Tickets? Check. Wallet? Check. Head screwed on? Ummm...

March 30, 2009 2:08 PM

How can I remember things during my upcoming vacation? Last year, I was a walking disaster at the airport: I forgot to put baggage tags on the luggage, left the car seat at the security checkpoint, misplaced the tickets when boarding, etc. It didn't get much better on the vacation.

I think this is part of an overall problem of absent-mindedness when feeling rushed or being in an unfamiliar environment (e.g., leaving wallet at a store counter, forgetting umbrella on a bus). And yes, I probably have ADD. What are some things I can do to clear my head and help me make sure I have everything before moving on??

posted by anonymous to grab bag (17 comments total)

I can't address ADD specifically, but three things come to mind:

1. Lists
2. Habits
3. Consistency

Lists should be obvious.

By "habits," I mean things like always never letting your wallet out of your hand, and always returning it to your pocket as soon as you are done. I habitually pat myself down to make sure my wallet, phone, and keys are where I think they should be (this may have reached the level of nervous tic). Obviously it takes time to develop habits.

Consistency is related to habits. It should also be obvious, but by that I mean things like always putting your wallet in the same pocket so that A) you only need to check one place, and B) it becomes that much more obvious if it isn't where it should be.

Just for good measure, here's one more:

4. Reduce distractions.
posted by adamrice at 2:21 PM on March 30

I usually write a list before going on a trip and place it in a very prominent location for the morning of --next to my keys, on top of my purse, etc.
posted by cmgonzalez at 2:22 PM on March 30

Well, the best I can say is, "Do as much crap as you can do beforehand," like the luggage tags. Also, make a list and check it twice. KnockKnock has a good notepad and travel organizer for that. I also try to keep all the stuff I'm going to need access to in a hurry, like the tickets, in a pocket (preferably one with a button to keep it closed).

If it's any consolation, I am always the one setting off the metal detector because there is some damn thing still left in my pockets. We've all got our forgetting things. And don't even get me started on my mom going through security, because she won't even remember to take her shoes off :P (Why yes, we most likely have the ADD too.)
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:24 PM on March 30

My short-term memory isn't stellar, so I carry a small notebook with me at all times so that I can jot down things as they come to mind.

As details are decided, everything gets assigned a place. So, dop kit: these items. Main packing cube: these items. Small packing cube: these items. Shoulder bag: these items. Yeah, even obvious stuff like wallet, keys, etc.

When I'm getting ready to leave, I create a checklist on the first page, and yes, check things off as I go.
posted by desuetude at 2:24 PM on March 30

I find that thinking through all the important parts of a trip (or task) in advance really helps. When necessary I send myself an email of a To-Do list for the big steps that I read from my phone as I go. For example:

Before Leaving

- House lights off
- Plants watered
- House locked
- Heat turned down
- Luggage packed
- Tags on luggage
- Phone charger in luggage
- Tickets in coat pocket

After Landing

- Collect luggage (3 pieces)
- Call friend to confirm that I have arrived


I also use this technique for any event that is important for me:

Easter Dinner

- Remember to buy white wine x3 on Thursday
- Thaw frozen turkey on Tuesday
- Wash table cloth Thursday
posted by saradarlin at 2:25 PM on March 30

On preview - similar to above.
posted by saradarlin at 2:26 PM on March 30

I have the same problem. It's difficult.

-Don't over-fill your bag. You might lose things if you're always unpacking/repacking.

-Keep all papers/passports inside one envelope.

-Sort things into "cannot replace" vs. "can replace" categories and everything that falls into the former goes into your backpack along with the papers/passport envelope.

-Give your full attention during transactions (e.g. showing tickets) and don't listen to music or talk on the phone.
posted by cranberrymonger at 2:28 PM on March 30

1. The week leading up to vacation, write down in BIG LETTERS all the things you can't afford to leave at home --- passports, medications, important phone numbers, plane confirmation numbers, keys. Put this somewhere very visible. Add to it as necessary. Count the number of items on the list, and keep track as necessary.

2. Underneath that, write down (in normal print) all the things you'd like to bring, but which you CAN do without -- where it won't be a catastrophe if you leave them behind (toothpaste, baggage tags, extra food for the baby, a book to read while waiting, umbrella, extra socks, extra snacks, copies of driver's licenses, ipod) -- all the stuff you can pack the night before.

