Ten Tips to Prevent Lost Luggage

If you travel frequently, you have most likely experienced the nightmare of missing luggage at some point during your travels. Lost luggage complaints have decreased significantly in recent years; however, the issue persists. Misplaced luggage can disrupt a well-planned holiday and may result in a loss of time and money. You might be able to cope most of the time, but lost luggage can lead to inconvenience, turmoil, and panic. If you’re planning a trip, why not take a few steps to allow your bags a better chance? While there are no foolproof ways to prevent your luggage from getting lost, you can follow a few basic tips to help keep it from getting misplaced and aid its recovery if it does.

1) Fly nonstop or with more extended layovers

Traveling nonstop is the easiest way to safeguard your luggage, since bags are often misplaced in transit. Unfortunately, we can’t always opt for this option due to cost or unavailability. The next best alternative is to choose flights with a more extended layover to give your luggage and yourself adequate time to board the next aircraft. When booking connecting flights, avoid layovers of less than 1.5 hours to ensure a seamless travel experience. If your flight is delayed, the airline crew will not have enough time to move your bags from one plane to the next. You’ll rush to your next flight, but your luggage may not make the connection in time. Plan for a slightly more extended layover if you booked the two flights separately. Or, if you are required to retrieve your baggage for customs before boarding the next plane. You need to pick up your luggage at baggage claim and drop it off after following the required procedure. This takes time, and you cannot expect to be as quick as the airport staff. Keep this in mind when booking tickets.

2) Make Your Luggage Stand Out

Make your bag stand out by using eye-catching details. Purchase suitcases in striking colors or prints, wrap a bright ribbon/duct tape/tag around the handle, apply stickers/patches to the body, or use bold luggage straps – it all depends on your creativity. These simple markings will help you identify your luggage on the carousel among a sea of similar-looking suitcases. Check the tags, even if they seem identical to your bag. By personalizing your luggage, you ensure that none of your fellow travelers accidentally grabs it. If your luggage goes missing, the unique tags will also serve as identifying marks. 

3) Reach on Time

Arrive at the airport with plenty of time to check in your luggage. Checking in at the last minute can be risky for your bags. The rushed process can lead to incorrect tags being placed on your luggage. Don’t forget that bags also undergo many security checks before being loaded onto planes. Bags of last-minute passengers would reach the loading bay last, and there might not be enough time to get your luggage on board.

4) Label your Baggage Inside and Outside

Before checking in a bag, label it both outside and inside. Attach a sturdy baggage tag to the outside of the suitcase with your name, hotel name, email address, and phone number. You can skip the home address. Luggage tags are often ripped off during rough handling, so keep a copy of your travel plans inside your luggage. Place it on top where it’s easy to spot. Duct tape a piece of paper or a card with all of the necessary information, including the address and a dated itinerary. This will make it easier for airlines to locate you and return your luggage more quickly if it gets misplaced.

5). Tear Off Old Tags

Remove any existing tags, barcodes, or stickers from your luggage before attaching any new tags or labels. Bags are scanned multiple times during your journey, and outdated barcodes may mislead luggage scanners with incorrect information from previous flights. If the suitcase gets lost, we don’t want it rerouted to your last location. Our goal is to make it simple to identify where the bags are going and keep them on track.

6) Take Some Pictures

Click clear pictures of your bag and keep them with you. If you need to report lost baggage, you can provide a photo of the missing bag to the concerned authorities. This will make it easier for them to locate it. Compile a list of everything in your bag. However, if you are too lazy to make that effort, images will suffice. Snap a picture of the bag’s contents before zipping it shut. It will be helpful while filling out the claims form if your bag is never located. Take pics of your baggage-claim ticket as well, just in case you misplace it.

7) Lock Up Your Luggage

When traveling, you run the risk not only of losing your bag but also of having your belongings stolen from your suitcase. Always use TSA-approved locks to secure your luggage. Thieves would target easy-to-open bags and may ignore your locked suitcases. If your luggage goes missing, a lock will keep the contents safe as it passes through multiple hands before reaching you.

8) Get to Baggage Claim as quickly as you can

Before landing, the flight attendant announces the carousel number. Otherwise, you may look it up on the monitors. Try to reach the right baggage carousel as quickly as possible, and keep an eye out for your bag as it comes off the belt. This eliminates the risk of someone picking up your luggage, either accidentally or intentionally.

9) Don’t Overpack Your Bag

Be sure not to overpack your bag. When the airline workers fling the suitcase around at the airport, it can burst open if it is overstuffed. In such instances, baggage handlers typically place the suitcase aside, resulting in the bag being delayed or lost. It’s best to keep your bags light and manageable.

10) Upgrade Your Luggage Tag

The use of GPS-tracked tags to locate misplaced luggage is becoming increasingly popular. There are a variety of gadgets available, but most consist of a small tag or device paired with a smartphone app that allows you to track your bags. Add them to your bag, and you will receive real-time updates on their location during transit and upon arrival. New smart tags are released regularly, so check the reviews and pick one that appeals to you.

Despite this, your bag might still be misplaced or lost. As a result, you must keep all of your medications, valuables, essentials, and a change of clothes in your carry-on. Consider getting travel insurance.

What to do when your bag is missing?

Don’t panic if your luggage doesn’t appear on the luggage carousel. File a claim right away, before leaving the airport. Locate your airline’s baggage office and report the incident there. You will be asked to complete forms with all the necessary information about yourself and your luggage. The more information you provide, the easier it will be to match the bag and deliver it to its intended destination. The bag’s description and contents, as well as your flight route and any other pertinent information, may help in the bag’s recovery. After that, you can leave the airport. The airlines will then search for your bags and, if they are found, send them to your specified address.

Most bags are returned to passengers within 48 hours. If the airlines are unable to locate your luggage, they will attempt to replace it with the closest matching suitcase. The contents of the bag will be reimbursed in cash. The amount of compensation varies depending on the airline’s policy. Sometimes, you will be compensated for a day’s worth of needs, such as underwear, clothing, and basic toiletries. Keep the receipts for items purchased, as they will have to be submitted. You might even be asked to list everything in your bag. Jewelry, artwork, electrical equipment, high-value commodities, cash, and other assets are typically excluded from reimbursement.