my top travel tip I've never seen anyone else recommend is: choose a lamb to slaughter.
now, it's important to note that you can't just pack or buy something with the sole intention of leaving it behind to appease the forces of chaos. nor can you throw that candy wrapper in the hotel room trash can and call it even; if it's indisputably garbage, it doesn't count. the sacrifice must be chosen from among the actual belongings you brought with you, and you shouldn't designate it until you're packing up to leave.
with your eleven o'clock checkout time or uber ride to the airport fast approaching, take a final, grim inventory. the ideal lamb to slaughter is something small, lightweight, easily replaceable. of little monetary and no sentimental value. a spare USB-C cable that's sorta worse for wear, but still works. one of those little travel toothpastes—not quite empty yet, but you can snag another at any drugstore. the nub of an eyeliner pencil you could've used for another week.
take the lamb out of your bag, kiss it goodbye, and place it on the nightstand or bathroom counter or wherever you would've left it if you'd just accidentally overlooked it while packing up. then, to karmically cancel out any additional effort the housekeeping staff will have to expend to dispose of your lamb, gather up all the sheets and towels in one easy-to-grab pile on top of the bed, and leave.
I used to lose stuff every time I traveled, and they were usually things I'd actually miss! but it hasn't happened once since I adopted this superstition a few years ago. and sure, the practical explanation is that it naturally forces you to think about everything you brought with you and check in the places you'd be most likely to leave them. whatever. I find it way more fun to believe the universe craves chaos and blood and expensive prescription eyeglasses yet is reasonable enough to be negotiated down to a half-spent ballpoint pen instead
