Business travelers beware the black rolling bag - get smarter with your check-in luggage when you fly. Pack with the realities of plane travel in mind.
Thoughtful tips to consider for luggage you plan to check in on flights:
- Address Tags - Make sure you have your address tags filled out on all individual pieces of checked luggage. Actually, you need two sets per checked bag - one attached outside, preferably in an easy to find place like the handle, and one inside the luggage. If the outside tag is ripped off - which has been known to happen via rough handling - you will still have a way for airport personnel to locate your bag. Use the free address tags available at every airport check-in station, or buy stylish, sturdy ones on your own from travel shops like Magellan. Stash a copy of your travel itinerary inside your bags too, in case they need to follow you around the world.
- Upgrade your Luggage - Consider buying better gear that stands out from the crowd. Don't choose black luggage like everyone else - purchase a bright color you can see for miles. It's safer too; carousel luggage thieves stick to bags that blend in. Pricier gear is often more rugged as well, with heavy-duty zippers and thick stitching. You also feel an ego boost from lugging around smart-looking luggage.
- Something Borrowed, Something Blue - Wrap some color around your luggage handle. The brighter the better. Most luggage tooling down the carousel look exactly the same...big, black bags on wheels. You really can't pick yours out of a lineup without something unusual catching your eye. Add bright, thick yarn, a ladies' scarf, a bandana or even a tie you don't wear much, wrapped around the luggage handle. Some people like to have something bright on both ends of the bag, so that no matter which end is up, you can spot your items. Don't have anything handy to place on your luggage? Items you might have lying around are better than nothing at all. Try Duct Tape, stickers, ripped fabric from a tee shirt, bungee cords, medical tape, band-aids, twist ties, hair elastics, whatever.
- Locks - It's tempting to want to lock your check-in bags. It If your bag is tagged for inspection, officials will have to cut their way into your luggage. That won't be fun for them and it can't be good for your gear. Use those locks for later travel, when your bags are safely back in your possession. Alternatively, you can use an official TSA-approved lock that is easily opened by airport inspection officers.
- Leave Some Room - Along these lines, don't overpack. Inspected luggage is never repacked as neatly as you would prefer. Your things get tossed around, and a heavily loaded bag will be roughly squashed shut.
- Check it Twice - Make a list at home when you pack of just what is in your luggage. When your bags get lost, as they often do, you will have an inventory all ready to go. This can help bag recovery or even provide proof of loss for the piddling compensation the airlines offer. You can also take a photo or what's in your bags before you close it. Use your camera phone if that's handy.
- Ziplocks - Your luggage might get tossed, thrown, yanked or squeezed under massive pounds of baggage. Who really knows what luggage handlers do to our bags? Checked luggage is also subjected to rapid changes in temperature and pressure. Make sure that anything breakable, leakable and meltable is in a sealed bag. Really gooey items like hair gel should even be double-bagged. Ziplocks are your friends, especially the freezer-quality, heavy duty kinds. Bring along extra Ziplocks for trip purchases as well: if you buy gifts of cologne, wine, chocolate or local specialty honey, you don't want to find these things all over your clothing when you get home.
The copyright of the article Checked Luggage Tips in Business Air Travel is owned by Dan Florio. Permission to republish Checked Luggage Tips must be granted by the author in writing.
