Britons will waste an astonishing £600 million pounds replacing essential items that they have left at home this summer.
Lazy Britons are blaming the stress of holiday preparation for allowing a loved one to do the hard work – with some even leaving it to their mums!
New Travelodge research into the nation’s packing habits uncovered the astounding facts that 20% of the population let their partners do their packing, but worse still - a further one in ten adults farm it out to their mothers!
Travelodge spokesperson, Shakila Ahmed says: “We were shocked to find over a quarter of people dodging their own holiday preparation. It’s packing avoidance at its worst!
“And we’re not talking about teenagers: 25 to 34 year olds were revealed to be the biggest culprits!”
In the study of 5,000 people, the number one reason for delegating is that they find packing stressful (26%). Not having enough time (21%) is second on the list, followed by partners or family members not trusting their organisational skills (18%).
The Welsh are first for letting mum do their dirty work whilst Londoners are most likely to have their partners pack for them. The male population is more likely to side-step filling their suitcase with 28% more men than women already wriggling out of it.
But packing avoidance doesn’t happen without a fight – 59% of partners and parents getting lumbered with someone else’s chores said that it causes arguments in their house and 20% said it added significant stress to the run up to their break.
However, 25% admitted that their loved one is so unorganised that they find it easier and less stressful just to do it for them.
Travelodge’s study into packing habits also revealed that people from Northern Ireland are the most organised, while those from the East of the country are the least. Levels of planning vary to extremes with 21% of Britons creating a written schedule of outfits to pack while 19% just throw a selection of clothes into a bag and hope for the best.
The majority of the nation (40%) makes a list of essentials to tick off as they go into the suitcase, while 33% of people lay their clothes and accessories out on the bed in outfits.
Packing styles also vary across the country with five main approaches being taken:
· Rollers: The Scottish favour folding and then rolling clothing
· Wrappers: West Midlanders avoid creases by wrapping clothing in tissue paper
· Stackers: Those in East Anglia neatly fold and stack
· Shrinkers: Londoners vacuum pack their clothing by outfit
· Flingers: People in the South East throw items into the bag in no particular order
More people from the North West admit to finding the pre-holiday process stressful than anywhere else in the country. Women are also more likely to be harassed by packing than men, and spend an average of 59 minutes longer getting it done.
On average, Britons spend 2.4 hours planning and packing their bags, with a fair few indulging in up to a whopping 12 hours!
Continues Shakila, “Our research also found that packing-avoidance is hitting Britons where it hurts the most – the wallet: 92% of those who outsource the task rarely have everything they need, and have to shell out as a result.”
“Whether they’re heading for Bognor or Barbados, Britons waste an average of £26 a trip replacing things they’ve left behind. That’s nearly £600m a year, thrown away because of poor organisation!
“Sunglasses are most frequently forgotten, followed by swimmers, socks, trainers and a jumper.
“Call us crazy, but in the interest of looking after the pennies, perhaps it’s time British adults give their mums a break from packing their bags!”
Listed below are Travelodge’s top packing tips:
Divide & Rule: Lay out all of your clothes on the bed before you place them in the suitcase and cut in half. It may sound drastic but it forces you to focus and just remember all the items you have taken on holiday before and never worn.
Think what & where: Consider everything you might be doing (tennis? posh dinners? hiking? swimming? city explorations?) - then put your favourite items for these scenarios on your bed in piles of tops, bottoms, dresses, shoes, beauty favourites, jackets/cover-ups, swimwear. Anything that doesn't have a specific use doesn't need to come without you.
Colour code your clothes: Look at everything and choose items based on the fact they will work with lots of other items. Thinking of a colour palette makes this even simpler. What you are doing here is ensuring everything works really hard and you don’t end up lugging loads of things that just don’t go with anything else and you will end up never wearing.
Bury the shoes: Pack shoes at the bottom of your suitcase and surround them with your underwear. Remember to pack into the corners of your bag - lots of space can be wasted by not filling a bag correctly.
Rollin' rollin' rollin': Roll every item that can be rolled, as this will negate creasing. If you take anything remotely tailored, turn it inside out and tuck in the sleeves and it will arrive in the best shape possible.
Use a see-through washbag: Wash bags with see-through compartments are brilliant for organising your toiletries. They tend to be lightweight and you can check quickly to see if you've forgotten anything.
ENDS