How to avoid and what to do if it happens.
* Check in early, giving the airlines lots of time to make sure your baggage is placed on the correct flight rather than last minute, rushed boarding. (MAKE SURE IT'S STURDY)
* Tape a name/address/contact card inside of your checked bag. Also, place a colorful tag with the same info onto the outside.
*Take a digital photo of you luggage and print a couple copies to leave if lost. It will make it easier for the airline to identify and recover.
* Keep your baggage receipts from check-in. These are usually in the form of a small sticker attached to the back of your ticket. Each sticker has a number corresponding to a piece of luggage. This will help the airline know exactly which piece is missing, and where it may have gone.
* Keep your baggage receipts from check-in. These are usually in the form of a small sticker attached to the back of your ticket. Each sticker has a number corresponding to a piece of luggage. This will help the airline know exactly which piece is missing, and where it may have gone.
*Create a packing list of items in each piece of luggage.
* If your luggage doesn't show up, do not leave the airport before completing a lost-luggage report and obtaining a claim number and contact information to check the status of your missing bag.
* Bring a change of clothes with you in your carry-on bag. For international flights, you'll already be into your second day wearing the same clothes. Don't make it any longer. Pack some casual clothes that you can roll up neatly and fit in your carry
* If you want to cover all bases, before leaving home make a note of every item in your bag. Take one copy and leave one at home in case you must make a claim for compensation. Also, take a digital picture of it to show the airline in case it goes missing.
* Remember that airlines are not responsible to compensate you for any lost items apart from clothing. So if you pack jewelry, laptops and other electronic gadgets, important documents, medicines, money, credit cards, gifts, cameras, souvenirs - basically anything that has value to you- and your bag is lost, destroyed or stolen, the airline won't have to give you a dime. If you do make a claim, expect to receive a depreciated value and not a replacement amount. And the payment could take months to receive.
* One answer is simple: don't check those things. Keep all irreplaceable with you at all times.
* Another choice is to think twice - no make it three times - about whether you really need to bring that emerald necklace your grandmother gave you on your trip. Can you survive without your laptop or your iPod? I mean, you are traveling; maybe there'll be things to actually SEE or DO.
* Still another option is to consider shipping valuables ahead of you and insuring them through a major shipping firm such as UPS or FedEx. I find this is an especially good choice if you've made some expensive purchases abroad that just won't fit in your carry-on bag.
* If your luggage doesn't show up, do not leave the airport before completing a lost-luggage report and obtaining a claim number and contact information to check the status of your missing bag.
* Bring a change of clothes with you in your carry-on bag. For international flights, you'll already be into your second day wearing the same clothes. Don't make it any longer. Pack some casual clothes that you can roll up neatly and fit in your carry
* If you want to cover all bases, before leaving home make a note of every item in your bag. Take one copy and leave one at home in case you must make a claim for compensation. Also, take a digital picture of it to show the airline in case it goes missing.
* Remember that airlines are not responsible to compensate you for any lost items apart from clothing. So if you pack jewelry, laptops and other electronic gadgets, important documents, medicines, money, credit cards, gifts, cameras, souvenirs - basically anything that has value to you- and your bag is lost, destroyed or stolen, the airline won't have to give you a dime. If you do make a claim, expect to receive a depreciated value and not a replacement amount. And the payment could take months to receive.
* One answer is simple: don't check those things. Keep all irreplaceable with you at all times.
* Another choice is to think twice - no make it three times - about whether you really need to bring that emerald necklace your grandmother gave you on your trip. Can you survive without your laptop or your iPod? I mean, you are traveling; maybe there'll be things to actually SEE or DO.
* Still another option is to consider shipping valuables ahead of you and insuring them through a major shipping firm such as UPS or FedEx. I find this is an especially good choice if you've made some expensive purchases abroad that just won't fit in your carry-on bag.
AVOIDIING INSURANCE, ATTRACTING ATTENTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Don't get twisted up in knots trying to decide whether to buy an insurance policy for your checked luggage. It's usually not a good deal. The average price for coverage usually settles in at $1 for each $100 of coverage. Only one in every 10,000 pieces of processed luggage, meanwhile, ends up being completely lost and therefore eligible for a payout. So if they find your bag the day before you're scheduled to return home, you've still basically bought a policy for nothing.
* Before packing for any trip, check all the zippers and locks on your bags since they may have become worn or broken on a previous trip. And be aware, even if the zippers and locks are in good condition, overstuffed luggage is prone to burst open during the normal shuffle between the terminal and the plane.
* To prevent your look-alike bag from being grabbed off the carousel by a traveler too rushed to check the tags, tie a colored ribbon, bandanna or other marker on the handle. The more garish and noticeable, the better.
http://www.CoolTravelMail.com
http://www.CoolTravelMail.com
1 comment:
You are so informative. You really need to write a book!
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