!
Lizard Breath says:
I have a bad habit of forgetting toiletries. On a trip to Houston to visit family, not only did I leave my car keys (i parked at the hotel and let them drive us to the airport) and (gasp) phone in the room, I also managed to forget my deodorant and toothbrush! In my defense, I was traveling alone with a nor quite 2 year old. I frantically called the hotel from the airport in Houston (that was actually when I realized something was missing!) and had them hold the keys and phone. Then I called my kid sis who I knew would be able to find the numbers of the other friends we were visiting. As for the toiletries, all I can say is thank goodness for great hotels!
Shylah says:
Just this morning, I was on a forgetful STREAK. Forgot I had a paper to write. Forgot I had flyers to hand out at the elementary school. Forgot I had a PTO board meeting. Forgot I had an algebra test tonight. Somehow, I managed to get ALL of it done – satisfactorily, even – but now I’m a little more insane than I was when I woke up. I’m still not sure how I did it.
Brittany S says:
I flew to Florida from Ohio, I was in a new relationship where of course I was trying to impress. Wanted to take my makeup in my purse carryon so I could do my makeup before we landed. Realized 30 mins before landing I didnt pick it up off the front seat of my car when I parked.
Needless to say, I kept my sunglasses on and asked him to stop at Walgreens so I could replace my makeup.
Christy says:
I forgot to put my computer in my bag after working all night at home. I didn’t realize until getting to the office- oops!
Bon says:
I’ve forgotten oh so many things. Especially now with a baby. Inevitably it involves an item for/in the diaper bag. Yes. Including diapers. Gah. Suddenly an all day excursion became a fifteen minute jaunt.
W says:
I went on a camping trip with some fellow grad students, and when I got there after night fall (alone) I realized I didn’t have a flashlight. I dug around in my car and found a dinky handcrank flashlight that my 2 year old son had left in his carseat. You can imagine the laughter when I finally found my friends, as my arrival was preceded by the mechanical cranking of the flashlight.
Rachael says:
I’ve been there many times! Once I forgot to pack any underwear. I had to go commando that morning for an emergency trip to the store! Another time I forgot my bathing suit…on a trip to the beach. I had to go out and purchase a new one, which is never fun when you are not prepared and in the right state on mind. To top it all off, I picked up the stomach flu from the shopping trip!
Samantha says:
One time I forgot my boarding pass in a store at the airport and I was in line to board. I had to run back and grab it and get back on the plane
Tammy says:
My family and I were getting ready to go out of town and I was getting my girls buckled into their car seats. I have a weird habit of slipping off my shoes before I step into the van (clean freak). I got my 3 girls buckled and instead of getting out of the door, I just went in between the driver and passenger seat and sat down. Well, I didn’t realize my mistake until we got to our destination (3 hours away). It was a pretty easy fix of buying another pair of shoes. It was so funny to see my shoes sitting on the drive way when we returned. I still can’t believe I did that…
MegLoves TomBrady says:
Luckily, I have not forgotten major things like pants on a vacation. But I really can’t think of anything serious I have forgotten. knock on wood. I’m sure it will come to me after I post this comment. of course! It is always annoying when I don’t bring a jacket, and it is cold. And EVERYONE else has a jacket on but me. Oh my gosh! It bothers me so much. I am not sure if that counts. And I once forgot to bring my pencil bag to class, I switch backpacks often, and I had no pencils or pens for class. I am sure I was able to borrow a pen. But I hate forgetting things.
Karen says:
I would have to say that the most impressive feats of forgetfulness have been performed by my second cousin. She’s rather renown in our family for her lapses of memory and her ability to couple them with the most bizarre and seemingly impossible of things. The two best are;
1. Driving to town and forgetting she’d driven, so she caught the bus home. If that wasn’t bad enough, she then started the full procedure of reporting her car stolen because it WASN’T THERE WHEN SHE GOT HOME only to have the carpark track her down via her registration details to say that the car was still parked where she’d left it. This deserves to be in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, but perhaps not moreso than;
2. Getting halfway into town and realising that the baby was still in the capsule…on the kitchen floor.
Yep, that’s right, my cousin forgot her baby.
