Most common items left behind before flying

©Kitz Corner via 123RF

Mango conducted a survey with passengers using various airlines and the results revealed that 45% of guests have forgotten their cell phone charger, while 29% forgot their toothbrush, 6% their toiletry bags and 2% their wallets.

While these items can be easily replaced once you have arrived at your destination, the survey further indicated that guests are also leaving critical travelling items at home. Alarmingly, 3% indicated they only realised they had forgotten their identity documents at home while trying to check in. This is obviously any traveller’s worst nightmare, as many airlines will not allow any passengers to board without a valid identity documentation.

The main cause of passengers leaving essentials at home is poor planning. The only way to ensure that you have everything you need ahead of your trip is to allow yourself sufficient time to pack and prepare for your trip. That is why you need to create a checklist and keep referring to it at all times.

Travelling should be as easy as possible and with the following tips to follow; leaving behind essential stuff will be a thing in the past.
Make a list and check it twice.

Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote still applies for modern-day travelling:

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

It can vary from the simplest of items, such as shampoo and a hairdryer, to more critical items such as money and documentation.
At check-in, it is required that all guests are required to provide proof of identification in order to receive their boarding pass. You may use a valid passport, valid South African ID book/card or valid South African driver’s license as proof of identification.

Before you close your suitcase for the last time or leave your front door, make sure to run through your list one more time, to ensure you have all the necessary items.

Pack accordingly

If you are travelling to one of our beautiful Mango cities, make sure to do some research about the climate. The same survey indicated that 49% of passengers said they never seem to pack enough warm clothes, followed by comfortable shoes (24%), enough underwear (14%) and socks (13%).

These items are easily replaced; however, they can eat into your holiday budget, which is never a good thing!

Copy, copy, copy

It is essential that our guests make both hard copies of the most important documentation, like your ID, driver’s license, ticket and most importantly your return ticket.

Also, make sure to keep various sets of copies in different places like your suitcase, your carry-on luggage, pockets or give a set to your travelling companion.

It would also be wise to keep electronic copies of your ticket and ID on your phone or a flash stick, so if the unimaginable happens any of them at home you can either print them out or show one of our friendly attendants at our check-in facilities.