5 things to do before leaving a hotel room, according to Reader’s Digest

Before you check out, do these five simple hotel room habits to avoid leaving things behind, and make travel smoother

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Before you check out of a hotel, it is easy to slip into a rush-and-go mindset. The bags are packed, the key card is already half out of your hand, and your brain has mentally moved on to the airport, the drive home, or whatever comes next. Hotel rooms have a way of encouraging that speed.

But leaving well is its own small travel skill. It is not about being overly careful or turning checkout into a chore list. It is about those last-minute habits that save you from the classic post-checkout regret: the forgotten charger, the missing stuffed animal, the “why is there still a sock under the bed” moment, or the realization that you left something important behind.

Hotel rooms are deceptively good at hiding things. Chargers slip under beds. Clothing disappears into corners. Snacks multiply in forgotten bags. Even furniture sometimes gets moved and never quite returns to its original position. And while hotel staff are used to cleaning up after hundreds of guests, a little courtesy goes a long way in making the process easier for everyone involved.

According to Reader’s Digest, a few extra minutes before you leave can make your departure smoother, help housekeeping reset the room faster, and prevent you from turning around in traffic five minutes later. It is the difference between a clean exit and a........

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