Now ‘halfway to town’ only put her about two minutes away from home and she is a loving and attentive mother for the most part, but I guess if you can forget driving 45km and parking the car, you can forget anything.
(Only sharing this for the hilarity, you’ll be pleased to know that my forgetful family and I are halfway across the world in Australia.)
Emily says:
One time when I was late leaving for the airport to catch a flight to the West Coast, I quickly got dressed and ran out the door. Only when I was sitting in the airport waiting for my flight did I notice that I had on two different sneakers and I didin’t have the matching ones packed. For the rest of the day I was certain that everyone on the plane was staring at my unmatched sneakers and laughing (but now I’m pretty sure I was just thinking that). So when I arrived in Oregon I broke down and bought a new set of sneakers. Now I always make sure I have matching shoes on before I fly!
Katie R87 says:
I’m a little anal about packing … like I make 3+ lists of the same crap to remember and cross of as its packed. I always remember everyone else’s stuff, but I forget shoes for myself A LOT. I’ll just go out to the car, get in, and ride for 8 hours then realize I have no shoes on my feet.
I know keep my old pair of tennis shoes in the car permanently. Forgetting shoes gets expensive after a while!
Sara Waltz says:
I just returned home from a work trip to Seattle where I forgot to pack pajamas. The first night I had to sleep in my underwear and a tshirt. The second night I bought new pj’s and was ready to get cozy in my room for a night of TV. As I was walking around in my new pajamas, I felt cold air on my stomach. I then realized there was a large hole in the side seam of my brand new pj’s! All I wanted to do was get comfy and chill . . . who knew that could be so hard!
Tara says:
I really had to dig deep into my brain to come up with anything… (actually read other comments to jog my memory). I forgot shoes to walk on my lunch and decided to wear the sandals I wore to work. BIG mistake. Blister city. I walked a big loop, so I couldn’t just stop, I had to keep going.
houpley says:
I am the worst about forgetting that my son has show and tell on Fridays. When we finally get to his school, it will hit me and I will dig around the bottom of the car for some random item. Luckily there are a ton of odd things under the seats that he loves to take in for show and tell!
SuZ says:
I went on my honeymoon and forgot my shoes… seriously. We had to hide in the hotel (not really that big of a deal, because like I said, honeymoon!) until the next morning and go buy shoes from some tacky tourist trap.
tonya says:
I am a control freak and border on having OCD, and I own that. It comes in handy a lot. When vacation time comes around, I am ON IT! We leave for our destinations fully prepared for small medical emergencies, any type of weather, meals planned, and the swagger wagon packed with military precision. I trained my husband many years ago to carry the luggage to the garage and let me pack the vehicle. Because I pack! Neatly! And he just throws stuff in and then runs out of room and everything is sliding all around for eight hours. I pack for our family of four and the dog, because as I said, I’m ON IT! Everyone has everything they need when we get there and everyone is happy. Except this last vacation, when after a day of enjoying sunny Florida, my husband came to me and asked where his underwear were. And I was like, well, they are at home! In the dryer! And he was so irritated because if he had packed, he may have not done it “right” but he certainly would have had underwear!
Kelly says:
When my youngest child was 8 weeks old, my husband and I flew to Southern California for a quick two day get-away sans children to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday. The hubs and I happily chatted the entire flight, hopped in our rental car, and then it hit me…NO BREAST PUMP. I had left it sitting by the kitchen door at home…1000 miles away. Needless to say, our first order of business was finding a manual pump ASAP. Ah, sweet relief!
Emily says:
I was taking my daughter to Disney world and I was so excited I forgot to pack bras. I had the same one on for days and it was super hot….gross!
Anna Ellis says:
I was doing my cousin’s photography at his wedding in San Antonio (I live in Austin) and I had been charging the battery to my camera all night. I woke up the next morning, packed up everything to do my first wedding and I left! I got all the way there to find out I had forgot the battery! Urg! It was terrible! I had to run to the store and buy another one which had about a half charge on it. Anyways! Next time lets remember our pants… hehe! Thanks for sharing honey!
