Nearly half (42 per cent) Indian travellers leave behind clothing items like socks, shirts, tops during their holidays, followed by electronics like earphones, chargers or power banks (37 per cent), toiletries (36 per cent), glasses (30 per cent) and jewellery/watch (22 per cent), according to the report by online travel and related services provider by Booking.com and global market research company YouGov.
Indians have also forgotten important documents such as passports or IDs (17 per cent), unexpected items such as hair extensions or wigs (15 per cent), teeth aligners (13 per cent) and even pets (12 per cent) at the destination, the report said.
While packing, the most commonly forgotten items by Indian travellers include phone chargers or adapters (35 per cent), followed by toothbrushes or toothpaste (33 per cent), medicines (29 per cent) and earphones (28 per cent).
Beyond the usual suspects, Indians often miss essentials like umbrellas (26 per cent) and sunglasses (25 per cent) and critical travel documents (21 per cent).
The report is based on ‘Summer Travel Research 2025′, commissioned by Booking.com and YouGov, carried out with over 1,000 consumers across 10 cities in India, who have travelled at least once in the past 12 months during April-May 2025.
It further revealed that toiletry kits (including shampoo, lotion and brushes) are the most common (44 per cent) item that makes it back home, followed by coffee or tea bags (41 per cent), slippers (25 per cent) and newspapers (28 per cent).
When it comes to travel snacking, Indian travellers’ top picks are dry snacks like namkeen, khakhra and biscuits (54 per cent), followed by energy-boosting dry fruits and nuts (41 per cent) and chocolates, candies or mints (39 per cent) that offer a readily available treat.
Around 37 per cent of Indian travellers prefer travelling with the comfort of home-cooked foods such as thepla, paratha or puri and for 33 per cent, coffee and tea sachets are also a popular essential for that quick caffeine fix.
“It is fascinating to see how Indian travellers seamlessly blend convenience with cultural connection on their journeys. While packing quirks and forgotten essentials are common, these habits reflect a deep emotional connection to both home comforts and local experiences.
“Our data highlights that while unexpected travel twists may disrupt the best-laid plans, it is often these moments, along with the memories of local experiences, that truly define a traveller’s journey,” Santosh Kumar, Booking.com Regional Manager – South Asia, said. (PTI)
