Spring break is rapidly approaching, and it seems like everyone’s skipping town in pursuit of warmer weather (with this winter, you’d be crazy not to). Whether you’ve been preparing for weeks or you’re currently shoving everything you own into your suitcase, there are probably a few things you forgot that can absolutely ruin a vacation if forgotten. Luckily, I’ve compiled a list of all the things you’re bound to leave at home in hopes you’ll be spared the inconvenience of going without them.

Towels

Hotel towels are, and I cannot stress this enough, absolutely disgusting. You don’t know who used them, nor what they were used for last. Even if the concept of community towels doesn’t repulse you, there are almost never enough of them for your entire party, so you definitely won’t regret bringing your own.

Chargers

Phones, cameras, watches, laptops, and AirPods are absolutely useless unless you charge them. Tourist towns attain the majority of their wealth by marking up electronics chargers and you can’t convince me otherwise. A $10 charger in Iowa might cost $30 in California, so triple check that you have all the cords you’ll need.

Sun care

Sunscreen, after-sun lotion and sunglasses are the first thing you should pack unless you plan to spend the majority of your time away nursing second-degree sunburns. Melanoma ain’t cute, folks.

Travel documents

Imagine showing up to the airport an hour and a half before your international flight leaves only to realize you left your passport at home. You do not want to be in that situation, and the same thing goes for your ID, admission to shows, parks, luggage tags… the list goes on. One of the best methods I’ve seen to keep your documents in order is to tuck all of your documents into a pocket folder, then close the folder into a Ziploc bag so they can’t fall out.

First aid

Maybe you won’t need a full medical kit, but having necessities like Band-Aids, painkillers, and hand sanitizer won’t hurt. There are so many possibilities for needing any combination of these, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Warm clothes

Just because Malibu is forecast to be 80 degrees and sunny doesn’t mean your hotel room will be, and if you’ll be somewhere sunny, it can still get chilly after dark or early in the morning, so make sure you pack for a variety of temperatures.

Extra space

Clothes take up much less space clean and folded than they do crumpled, damp, and caked in sand. If your suitcase is bursting at the seams to begin with, you’re going to struggle to fit everything back in when it’s time to come home, especially if you’re doing shopping while you’re away. I’d recommend writing a packing list so you can check off items as they go into and out of your suitcase.

Hopefully now you’ve remembered a few things you wouldn’t have before. Let the countdown to spring break begin.