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Lost and Found – Stuff Frequent Travelers Lose

“I love traveling. I’ve been to almost as many places as my luggage.” =Bob Hope

A baggage handler guy once told me that “first class” luggage is more likely to be lost, or to miss connecting flights, because it’s often the first luggage onto the plane – and sometimes that means, well – it is the last luggage off the plane. first on, last off = FILO, although some airlines tag the checked bags with some paper “priority” tag with the presumption that it somehow will be handled differently.

A few weeks ago I was in fourth or fifth class and my luggage somehow wound up in Colorado Springs.

Over the years I have learned – the hard way – to mind my personal items and store them diligently because of the frustration of losing the favorite sunglasses, pen, or having to be sentenced to whatever circle of hell it is that requires you to buy chargers and power cords again and again.

Frequent business travelers tend to have a packing punch list – a well-honed packing routine, selecting items that are essential for their comfort, productivity, and convenience during trips. However, even the most seasoned travelers often experience the frustration of losing or forgetting key items, sometimes leading them to repurchase things on the go.

Let’s break this down into several key categories:

1. Essential Items on a Business Traveler’s Packing List

Frequent business travelers generally focus on a few categories of essential items to ensure that they are prepared for work, travel, and any downtime.

Technology & Productivity

• Laptop & Charger: A laptop or tablet is typically the most important item, as it’s crucial for productivity. A charger is essential and often considered one of the top travel must-haves.
• Phone & Charger: Business travelers tend to rely on their smartphones for communication, navigation, and organization, making it a high-priority item.
• Portable Power Bank: With long travel days, keeping electronics charged is essential, so a portable charger is often added to the packing list.
• Headphones or Headset: Noise-canceling headphones are essential for long flights and conference calls, especially in noisy environments.
• Power Adapters and Converters: For international travelers, having a set of travel adapters and voltage converters is critical.

Clothing & Accessories

• Business Attire: A suit or business casual clothing is typically packed based on the nature of the meetings. Having a set of wrinkle-free, easy-to-pack items (like wrinkle-resistant shirts or travel suits) is important.
• Comfortable Shoes: Given the amount of walking in airports, hotels, and city streets, comfortable yet professional shoes are a must.
• Toiletries & Personal Care: Toothbrush, deodorant, shaving kit, and travel-sized toiletries are essential. Many travelers opt for a compact toiletry kit to keep it organized.

Travel Accessories

• Travel Pillow & Blanket: For comfort on long-haul flights, a travel pillow is often included.
• Water Bottle: Staying hydrated while traveling is a key part of maintaining energy and health.
• Business Cards: Business cards remain a staple, especially for networking at conferences and meetings. A good strategy is also to have an electronic business card, like a Blinq card, e.g.

2. Most Commonly Lost or Replaced/Repurchased Items

Despite careful packing, frequent business travelers often find themselves misplacing or leaving behind certain items. Here’s a breakdown of what’s commonly lost or replaced:

Most Commonly Lost or Forgotten Items

• Chargers: Laptop and phone chargers are frequently left behind in hotel rooms, airports, or conference spaces. They’re small, easy to forget, and often not noticed until the traveler needs them.
• Headphones: These are often lost or forgotten in busy conference rooms, lounges, or hotel rooms.
• Toiletries: Toothbrushes, razors, and hair products are easy to forget in hotel bathrooms or while rushing to a flight.
• Business Cards: These are often left in meeting rooms or dropped in bags, leading to a shortage at key moments.
• Socks and Underwear: Small but essential items that can be forgotten, especially when switching hotels or changing bags frequently.
• Medication or Supplements: Many travelers forget to pack their medications or daily vitamins, especially when staying in different places.
• Adapters/Converters: International adapters, especially the small, plug-in ones, are frequently left behind in hotel rooms or airports.

Most Commonly Re-Purchased Items

• Chargers: It’s common for business travelers to buy spare chargers at airport shops or convenience stores.
• Toiletries: When travelers forget toiletries, they often replace them at local stores or pharmacies. Travel-sized toiletries are frequently purchased at airports.
• Headphones: Wireless earbuds, such as AirPods, are often replaced after they’re lost. I still run old school wired ones because I’ve seen too many travelers lose one or both pods while shuffling through planes and airports.
• Luggage: If luggage is lost or damaged, travelers may need to buy new bags at airports or nearby stores.
• Business Cards: Some travelers order new cards, especially if they’ve run out during a conference or meeting. There is nothing worse than forgetting cards or brochures or swag when you have a huge trade show or conference to network.

3. Where Are Items Most Likely to Be Left Behind?

Items can be lost at various points during a business trip, but certain areas are more prone to forgetfulness:

Hotel Rooms

• Hotel rooms are notorious for being places where items are forgotten, especially small items like chargers, toiletries, business cards, and jackets. Items can easily be left behind on nightstands, in drawers, or in bathrooms.
• Hotels with check-out rushes: When a traveler is hurrying to check out and catch a flight, it’s easy to forget items that were casually placed around the room.

Airports

• Security Checkpoints: Many travelers leave behind electronics, chargers, or keys while going through security. These items can be particularly tricky to track down once they’re in a TSA bin or security checkpoint.
• Airport Lounges: Wireless headphones, chargers, and laptops are often misplaced in airport lounges, especially when travelers are distracted by meetings or refreshments.

Transportation (Taxis, Rideshares, Rental Cars)

• In a rush to exit the vehicle, items like phones, wallets, documents, or chargers are sometimes left behind in taxis, rideshares, or rental cars.

Conference Rooms and Meeting Spaces

• Documents, pens, or business cards: These can be left behind in conference rooms or meeting spaces, especially when moving between different locations quickly.

4. Lost Luggage

Likelihood of Losing a Checked Bag

• The likelihood of losing a checked bagis relatively low, but it does happen. According to the 2023 SITA Baggage IT Insights Report, only 5.57 bags per 1,000 passengers are mishandled worldwide. This represents about 55% of checked bags, which suggests that the odds of a checked bag being lost are fairly low, but not impossible.

What Percentage of Checked Luggage is Never Recovered?

• About 5-10% of mishandled bagsare never recovered or returned to the passenger. The vast majority of mishandled baggage (approximately 95%) is either returned to the traveler within a few days or rerouted to the correct destination.

Summary

While frequent business travelers generally have a well-organized packing routine, they still face the risk of losing or forgetting key items, especially chargers, toiletries, and business-related accessories. Many of these items are repurchased on the go, often at airports, hotels, or local shops. The most common places where items are left behind include hotel rooms, airports, and transportation vehicles. As for checked luggage, while the chances of losing a bag are relatively low (about 0.55%), a small percentage of mishandled bags are never recovered, though most are returned within a few days. Business travelers can mitigate this by packing carefully, keeping backups of essentials, and using technology like luggage trackers to reduce the likelihood of mishaps.

Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP, is the CEO & Managing Partner of QORVAL Partners, LLC, a FL-based advisory firm (founded 1996 by Jim Malone, six-time Fortune 100/500 CEO) Qorval is a US-based turnaround, restructuring, business optimization and interim management firm. Fioravanti is a proven turnaround CEO with experience in more than 90 situations in more than 40 industries. He earned his MBA and MPA from the University of Rhode Island and completed advanced post-master’s research in finance and marketing at Bryant University. He is a Certified Turnaround Professional and member of the Turnaround Management Association, the Private Directors Association, Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Association of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&MA), the American Bankruptcy Institute, and IMCUSA. Copyright 2024, Qorval Partners LLC and/or Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution without permission.

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