Stephanie says:
Once I was at the airport leaving on a business trip and remembered I forgot my computer’s battery charger. Thankfully I arrived over an hour early and was able to get someone I work with to bring it to me. What sucked was going thru security twice!
Another time (traveling for work again) I forgot to bring my “monthly supplies” as I hadn’t even thought to look at the calendar and see if it was coming up while I was gone. Of course it came on the morning we were leaving to fly back home, but bad thing was I was traveling with all men and we were in a hurry to get to the airport that morning to catch our flights. Thank goodness I was able to buy some at the airport, but jeez they were the most expensive tampons I’ve ever bought! I know…TMI!
Lori says:
I love your pictures, I really want to go there someday!
I forget at least one thing every time I travel, e-v-e-r-y-t-i-m-e! From underwear to pajamas to makeup. Never fails. Luckily most of the time I can do without but it still sucks.
Samantha says:
When my daughter was about 9 months old we went camping and left the extra pack of diapers at home so for a 3 day camping trip we only had 4 diapers; one of which was the wrong size. We had to take a hand towel and fashion a cloth diaper until I could get to the store 20 min away to buy some more.
Melissa says:
I am the queen of forgetfulness, I am always forgetting something. It is true that if my head were not securely fastened to my shoulders I would probably forget it. There was the time I forgot my pjs when I went to sleep away camp, I frequently forget food when I get it to go, but my biggest forget was probably when I was in the Navy and stationed in South Carolina. Leading up to being discharged I packed up all my stuff in boxes and the day before I was set to fly back to Cali I sent everything home via UPS and it was scheduled to arrive about a week after I got home. It wasn’t until after I arrived and started getting settled in that I had packed all my undies and they wouldn’t get to me for another week. Luckily I had some boxes that had been stored at my parents before I left so I frantically searched through them and found enough to get through the week.
lori says:
once i was so stressed about leaving on time that a) left a set of hot rollers on for an entire weekend-thank goodness the house didnt burn down and b) mortified to discover every ounce of makeup i owned got left behind too! i called my mother in panic and i was young then. now i wouldn’t give a ____!
Jeanne says:
I once travelled to Paris for 6 days and didn’t pack any underwear Literally none. I got there kind of late in the day and I had a rehearsal dinner to attend so no time to figure out where I was and how to buy underwear there. I went commando in stockings. I do not recommend this at all. The next day I spent so.much.money on Parisian underwear
MichelleR says:
I forgot to bring my super cute and special underwear on my wedding day, so I had to call my now husband to bring them to me.
Nama says:
One Christmas when I was in college, I had a very early flight. A good friend offered to take me to the airport, and somewhere along the way, I took out my cell phone and abruptly forgot it in my friend’s car when she dropped me off.
I noticed when I was going through security, so I ran through and attempted to use a pay phone. I seriously couldn’t figure it out!! And guess who doesn’t remember phone numbers anymore because that’s what cell phones are for? Because I was in a state of panic, I kept trying to call my Dad, but to no avail. Don’t ever ask me to try to use a pay phone again.
I then walked to my gate and asked the nice airline reps if I could use their phone. Unfortunately, their phones did not have long distance, which I needed! And then, a kind stranger upon hearing my panicked conversation with the flight reps offered me his cell phone to use. And then he suggested (why hadn’t I thought of this?) just to call my own cell phone. Duh. Which I did. And spoke to my friend who had noticed my cell phone when she got home. She kindly shipped it to me the next day since I was going to be gone a while a needed my phone!
It all turned out just fine thanks to the kindness of others! (And I just survived a for a few days without a phone. It can be done!)
Amanda says:
I once went on vacation without a bathing suit so decided to just swim in fabric shorts and a bra tank top. It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t ruin my vacation!
evelyn says:
I was with my daughter driving across town, and she was due for a diaper change. I check her bag and no diapers in sight. I only had a check for a payment i was going to pay. I had no cash, so i made a make shift diaper out of paper towels from the gas station restroom. It was the first and last time it has happened but we managed.
Abigail says:
I’ve forgotten a toothbrush while camping. Definitely not fun!
