8 Helpful Tips to Keep You From Losing Your Luggage Ever Again

Losing your luggage while you’re traveling can really cramp your style in a major way. Imagine having no spare change of clothes while you wait for the airline to find wherever it was they shipped your bags off to.

Air transport communication and information technology specialist, SITA reports there were 24.1 million lost and mishandled bags in 2014 alone.

That’s 7.3 bags per 1,000 airline passengers!

To avoid becoming a statistic in this catastrophic state of events, here are eight helpful tips to prevent losing your luggage:

#1. Pick a Unique-Looking Bag

Make sure your bag doesn’t look like anyone else’s to make spotting it in the luggage carousel a cinch. Brightly colored luggage will do the trick, as well.

#2. Get a Smart Tile for Your Luggage

You can track your bag using your mobile phone through a Bluetooth-enabled smart Tile tracker. The Tile was initially created to help find lost keys and phones, but it will work perfectly to help you locate your bag, either by sound, or pinpointing its last known location on the app’s map.

#3. Wrap a Colorful Strap or Spandex Luggage Cover Around Your Bag

Maybe you already have a generic set of luggage in black or grey that looks like every other bag at the airport. Customize your bag with eye-catching straps or a one-of-a-kind luggage cover to help you identify your belongings in a flash.

#4. Remove All Old Airline Tags Before Heading Off to the Airport

Airline employees are only people too, you know. And an assortment of airline tags on your luggage from different flights might confuse them as to your exact destination. Always check that you only have the newest airline tags on your bag, or your luggage may end up in the previous destination from your last trip.

#5. Check Your Bags Within the Right Time Frame

If you check your luggage in too early, it might get stashed somewhere and forgotten. Check them in too late, and your bags might not make the flight. Even if a majority of airlines check bags in up to the last minute, they aren’t responsible for getting your belongings to you if your bags miss your flight completely.

#6. Take Photos of Your Bag Inside and Out

In the event the airline does loses your luggage, you’ll have a ready reference to help them locate your bag immediately.

#7. Book Your Flight With Airlines That Have Good Baggage Handling Reputations

A little caution never hurt anybody. To ensure you don’t become a lost luggage statistic, confine your flights only with airlines that have good baggage handling records.

#8. You Can Always Ship Your Bags Instead

If you’ve been burned more than once, avoid losing your luggage altogether by shipping your bags instead of checking them in. This is particularly true if you have large and heavy bags and want to avoid paying for excess luggage. Regular shipping methods provide you with tracking for your peace of mind. Or you can use a luggage shipping service like Luggage Forward which specializes in this sort of thing.

Happy Travels!

H/T: Buzzfeed