Travel can be thrilling and exciting and I am always up for a new adventure. One of the great thing about modern life is our ability to travel by plane. One of the awful things about modern life is airports.
My family travels a lot and when ever possible we only take carry-on bags so we can avoid the long wait for luggage.
When we do check our luggage we follow these simple tips to make sure that it ends up at the same place that we do.
- Always place a note with your destination on the inside of your bag with the dates that you will be staying there. It is as easy as a piece of paper stating - Jane Crabberry - Hotel Singapore - July 23 to July 30th.
On your return write your name and home address. When baggage gets mis-directed it is often because any outside tags have been torn away. Depending on how automated the airport is that you are traveling to and from, the only way they might be able to determine the ownership of a bag is to open it up.
- We all seem to own the same black or red suitcases and travel bags. Unless you bag is very unique you need to mark it so you can quickly see that it is yours as it travels along the carousel. As I have waited for luggage I constantly hear people murmur to each other, "Is that our bag?"
The easiest way to mark your luggage is to use decorative tape somewhere on your luggage. You want to make sure that it is a good quality tape that will not start to unravel as soon as you have put it on. If you use color or pattern that you can find in ribbon or other materials then you can co-ordinate all of your luggage and other items.
(I replaced my old florescent tape with a polka-dot decorative tape on my luggage handle, side, and tag. It matches my umbrella and I will be making a fold up bag from more polka dot fabric using my Sewing up a Fabulous Fold Up Shopping Bag Pattern. I will also be buying a roll of polka dot ribbon so I can add it to zipper pulls of my make-up bag and any other bag that I want to take with me.)
- Make a inventory of everything you have in your luggage and a description of your luggage and keep this with you. If possible take a quick picture of your luggage on your cell phone. If it gets misdirected you will easily be able to describe the make and model of your bags and show a photo. If it is lost forever then you will have a detailed list that you will be able make your luggage claim with. Of course never pack anything you can't afford to loose. Though I love wearing jewelry I only travel with fun inexpensive costume jewelry.
Airports in the United States consider 3% of baggage misdirected or lost to be acceptable. They know that at some point they will loose your bag, they just are trying to keep it to a minimum.
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Copyright Ingrid Talpak 2012
Morestylethancash
Morestylethancash
you just linked up next to me, and i saw your title which immediately made me click over. i'm leaving shortly for vacation, and i'm always looking for tips. this idea about the address on the inside is super smart, and one i will definitely use this trip! thank you!
I just got some hot pink polka dot tape at Target with no idea what I'd use it for. Now I'm going to use it to identify all of our family's (black) luggage. Thank you.
http://www.stayathomeista.com/2012/04/art-in-bathrooms.html
Great tips -- I especially like the idea of taking a quick snapshot of luggage (and maybe any special items you've packed in it). The airlines lost our luggage on the way to my father in law's funeral (less than a month after my mother's so it was already a stressful time). Photos would have been so helpful in working that problem through to its end! I would love it if you would consider linking to Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy, a Sunday through Thursday link party for ideas that make life easier, better and more fun!
This is a great idea! Better then the yellow tape I've got on my black bag!
This is a great idea - love the polka dots! Thanks so much for sharing. I'm so glad you linked up to Romance on a Dime!!