Laura in Michigan says:
Went to the beach for a week and forgot my …….. bathing suit! July in Texas and not a bathing suit to be found in any store. I made due with a pair of shorts and a tshirt. Not the most attractive, but totally functional! Who says moms can’t think on their feet?
O. says:
I forgot my engagement ring on my bachelorette party! A detour was necessary to remedy the situation.
Leslie says:
I forgot my suit for a job interview and was stuck since it was after 9pm and malls were closed. So I wore a cardigan sweater over my button down and somehow got the job:)
Cassie says:
I’ve forgotten a towel for my son after his swim lesson. He dried off with two shirts I found in the diaper bag
Ray says:
Oh, Heather you’re too funny! But at least you made the best of it. One time I forgot a really pretty turquoise and pink bracelet I had gotten (from a little flea market), that I had left in a restaurant bathroom. It sucked when we left the restaurant and got back to hotel, and I realized it too late. I really liked that bracelet.
Candi says:
I’m sure I’ve forgotten things, but I’d have to think pretty hard. I seriously over pack every time we go somewhere. I asked my husband if he could think of a time that I forgot something and he gave me “the look” and said no. He said I never forget anything because I make lists. But then he remembered that this past weekend we were headed out to a Pine Derby thing for my 8 year old and I forgot the camera. Fortunately we were still in the neighborhood and I just turned around….LOL!
Kristine says:
I used to be a chronic toothbrush forgetter. But, that’s an easy, cheap remedy. I had lots of spare toothbrushes at home.
Jeni Couassi says:
Okay so I was in the airplane on my way to Africa for a month when I started to get cold. I went and checked my carry on and needless to say I forgot my shoes and socks. I only had my flip flops on that I had worn to the airport. I like to travel comfortable also and my comfort is letting my feet breath. Anyways needless to say that 18 hour flight… I was freezing…. Or at least my feet were. I was able to luckily get some really cheap cute shoes when I was in Africa.. but the trip there was not exactly the funnest!!
steph says:
I’ve forgotten my contact case before………………….no where to put them so i had to keep them in. Not fun for 2 days.
Theresa says:
I am always forgetting socks! I don’t know what my problem is because I usually pack several outfits too many just no socks.
Samantha says:
I have also forgotten my sleeping bag when going camping. I had to sleep with someone else. And people smell when they camp…
Heather G says:
I actually forgot dress shoes to wear to a wedding. The only alternative were the tennis shoes I had on, so I actually had to go pick up some cheap-o alternatives.
Olivia says:
I forgot tampons once when I was staying a week and a half with an apartment full of boys. The remedy? I had to confess my situation and have one of them take me to the store. What a fantastic trip that was.
Jennie says:
On our honeymoon, my husband forgot pants and I forgot pajamas. He ended up wearing his bathing suit everywhere we went and we couldn’t eat in the dining room of the cruise ship because he was wearing shorts. And I had to sleep in the raw all week….fun times had by all!
Alison says:
I always forget to pack my iPod charger. So it only ever lasts on the way home and is never charged for the way back. So frustrating!
Kristin says:
When I was pregnant with my 4th, the whole family went to eat at a busy restaurant. When we were done eating and getting ready to leave (over an hour later) I could not find my keys. After searching through my purse, I suggested we go and look on the ground by the car so the whole family went outside only to discover that I had not only left the car running with the keys hanging in the ignition, I had also left the back sliding door wide open. I, of course, blamed it on the fetus sucking away all my brain power but my whole family still finds it hysterically funny….
Alison F. says:
I forget everything! The best though was my aunt who drove off after my cousin’s baby shower without my cousin. Left at her own shower. That is pretty bad.
Amy says:
I forgot to bring any clothes with me to change into on my wedding night. So, the next morning, I had to leave the hotel in my wedding dress. Kinda humiliating as everyone, EVERYONE knows what you did the night before.
Laber of Love says:
The only thing I could think of off the top of my head (except the time I forgot to buckle my son in his carseat because I was concentrating so hard on picking his nose) was when I forgot lipstick for my husband’s work Christmas party….I hardly wear any make up, but I feel like a corpse if I don’t have any color on my lips. I made him drive me to a Target nearby, and left with 99 cent lipstick for the party.
