Top ten essentials Brits forget to take on holiday - but they always remember the tea bags and Marmite!

Travel adaptors and insect repellent are the two most common essentials Brits forget to pack for their summer holidays - but they always remember to take tea bags and Marmite, according to a poll carried out by money.co.uk.

Almost a third of UK holidaymakers have forgotten to pack at least one travel essential on a recent summer holiday, including medication, sunglasses, toiletries and documents such as a passport or driving licence. One in seven (14%) polled said they'd left a travel adaptor behind and 10% had forgotten the bug spray.

Watch our video for top tips on how to pack your suitcase

Top ten items Brits forget to pack:

• Travel adaptor

• Insect repellent

• Sunglasses

• Chargers

• Hairbrush

• Razor

• Sunscreen

• Essential toiletries to take on plane

• Headphones

• Medication

money.co.uk also asked holidaymakers about some of the more unusual items they've packed for a summer holiday. The respondents confessed to packing bedroom curtains, a hammer, a kitchen wall clock, 3kgs of self-raising flour, a dowsing pendulum, and a barcode reader.

Many said they like to take a little bit of home away with them, with tea bags, Marmite and baked beans an essential holiday addition. Inflatables also featured numerous times - and not just novelty inflatable unicorns for the pool, with a few respondents confessing to taking a blow-up doll on vacation.

Brits clearly like a bit of fun in the bedroom, not just the sun, judging by the responses, with plenty of people admitting to taking adult toys away with them, including handcuffs. Things that blow up and vibrate are popular choices in the suitcase!

And of course, we're always prepared for bad weather. Maybe it's habit, or perhaps we're just not optimistic about having nice weather, even if we're heading off to warmer climates, but umbrellas and raincoats featured multiple times in the list.

Commenting on the results of the poll, Aashna Shroff, personal finance expert at money.co.uk, said:

"In a rush to pack and catch our flight, most of us have left something important behind. How many of us have multiple travel adaptors lying around the house because we've reached the airport, realised we've left ours behind, and had to buy another one?

"We all have a tendency to pack too much for our holiday and there were some amusing items that people owned up to taking away with them. You have to wonder if taking the kitchen clock or bedroom curtains was really necessary?

"But other items, such as tea bags and Marmite, aren't at all surprising. Even when we're heading off somewhere exotic, we can all relate to wanting a few creature comforts that remind of us home - whether that's our favourite pillow, teddy bear, or a cup of good, old fashioned English Breakfast tea."

For top packing tips, watch our video (which also shows you how to pack an inflatable, just in case), and visit our website for the ultimate checklist for a stress-free holiday.

press@money.co.uk