There are plenty of stresses while traveling – planning, packing, going through security, or even sitting through airport layover. However, no matter how hard you try to make it stress-free, problems come unexpectedly and are inevitable. Your efforts can only reduce their possibility. Traveling brings in many different kinds of experience, which includes experience to cope up with the unseen problems.
Losing luggage considered as the worst travel experience is a common problem faced by many travelers. When you get off the plane and get a text saying, ‘Sorry, your bag didn’t make it. What hotel are you staying in?’Around 25 million bags get mishandled every year.
Why is it common you ask? Well, there are a number of reasons a bag could get lost or mishandled. Some common ones are:
- Mistaken Identity
As many bags look similar, someone could nab your bag thinking that it’s their own. Traveling with a unique bag can avoid such mishap. Sew on patches, attach ribbons or use fabric paint — anything to make your bag stand out. This also helps you identify your bag easily.
- Connecting Flight
Around 53% of all mishandled bags are due to transfer flights. Your bag doesn’t make it on the plane because there isn’t enough time between flights. I recommend scheduling connection flights at least with an hour interval.
- Late Check-In
Always check in, at least, an hour early because if you have to run through the terminals, your bag might not have time to get on the plane.
- Bag Tag Mix-ups
The bag tag can get torn off, or misread and might get sent to wrong place. To avoid it: find a secure part for tags and also remove old tags from your luggage.
- No contact Info
Airline workers have no way to return your bag if they don’t know that it is yours. So, make sure to attach address to the outside of the bag. To be on the safe side, also include contact info on the inside of the bag.
99% of checked bags get delivered on time. Hopefully, your bag will arrive safely and on time to your destination. However, if something goes wrong, there’s no reason to panic. Even if your bag is lost, you can get it back in timely manner. Then, you can enjoy your trip worry-free and with all your possessions, like you were meant to. Just contact your airline, and express your concern calmly. Airport Lost and Found has a high success rate of finding lost property. After getting a detailed description of your lost items, it alerts airport employees, attendants, security, restaurants, shops, and even airport transportation services.
Did your luggage go astray? Write us your experience in the comment section below.