Jenn M. says:
Although I don’t recall a time I forgot something as important as pants, this does remind me of something even more interesting. When I was 22 I was traveling across the US with a friend by Amtrak train. We would periodically get off in various cities to explore. On the leg between Texas and Phoenix, someone STOLE all my underwear out of my backback. I arrived in the Grand Canyon with only the pair of panties I had been wearing since TEXAS!!
Kelly says:
I have never forgotten anything of mine but a few years ago I left all of my husbands clothes at home. He usually lays his stuff out & I pack it but I left everything but his underwear out. Luckily were went to his parents house so he was able to wear his dad’s clothes
Samantha says:
ive forgotten my roommates keys twice before i actually got them to her, we had to share keys for 2 weeks it was very frustrating
kristin/kwr221 says:
I went on a kid-free vacation to St. Kitts with my husband and forgot my camera charger. A beautiful vacation and I only have pics of the airplane wing. Then zip.
Then we went to Palm SPrings and were planning to drive to Mexico and I forgot my passport. Luckily, a neighbor had my house key and mailed it to me. Same neighbor once flew to Florida without her wallet. Somehow she sweetttalked TSA into letting her board the plane – I mailed her wallet to her.
Ellen says:
I am a bit of an obsessive packer and don’t really forget anything. My husband is another story. He has forgotten, underwear, pj’s, a belt, more times than I care to recall. The worst stuff is what he forgets to BRING HOME. How about an entire garment bag of clothes left in the hotel? Countless toiletries, phone chargers, and pillows have been left behind to be Fedex’d the next day. Marriott must have him on a list somewhere…
ldoo says:
One time I and a big group of friends drove from Kansas to Colorado for a week-long camping, hiking and drinking trip. My friend had a pair of yoga pants – and that’s it. No jeans. Nothing at all appropriate for the wilds of Colorado (or the 4-hour horseback ride we took).
So, you’re not alone.
Chris Martino says:
Two years ago on Christmas Eve, 5 months pregnant, in a snowstorm nonetheless, I realized as we were 2 hours from home that I had forgotten prenatal medicine, morning sickness medicine, and all of our toiletries. So we continued driving in the snowstorm, headed to my parents’ house, while I frantically tried to reach my OB or someone on call to call in prescriptions to any Walgreens on the way. At 10 p.m., we stopped at a random Walgreens in the middle of nowhere (they are on every corner you know) and picked up prescriptions and toiletries. Thank goodness for Walgreens; Santa wouldn’t have been too happy to see me Christmas morning after morning sickness with no toothbrush.
Yogi says:
I stay organized with Microsoft OneNote, which helps me do more with less time.
Craig says:
Wow. Well, I forgot to bring my laptop on a trip to Australia 2 years ago, and had to make do with my clunky 4-year-old phone for internet access. Sad (and dull) but true.
Juanita says:
What have I forgotten? hmmmm…. Diapers countless times. I rarely ever carry a diaper bag and the times I never have that spare change of clothes and that is when the explosions happen. I blame it on mommy brain!
Samantha says:
i love using wax paper for everything, lining dishes, easily move sifted flour, so useful
Yogi says:
By using Quick Steps in Microsoft Outlook, I do more and do it quicker.
MamaCas says:
The Husband and I were in California visiting my sister….we all took a weekend trip to Vegas….where I forgot to pack toothpaste. And I didn’t realize it until 3 minutes before we went to bed. So we brushed our teeth with mouthwash. Not exactly a story full of Stretchy Pants type drama….but a story nonetheless. hahahaha!
Jason N says:
I forgot our wedding rings in my parents’ hotel room (which I did not have a key) on the morning of our wedding day. I didn’t realize until they had already left for the ceremony. Luckily, they stayed at the Ramada where we had the reception & the wedding reception planner was at the front desk & let me into their room. Whew! Without her, we might have had to use aluminum foil.
Jason says:
I forgot our wedding bands in my parents’ hotel room. Luckily, they stayed at the Ramada where we were having the reception. So, I tracked down the hotel reception planner & she let me into their room. Whew!