Worry about the first list. Don't worry so much about the second one.

3. Have a great time!
posted by puckish at 2:30 PM on March 30

Lists lists lists lists and even if you are 100% sure where your passport is, look for it and make sure it IS there a week before you leave, not the morning you leave *cough*.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:47 PM on March 30

I used to have a similar problem. One thing that's helped me is to refuse to be rushed through packing, or through the airport. I will intentionally start packing early, and I will intentionally show up early to the airport. I will not let impatient travellers tap their foot and mutter at me - instead I will let them go ahead if I'm not prepared to go through security or whatever. I remind myself that it's not a race and that if I need to refer to a checklist after I get through security, then so be it.

I have a single accordion file where all my paperwork goes - itinerary, maps, boarding pass, receipts (if I'm on a business trip), etc. etc. etc. I carry it with me through the whole trip and it really cuts down on the "OMG where did my boarding pass go???"
posted by muddgirl at 3:19 PM on March 30

When you write your holiday list (of things to take and things to do before you leave), don't do it on scraps of paper, do it on the computer (with as many printed updates as you need) so you can also use it next time you go away. If you don't get it perfect this time, you can keep adding to it and each holiday will be less stressful than the last as your list gets closer to perfection.
posted by penguin pie at 3:26 PM on March 30 [1 favorite]

Pack for several days before you leave making sure that you do not forget anything. Pre pack liquids in a ziploc bag in your carry on. Place all of your paperwork (ticket, boarding pass, passport, todo lists) in one place - a folder or an organizer. Make sure that you put the folder/organizer in your carry on bag in one place where you train yourself to always put it. Make sure before you leave the house that you have everything done with your suitcase that needs doing - packed, wrapped, tagged with luggage tags, closed, etc - and make sure that you do not need to open it once you leave your house.

As for not leaving things behind, get into the habit of, before moving from one area to anywhere else (the checkin counter, the security line, the waiting area, the coffee shop) to look at the area around where you were to make sure you've not left anything behind. You should also start training yourself to do this in everyday life/chores - leaving coffee shops, restaurants, your office, your car, etc.

Get to the airport at least 2 hours before your domestic flight. This allows you more time to get through security without having to rush to the gate.
posted by kirstk at 3:49 PM on March 30

1. Make packing habits that are the same whenever you travel. You'll probably have a core set of things that you tend to bring -- pack them in the same part of your suitcase, in the same container, every time.

2. As others have said, as you are preparing for the trip, make a list of absolutely everything you want to bring. As you pack, check things off the list and if you pack something that wasn't on the list, add it to the list. Then make copies of the list, one for every place you'll be leaving. (If you'll be staying in three hotels, print three copies of the list.) Last step: whenever you leave a place, go through with a pen and check off everything on the list.

3. Seconding the idea of arriving at the airport early. This isn't in my nature, but seeing my SO do it has convinced me -- it is so much calmer that way. He likes to get there 3 or 4 hours in advance. One time he got confused and his flight was 2 1/2 hours earlier than he thought -- but he still made it on! Knowing you can make that kind of big mistake and still make your flight is very relaxing.

4. Consider keeping all your printouts, boarding passes etc (and your lists!) in a flexible three-ring binder. Keeps everything together, like the accordion files mentioned above, but is easy to flip through without losing anything.

5. On airplanes, I find it helpful to have a tiny bag which contains only the things I want with me at my seat -- earphones, sleep mask, earplugs, current book, and maybe a granola bar. Then when I board the plane, I can toss this little bag onto my seat, and calmly put my real carry-on up above. Because there are so few things in my seat-bag, I can easily check that they're all there when I'm leaving the plane. (I don't carry a purse -- perhaps this tip is obvious to those who do!)
posted by wyzewoman at 4:00 PM on March 30

I find lists very helpful, and yet I still know the frustration of forgetting to check the list, or, even worse, forgetting the list. You have so much else to remember...

I have found the most helpful thing to do is to set up a calendar, like iCal (but it could be a desk calendar or appointment book).

Then, if you need to remember anything, it goes on the calendar the moment you think of it, so that later it's documented and you don't forget it. And then you only have ONE thing to remember: just check the calendar every day. Make it a habit, and be religious about it.

I found that just cultivating this ONE habit was much easier than trying to keep it all in my head.

