Welcome to Episode 88!
After returning home from a trip in Cabo San Lucas with 9 other people, one person had to wait several days to receive her luggage.
So, today’s episode is going to be about what you can do to minimize your risk of losing your luggage.
Disclaimer: These are not 100% guaranteed to prevent your luggage being lost or delayed. They’re only to minimise your chances.
Let’s go:
[02:12] Check your bags in a timely manner.
If you are arriving at the airport at the last moment, you’re only increasing the chances that your luggage isn’t going to be on the same flight as you.
Some airlines will even refuse to allow you to check in after a certain time.
Give your luggage enough time to make the trip from the check-in counter to the plane.
[03:55] Book non-stop flights.
If you can, prioritise non-stop flights or flights with significant layovers.
This will give your luggage the best shot of getting to your destination with you.
If you have a layover, ensure that the layover gives your luggage enough time to change planes if it needs to.
You will want to add extra time on to layovers for international flights, because you don’t want to be out of the country and have to deal with lost luggage.
[06:47] Make your suitcase unique.
A very common reason for lost luggage is that someone mistook your luggage for theirs.
Ensure that your suitcase looks unique, or if you have a standard-looking suitcase, make it easily identifiable both inside and out.
Put a bow or a ribbon or some markings on the outside of the luggage so that someone else can rule it out as theirs. If they still mistake it for theirs, ensure that you have some identifying information on the inside of the luggage so that they may return it to you.
DO NOT put your home address in the luggage. Put your name and contact information in the luggage.
[09:36] Take a picture of your bags.
If the airline loses your bags, the first thing they’re going to do is ask you all sorts of information, from the brand of the bag to the contents of the bag, the colors, all of that. You don’t want to be caught in a situation where you need to recall this information after experiencing that huge amount of stress.
[10:25] Tracking your bags.
Usually, when you check-in your luggage, you receive a tracking ticket.
Many of the airlines allow you to track your luggage on their apps using this ticket, so download their apps once you’ve booked your flights.
If you want to take control of your luggage tracking, you can use tools such as Apple AirTags, Samsung SmartTags, and more.
Hopefully, this episode helps you keep calm and minimise your chances of losing your luggage when you travel. Again, these aren’t 100% guaranteed to save your luggage, but if you use a combination of these options, your chances will be significantly lower.
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Thanks for the luggage tips!! I definitely try to make sure majority of my flights are non stop and I definitely arrive early. I like ugly luggage or I love to put ribbons and glitter on my luggage to set them apart from others.
You definitely deserved to take some space and time away, and we are all glad you are back doing podcasts!!