Annie says:
Yikes… Hoping admitting this doesn’t disqualify me based solely on how awful this was– In college I remembered a paper at the very last second and took the last paper I had written for that class and turned it into a weird format I knew my professors computer wouldn’t open..
Lisa says:
I’ve forgotten (more than once) to pack underwear and socks for myself. We were going to visit my parents (who are 4 hrs from my house) and I had to call her to have her go buy me some.
Samantha says:
once in middle school i forgot to get my immunization shots so i had to get them the day of registration and once i got to school and was greeted by people i havent see all summer they all wanted to hug me… my arm hurt so much from the hugging aggravating my shot…
Jearv says:
When I went to New Yorkfor the first time, I was ecstatic. When I was on the ferry to go to the Statue of Liberty, I put my hand in my backpack for my camera…and it wasn’t there! I had left it in the hotel room! I was so frutrated but fotunately a couple took several pictures of me and sent it through e-mail! It would be great to win this phone!
Yogi says:
I’ll be able to get more done with less by consolidating my devices when I get a Windows Phone.
Sharon says:
I forgot my brush! I was left to do what I could with a wide-tooth detangling comb for three days. I looked mahhvelous darling! As for me doing more for less, coupons, sales, and garage sales!
Marsha says:
I will give you the very abbreviated version of the story explaining something VERY important that I forgot. Last Christmas, my brothers and I and our families spent the holidays in Holland. Visiting family was one purpose of this trip, but the main purpose was that we were returning the cremated ashes of our parents back to their “home.” They both passed away in 2008. We were having their urns buried at the cemetery where our grandparents are also buried. On the day of the service, we met at one cousin’s house and the plan was to then meet at our uncle’s house and everyone would travel to the cemetery from there. Well, long story short, my mother’s urn was left on my cousin’s sofa. My niece was the one who realized it then we had to have my cousin’s husband go back to the house to retrieve my mother’s urn! If you are at all interested in the longer version, here’s the post I made on my blog last year:
http://marshaowens.blogspot.com/2009/12/left-behind.html
Jessica says:
I forgot the bridesmaid dress I was supposed to wear in my friend’s wedding. I was 6 months pregnant. Thankfully, I realized it, but only when we had already been on the road 2 hours…..so we had to drive back homne, get the dress, and then drive another 6 hours to get to our destination.
Because it had been hard enough to find a navy blue dress that didnt make pregnant me look like a Whale……I sure as heck wasnt going to try to find another!
Jearv says:
I remember my trip to San Diego I was already in the cab on my way to the airport, certain that I had everything I needed. About halfway there, I noticed that I left one of my bags at the doorstep, so I had to go all the way back home just to get it. Good thing too because all of my pants were in that bag!
Julie says:
One morning on my way into work I grabbed a sweater to take with to wear when the a/c got to be too cold. After an hour or two I went to put my sweater on only to discover something lumpy in one of the sleeves. As I put my arm in I pushed out one of my bras that apparently found it’s way there when both were in the dryer. Needless to say I forgot to take my office bag with me that day and had to stuff the bra in my purse. I s’pose it’s not that big of a deal, but could have been very awkward since I was the only female in an office of male attorneys.
Yogi says:
I get more with less by doing comparison shopping using Bing.
Samantha says:
i once got stuck on the side of the highway and had to take a ride from a stranger to the nearest place to jump my car, and he was driving a scary van… thank god he was a nice guy, i had my cell phone and it was on a very popular street
Connie says:
Once I forgot to bring a speech to a banquet I was supposed to talk at (only for a little while though!) so I had to wing it completely. It actually went pretty well, but I think people knew I was missing my trusty note cards…
Heather D says:
I haven’t forgotten anything major when going on a trip, but I did only pack one pair of underwear once. I ended up just washing them by hand in the sink a few times. It’s those little instances that make the memories more memorable.
Yogi says:
I get more done by using the Microsoft Outlook junk filters to see less spam.
divarez@comcast.net says:
I have such a bad memory! The only thing I can remember is a couple months ago neglecting to bring a diaper out with my newborn son and having a major poo-tastrophy at big bro’s football practice.
