I was pondering about what to write about today and at first considered writing about how the Duggar family is now expecting baby number 20. This is what I posted on my Facebook status : “Michelle Duggar is pregnant with number 20….I just don’t know what to say about that.” I got a lot of comments. A lot!!! They ranged from “good grief” to “leave them alone—at least they can support the family and the children are all raised to be respectful and kind”. I didn’t expect such a response. Seems that everyone has an opinion.!!! I, for one, can’t envision having that large of a family. Since my first delivery ended up with me back in the hospital 3 weeks later for emergency surgery and my second delivery was a stressful 6 week early delivery (and then back in again…) Chris and I decided that our family size was best left at 4 so that there would be a momma to take care of the babies! I don’t think I could honestly handle a family of those proportions but hats off to the Duggars for their love of family. 
Instead of writing about that I thought I would write about an article in in USA Today about traveling and leaving things behind. It was pretty interesting. The article starts out talking about a woman, Joyce Gioia, who forgot more than $20,000 worth of jewelry in her hotel room in Italy last year. Fortunately she remembered it and the Marriott Grand Hotel Flora shipped it to her in Austin, TX . First of all—WHO has $20,000 of jewelry when they travel??? Good golly, Miss Molly!!! I must be traveling in the wrong circles!! I thought when “I” went to Italy last year that spending $200 on a Murano glass necklace and earring set was extravagant!!! (Thank you, Chris! <3)
Seems that it is not uncommon for travelers to leave things behind. According to this article we are “distracted” when we travel and forget things just because we are out of our normal routine and environment. Southwest Airlines reported that they had up to 10,000 items a MONTH that are left behind at airports and on airplanes. Cell phones, books clothing and reading glasses top the list. Understandable. The most expensive items??? A 10K engagement ring, a Super Bowl ring and professional video equipment. (All were returned to their owners. Whew).
Evidentially Southwest has a warehouse in Dallas where they store unclaimed items in the 4000 square foot facility. If they are not claimed within 30-90 days the majority of the items are donated to the Salvation Army.
McCarren airport in Las Vegas has about 30.000 items are left behind each year. Most are left at TSA checkpoints which is understandable as it is traumatic to be frisked before going through to the gate. People just forget things. The airport hires a full time employee to handle lost items and it costs between $10,000 to $20,000 to return these items.
Hyatt Hotels reports that the most common item left behind is a phone charger. (Yep. I left one somewhere!) Next is underwear. Ewwwwwww. 
Followed by false teeth (really?? How do you leave without your teeth?),
hearing aids (What???), 
shoes and clothing, keys, toiletries, adult toys (I assume they mean iPads????), electric toothbrushes, laptops and jewelry.
Most hotels will not automatically return items unless the owner asks for them. This is to head off sticky situations as might be the case if you left behind one of the aforementioned adult toys and the guest was not there with the spouse, I guess. Yikes.
Anyway, it made me think about being forgetful and out of my element. A place I am all too familiar with these days!!! Have you forgotten anything valuable in your travels??? I would love to hear where you left your false teeth! And if you are ever at the Holiday Inn in Cherokee, NC I left a nightgown on the back of the bathroom door in 1986. I would love to have it back. It was white with blue flowers. Let me know if you see it. Thanks.
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Leave a commentI left my “adult toys” behind in a hotel in North Carolina. My journal, sketch pad, and a zipper container of art supplies. I was mighty relieved to get them back. My brother in law has left his partial behind in restaurants wrapped in napkins that get thrown away. An expensive habit, to be sure. His wife made him a little Plate Bag to hang from his belt loops.
He gets teased about the teeth left behind—but I guess he’s not the only one.
Ann…..I was a little worried for a minute there when I saw you left your adult toys behind!!! Whew. I can see the partial. Kind of like retainers, right??? How many of those have been tossed away??? $$$$$$$ I love the little Plate Bag–how thoughtful!!!! And yes—he is definitely not alone!!! Thanks for the laughs!
At the risk of being crude..but perfectly honest..I think the most often lost item(s) in hotels/motels is… virginty and/or morals.(to cover all the bases) lol
I was laughing like a maniac when I read your comment in Panera……I suspect that some of those adult toys may have been in use also during the time of loss….
Thanks for making me laugh out loud!
My husband was a manager for JW Marriott, one of the strangest things people left behind is a suitcase of money! Seriously, someone actually have $20,000 in $1 bills all stcked up in one suicases and he forgot about it. He call panicking few hrs latter and have to miss his flight to come back to the hotel and pick it up. hehehehe….
The Duggars, yeah… I don’t know what to say, on one hand, hats off for them to have that large family and all pretty respectful and good children and also living life debt free, but whew!!! 20 kids.. wow.. that’s all I can say. 🙂
WHAT????? Was it tip money or what??? Crazy crazy crazy!!! At least he didn’t lose it forever!!!
*lol* I always love your posts! You say things I think about. Obviously I’m not alone.
Maybe I shouldn’t say them?? LOL
We left my toddler girl’s sleep blankie once when travelling – and then we faced with 2 weeks of vacation and her not having it to go to sleep at night! the first couple of nights were rough, but she played so hard in the sun and surf all day that she just didn’t have much fight left at bedtime.
We did call the hotel, and were able to pick it up on our way back through. The hotel was actually really great — housekeeping had her pink blankie waiting on her little bed: artfully arranged into a swan! It was really sweet of them.
Good resolution to what could have been a horrible situation!!! I can imagine the first few nights were horrible but what a great way to ‘present” it!!! Nice story!
I don’t remember leaving anything behind when traveling, but I did forget to pull not-used-often items out of a blind corner cabinet when we moved once.
Oh man—I can definitely see that happening, Patti! There are some spots in this kitchen here that I have “hidden” stuff so I will have to be very thorough when I leave!!! Hopefully none of what you left behind was valuable.
I can see forgetting an article of clothing, but your teeth? a hearing aid? and laptop? That’s is pretty surprising!
Yea, Karen! I know! I can not imagine leaving some of those items behind but I guess it shows that people are more distracted than we think!
Oh, and I have to comment about the 20 kids! That’s a LOT of blessings! I wonder if the dad is in that picture. I hadn’t heard about this large family before. I wonder what kind of job the dad has to be able to support that big a family.
I am surprised you have never heard of them! They have a pretty amazing story and it seems to work for them so good on em! The dad is in real estate–was a former state legislator for a short time I believe. They live debt free and seem to have it all figured out. I simply can not imagine that many children but I guess they make it work!
Back in the day when you needed your airline tickets, we left our 4 airline tickets in a friend’s car when she dropped us off. Luckily she discovered them and had us paged. We were just merrily going on our way to the ticket counter when we heard our name over the speakers.
I asked Frank what was the biggest thing I ever forgot because, actually, I tend to forget SO many things that they kind of blur together. He sweetly said that, although I forget about “things” quite often, he thinks it is because I am thinking about the people I will see or students I will teach–and then I get sidetracked. So, Beth Ann, knowing you I am sure you are often thinking about others and the items you misplace are just not as important to you as the people in your life. : )
Mary Ellen—That was by far the sweetest comment!!! I do forget things and it is not always because I am thinking about others—just flakey in my old age!!! I hope that I remember the important things tho I know some slip through the cracks. You have a very sweet husband to point that out to you and it is true with you! I know it is!!!