There’s nothing more unnerving than losing your luggage with your priceless items in a flight. On an average, airlines globally spend as much as $1.6 billion a year on mishandled baggage. How can you prevent baggage losses? Here are a few tips.
Label inside and outside
Label your business contact details: name, address and phone number to the inside of your bag with duct tape and leave a copy of itinerary and tickets inside.
Color tag on your bag
Get a small roll of bright tape (like fluorescent lime) and wrap a piece around something on your bag, like a handle strap. This enables you to spot your bag amongst a whole pile of similar-looking bags. You can also list it as an identifying mark if reporting lost luggage.
Photo-identify your baggage
A picture is worth a thousand descriptions: Take a picture of your bag, preferably with color tag, and store it in your camera phone or in your digital camera. Alternatively, place a print-out with your passport in your carry on or passport holder, too. If you have to report lost luggage, you have an easy way (your phone) to show what your bag looks like. If you have it in your phone and have a hard copy, you can leave the copy at the baggage counter if you have to leave the airport without your bag.
A rain-check before check-in
Never check baggage that won’t completely close. While use of a luggage strap is a good idea it should not replace the original closing mechanism.
Carry Travel Check-list
Write out a detailed record of your packed belongings in case you need to account for your personal items.
Pack valuables, medicines and must-have’s in carry-on bags
While most bags are recovered quickly, pack a change of clothes in your carry-on, as it may be a few days before you and your luggage are reunited.
Carry Overseas Travel Insurance
You can never be safe enough, so it becomes a smart idea to invest in Overseas Travel Insurance that enables you to claim, should you tend to lose your baggage. Click here to know more on Overseas Travel Insurance Gold