Say you need to remember your boarding passes. You think, weeks ahead of time, "well, I need to print those up and take them with me." But when the day comes, you are already trying to remember so much, that one thing slips your mind.

What you do is, when you think of it in those early days, you bring up the calendar, skip to the date of the day before you leave for vacation and enter, "print up boarding passes and put in front pocket of suitcase". Then go to the next day and put in, "Remember the boarding tickets are in the front pocket of your suitcase." Done. Now that's one thing you won't have to remember.

Do this for everything you need to remember, just jotting it down the moment you think of it (that's why I like iCal, because I either have my iPhone or the laptop with me every day, and it syncs them for me).

Putting everything you have to in the calendar also lets you see if maybe you are overloading on commitments on a certain day, so you can just go to the day before in your calendar and do some of the things ahead of time and not get stressed out.

This works for me, of course YMMV.
posted by misha at 4:02 PM on March 30

Also: I always bring a pop-up hamper in my suitcase. The first thing I do when I get to a hotel room is pop it open. It's a little bit of "home", so it calms me down. (OK, maybe I'm strange!) And it helps me keep my room clean. This then makes the packing up easier when I'm done...
posted by wyzewoman at 4:03 PM on March 30

I'm voting for lists also. I'm terribly absent-minded, but after having to take several business trips to very far-away places (i.e. no running home to get whatever I forgot) I took steps.
Now I start a packing and procedure list in the back of whatever work notebook I'm using, jotting down things I need to bring/do throughout the week before the trip.
As I pack I check things off, as I am getting ready to move out I make sure I consult the procedure list before leaving the house. Amazing difference it makes, and I could consult lists from previous trips the next time around (and as it's in my work notebook, it's always to hand if I need to make a note about something I forgot this time around).

Funnily enough, the putting-all-liquids-in-baggies rule helped me too, as I ended up using baggies for a lot of travel essentials. You can prepack them and then just check that you have the toiletries baggie, the important papers baggie etc.
posted by Billegible at 4:35 PM on March 30

I have a (sort of) different routine for travel, it works for me. But I am a little bit OCD when it comes to travel, because I've forgotten/lost so much stuff over the years.

I create a staging area by the door where stuff goes when it is packed for the trip so I won't forget it walking out the door.

1- Pack the clothes ahead of time. I run through my itinerary in my head. "OK, on Monday, I'm doing X, and need these things for that." Throw those things in the case. "Tuesday is Y, need this." And so on. I basically run through getting dressed for each thing I'm going to do, and make sure it's all ready to go. When I'm done, zip it up and put it by the door.

2- Same thing for the things I'm going to do on the trip. Run through each one, and assemble the stuff I'll need/want. I usually carry a computer bag / briefcase where all my papers and what what get stored. If I need maps, I put them together in a folder. If I need copies of things, in another folder. That bag, once in travel mode, does not leave my person.

3- I purposefully do not pack toiletries/medications ahead of time. The day of the trip, I run through my shower routine as normal. Once I'm dressed and ready, I go through the bathroom and pack up all the stuff I need. Bam, takes 3 minutes. Throw the toiletry bag in the suitcase. The small amount of space that I'd save getting tiny, duplicate versions of all my stuff is more than made up for by the convenience of not having to figure out whether I've remembered the tiny deodorant or not.

(Also, don't remove medications from their original packaging. Bottle of adderall with your name on it? A-OK. Baggie with 12 aspirins? Trouble, if someone wants to make it for you.)

4- Now everything is ready to go, in the staging area. Now (here's the OCD) I run through each room and make sure there's nothing in there that I forgot to pack. And I turn off and unplug pretty much everything.

5- Out the door.

I do the same thing when leaving a hotel- pack everything up, throw it in the hallway, and do a once-over of the room making sure I've got everything. (On planes, I only ever take out one thing at a time, so I don't have a pile of crap that needs to be put together.) Same with rental cars- unload all my crap and go over the car to make sure I haven't forgotten anything.

I also try to leave a small "footprint" when I travel. I try not to spread my stuff out very far. Easier to keep myself organized.

I also carry a few plastic trash bags in the suitcase- one for dirty laundry, one for wet towels if I'm carrying one. Especially if it's a trip where I'm going to be sweating, keeping the spent unmentionables in an airlock keeps the other clothes from getting all stanky.

Seems slightly crazy, but it works flawlessly for me.
posted by gjc at 4:49 PM on March 30