The flight is over. There you stand at the luggage carousel with everyone else, watching bag after bag roll out onto the conveyor belt. With every thump, there’s fresh hope. But then that sinking feeling sets in. You’re the only one still standing there. Somewhere along the journey, your bag has deviated from the itinerary. It is lost.
According to the Los Angeles Times, about 97 percent of all lost bags and their worried owners are reunited within two days. Having a good luggage tag and a plan will help increase your odds of being in the 97 percent.
Here are some luggage tag do’s and don’ts:
• Do include your contact information: name, email address and phone number. And be sure to write clearly. Bad handwriting? Have someone else do it for you.
• There is some debate about whether or not to include an address, for safety reasons. On the outbound journey, your home address could notify enterprising thieves that you’re out of town. Instead, put down your hotel information. On the return flight, listing a work address or other neutral location may be a safer bet.
• Traveling internationally? Avoid a bright red, white and blue tag and opt for something noncommittal. No need to broadcast to potential thieves that you’re a tourist and where you’re from.
• Use a luggage tag with a cover flap so it’s not as easy for people around you to surreptitiously see all your information.
• It’s not a bad idea to take photos of your luggage and make note of its size and dimensions and keep that on your phone so, if your luggage pulls a vanishing act, you’ll have all the relevant information handy to send to the airline.