Public transport during peak hours can be an intense and noisy experience, and due to this, more than two-thirds (68%) of Brits revealed they feel stressed and overwhelmed when travelling with expensive items.
The increased and heightened feelings of stress whilst travelling can see many Brits become distracted and forgetful, with more than one in five (21%) losing the same item twice on public transport. When asked which mode of transport they were most likely to lose an item on, 43% stated the bus and coach which was followed by train (43%).
A third (33%) of Brits find the airport the most stressful occasion to travel to, compared to other occasions commonly associated with stress such as a job interview (26%), the work commute (10%) and the school run (8%).
So as we move into a new year, travel provider Arriva have reflected on a full year of travel and gathered data from their Greenline service, a coach to Luton airport running from London Victoria, uncovering all of the items Brits lost whilst travelling in 2024.
To understand why Brits lost so many items whilst travelling last year the travel provider has teamed up with psychologist Dr Ravi Gill to share how you can combat your travel stress and avoid losing your belongings in 2025.
Lost Items of 2024 revealed:
Arriva’s study uncovered the most common items lost on the Arriva Greenline Route 757 bus to Luton Airport, as well as some of the weirdest items lost throughout the year. Unsurprisingly Phones were the most lost item on public transport in 2024, closely followed by Purses/wallets and Apple Airpods boxes of cigarettes also made it into the top 10.
Rogue items lost along the way include boxes of Lego, fridge magnets, Maderia wine, vitamins, a disposable camera and an EasyJet Jacket.
Whilst the above ranking indicates a heightened sense of awareness over the whereabouts of our passports when travelling, forms of ID do still rank as the seventh most lost – after more costly items like mobile phones and wallets. With digital boarding passes on phones now the norm, they’re arguably just as important for our onward journey.
Important identification documents lost in 2024, included two Polish passports, two Romanian ID’s, one US Passport, one British passport, one Swedish driving licence and one UK driving licence.
Most forgetful date:
The data also uncovered the dates travellers tend to be the most forgetful, with 25 February 2024 coming out on top, clocking up 24 lost items.
Not only was 25th February the day of the most losses, but also the day of the most-costly losses with items including a range of luxury products from Apple AirPods to a Louis Vuitton wallet, and even a brand-new Apple MacBook still in its box. The 9th February 2024 recorded the second most (14) items lost, with items found on board buses ranging from a Romanian passport to a contact lenses.
Ten items were recorded as lost on the 2nd January. Following New Years celebrations, items lost on this date included multiple forms of ID including a US passport, a residence permit, and a UK drivers’ licence being recovered.
Overall, the most items were lost in February with 38 items lost in total, followed by September with 20 items and January with 16 items.
How travel stress affects memory:
According to Dr Ravi, losing our belongings when travelling shouldn’t be a surprise due to connection between stress and memory.
“Stress demands mental energy and attention, making it difficult to concentrate on tasks. When your mind is preoccupied with worries, there’s less cognitive capacity left for remembering details. High levels of stress force your brain to multitask between managing stressors and other tasks, leading to forgetfulness.
“Stress triggers the release of cortisol; the body’s primary stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels can disrupt memory formation and retrieval. While short-term cortisol can help you stay alert, excessive or chronic cortisol can impair memory.
Dr Ravi explains why travelling causes such stress and how stress related to being at a destination on time can result in loss,
“The perception of limited time triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol and adrenaline. While these are helpful in emergencies, they can make you feel physically tense, mentally foggy, and emotionally on edge.
“When arriving somewhere late, the potential of loss of money, missing an event, or losing an opportunity can feel significant, therefore amplifying the sense of urgency to get there. This sense of urgency triggers the brain’s fight-or-flight response, leading to heightened stress.
“We are psychologically wired to fear losses more than we are to value equivalent gains, so the possibility of losing something (e.g money or an experience) feels disproportionately upsetting.
“When travelling, delays or disruptions are often outside our control and the unpredictability can lead to heightened feelings of helplessness. Juggling multiple variables requires significant mental effort, which can overwhelm our brain’s capacity to process calmly, and the subsequent Fight-or-Flight Response causes our bodies to prioritize immediate survival responses (like vigilance and alertness) over non-essential functions, such as detailed memory recall.”
Top five tips for managing travel stress revealed:
For those who struggle with managing their stress levels whilst travelling and want to ensure they don’t lose their belongings in the future, Dr Ravi has provided her top stress management tips.
- Travel with a safety object – “This acts as a grounding tool. It can be anything but a small item that holds sentimental value (like a lucky coin or a keepsake) can act as a mental anchor, reminding you of comfort and stability.”
- Pre-plan mini moments of joy – “Plan for little treats during your journey i.e. like trying a unique snack, enjoying your favourite music playlist, or reading your favourite book.”
- Create a personal bubble – “Noise-cancelling headphones with ambient soundscapes (like rain or forest sounds) can make even a chaotic airport/ plane journey feel like a peaceful retreat.”
- Make an inventory – “Create a detailed list of all expensive items you’re bringing, including photos, serial numbers, and descriptions. This can help in case of loss or theft.”
- Don’t leave expensive items in checked luggage – “Expensive items in your backpack instead of checked luggage to maintain control and reduce the risk of loss. If you’re travelling with electronics like laptops or cameras, back up important data before your trip in case of theft or damage. If you do put an expensive item in the hold, attach a Bluetooth or GPS tracking device (e.g., Apple AirTags or Tile) to your valuable items to keep track of their location in real-time.”
To plan a journey with arriva or for further information on Arriva’s bus routes, including the Greenline service, visit Arriva UK Bus.