Wendy says:
A couple of summers ago, my mom and I went to Massachusetts to visit a relative. One of our “outings” was going to be a day trip to NYC. We went to get ready and…. I left my tennis shoes (sneakers, as some of you call them!) all the way back in Tennessee. ‘Cuz you know, I just WANTED to walk around NYC in flip flops That was the trip we blew $50 on a pointless pair of shoes!
Jearv says:
Haha, I remember numerous times when I forgot the present for birthday parties! I feel really stupid knowing that I was going to a party without the gift in my hand, but gladly, I’ve been on a good streak for the last year and haven’t forgotten any.
Samantha says:
my cousin once failed to bring an epipen and ate some bread with almond powder. scariest thing thank god he figured it out early and just drank a ton of water
Jearv says:
I’m in college so things have gotten pretty hectic. I remember last year when I had so much to do that I forgot I had a really big exam the next day. Fortunately a friend of mine reminded me that morning, and I crammed like crazy right before the test.
John says:
Nothing crazy for me. I always forget to pack something to sleep in. You can pretty much count on it. I just make due with what I have. Oh and my glasses. I wear contacts so I tend to leave them.
Melanie says:
So one time, at the mall I was changing my son’s diaper and he decided to pee all over everything. Luckily, I had an extra set of clothes, but when I looked in the diaper bag, no diaper. Thank goodness for Targets being everywhere because I was able to get to one and buy diapers before he peed himself again!
Steph says:
I forgot my swimsuit most recently! I’d love to say I improvised and made one from a shower curtain, but really I just sat by the side. That story is too funny though, you’re better than me because I wouldve just gone and bought new pants!
Yogi says:
I do more with less redundancy by syncing my files using Windows Live Mesh.
Jessi @ Quirky Cookery says:
I forgot my bra one time, lol. How did I manage that, considering I wear one every day and should’ve at least had on the one I was wearing? Oh yeah, this little thing called a shelf bra in the tank top I was wearing under another top. I was traveling and knew I’d either be alone or wearing a coat the entire first day, so I wasn’t too concerned with full support or not looking too great in the chest area or whatever.
Little did I know that I’d be wearing that tank top the entire weekend under some very unflattering shirts to boot. Gah!
Samantha says:
i forgot to leave my phone at home and was almost escorted out of a testing center…
Crystal says:
I cant recall a time when I forgot anything. I have the opposite problem. I’m an over-packer. I pack EVERYTHING. And if there is room still left in the cooler/suitcase/backseat/trunk, I FILL IT.
Overnight stay in the mountains? We are totally going to need the Jumperoo. Fold it up, and stick it behind the seats. Disney World? We are going to require 3 outfits for each day for 3 different climate situations. Plus one more in case of an oops. Country drive? Thats going to require 2 coolers. AND snacks. Seriously, its a sickness.
And my husband? Can travel for a week with only a little backpack. What a freak.
Jose D says:
One day on my way school I had completely forgotten to do a history assignment! I had only one hour so I didn’t hesitate and pulled out my laptop, read so fast and typed the first things that came to my mind. When I got school, everything was done!
Jearv says:
One way we do more with less is with leftovers. Especially during Thanksgiving time. An example would be using ham for lunch sandwiches and using the leftover turkey for quesadillas or my favorite turkey and tortilla soup!
Samantha says:
I really like spices and herbs, especially when i messed up a dish so i can hide my screw ups behind fresh herbs! If you buy them in the ethnic food section, especially the hispanic themed aisle they can be only 99 cents a bag! They add flavor to everything including cheap cuts of meat and inexpensive dishes
Jearv says:
I was going to a formal dinner when I saw that my jacket had lint and dog hair! My mom didn’t bring a lint roller so all we did was grab some tape that was in the car and started stripping away the lint. It was all gone although it took quite some time. My jacket looked perfect though!
Craig says:
A few years ago I got lost in Amsterdam (too many canals – I lost my bearings!), but found my hotel by sheer persistence (i.e. walking for hours). Ask for directions? Feh!