How to Stop Leaving Your Things in Hotel Rooms

I have a confession to make.

My name is Jon and I’m addicted to leaving my things in hotel rooms. I do have good news though – I haven’t done it in over a month now and my sponsor (Gia) thinks I have a great chance of finally overcoming this problem. I’ve left phone chargers, phones, SD cards and portable hard drives behind to fend for themselves. I left almost all of my underwear in a hotel room in Greece. I left my favourite t-shirt in a guesthouse room in Laos. I had a problem, but I found the 10 step progamme that has served alcoholics so well over the years. I made amends to the people I’ve wronged (including the guy that owned that hotel in Greece who might have thought it was all some kind of protest), put my faith in a higher power and am now determined to help all of god’s children to stop leaving their things in hotel rooms.

Here is a list of tips to help you recover from this disease.

Be messy

It’s much easier to notice clothes strewn across the floor than in neat piles in the corner of the room. Don’t be too organised with your belongings – try and avoid putting your clothes in the wardrobe as this is how I lost my favourite t-shirt. I’d say the best place to put anything you think you might forget is right next to the door – if you have to step over it on your way out then you probably won’t forget it.

Check the walls

Wall sockets are popular places for your things to hide so make sure you check them all before you leave.  Another place I’ve had demons with before is the USB outlet on hotel TVs. Apart from the fact that hotel TVs almost never manage to play my movies, I’ve left my portable hard drive in that spot 3 times. Everything turned out OK 2 of the those times, but the 500 gb hard drive I called “Blue” now lives with another family in Indonesia – I hope he misses me as much as I miss him (and all of the TV shows and movies that were on him).

Get a room with no furniture

It’s really hard to leave anything in room with no furniture – there just isn’t anywhere for your things to hide. Obviously you could still leave something under the bed so the best idea is to get a room without a bed. A mattress on the floor is basically the same as a bed anyway and that room is probably going to be pretty cheap, so not only are you saving your things but you’re saving your money!

Don’t pack while drunk or tired

Not having complete control over your mind is a surefire way to forget something while packing. We’ve all had to get up at 4am for an early flight before…everything is dark and you’re basically still asleep – it’s almost a miracle if you don’t leave something behind.  If you’re faced with this situation it’s much safer to pack the night before; you’ll also be able to sleep in for that little bit longer.

I know it may seem like these tips aren’t enough, that there’s no escaping the nightmares of all those lost items. It does get easier. I still think about Blue, maybe I always will, but I now know that the chances of losing another portable hard drive are pretty slim. I found the light, and if you follow these tips then just maybe you will too.

What have you left behind in hotel rooms? Do you have any tips on how to avoid it? Let me know!

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Jon Algie

A travel blogger from New Zealand who hates talking about himself in the third person and has no imagination when it comes to naming websites.

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