Lost luggage is every traveler’s nightmare. Losing your luggage can be a major headache to sort out and be a huge inconvenience. Plus, you might lose valuable or sentimental items. Here is our expert opinion as frequent travelers on how to mitigate the risk of lost baggage and what to do if you find yourself bag-less.

1. Before your trip

Risk mitigation for lost luggage starts before you get on the plane while you’re still packing. First, make sure your bag is high quality and in excellent condition. We've had travelers on international trips where the zipper broke and they had to find a replacement bag during their travels- very inconvenient when you have a tight itinerary and are in a foreign country! We recommend Sherpani suitcases, which come with a 10-year warranty.

Put a card inside your suitcase with your contact information, including your name, phone number (along with country code, if you’re traveling internationally), and email address. If you are traveling internationally, include a WhatsApp phone number (Yes, download WhatsApp on your phone before you go!)

We recommend leaving off your home address on any contact info you include with your bag: airline officials should already have your address on file, and you don’t want to risk exposing your home address while you’re traveling and your house is sitting empty.

If you use an AirTag, bury it in the bag. We've seen external AirTags get stolen or ripped off by baggage systems.

Once you get to the airport, be sure to use the airline's ID tag in addition to your own so it is easy for baggage handlers to recognize what airline the bag is traveling on. Then, lock it with a TSA combination lock to make sure all your valuables stay inside. Before you give it to the agent to check it, take a final picture that you can use later to identify your bag in case it goes missing.

Hopefully, those first steps will be enough to prevent you from running into any more issues, but if not…

2. What to ask the airline once your bags are lost.

-When will the bag arrive?

-Can you have it delivered to my hotel?

For international travel, they might not be able to deliver the bag because it has to be checked by customs, or the airline might have minimal staffing. Find out if the bag's owner has to pick it up, and if they need their passport with them to claim the bag. Then, make appropriate arrangements.

3. Trip insurance

If after you talk to the airline you realize your bag is significantly delayed or lost, then it’s time to figure out how to replace your essentials. Trip insurance can help cover replacement costs. Even if you don’t want to insure your whole trip, consider at least buying one basic annual protection plan. We partner with Travel Insured International, and their annual insurance only costs $94/year. They will reimburse you up to $200 for baggage delayed over 12 hours.

You can also check your credit card benefits. Many credit cards marketed for travelers will include lost or delayed baggage insurance and reimburse you for reasonable expenses while you wait to get re-connected with your baggage- some will even cover your travel companions! However, be sure to check the fine print before you rely on these benefits. Your credit card will only cover you in very specific cases- be sure it applies to you in this instance!

If you’re relying on a trip insurance policy or credit card reimbursement, be sure to collect receipts for the replacement items you have to purchase, and check to make sure those purchases will be covered.

4. Packing smart

"Expect the worst, hope for the best." If you pack with a change of clothes in your carry-on, medication, toothbrush, and other essentials, then it will be a lot easier to manage if your bag is delayed.

The bottom line, a carry-on is always the best answer. If you pack enough clothes for 5 days, you can get it in a carry-on (check out how we fit everything in a carry-on for 10 days!). Pro-tip: investigate if you can pay to have clothes laundered during your travels. Many Latin American countries have laundromats where you can drop it off in the morning and pick it up later that day, washed and folded, for under $7. Being able to re-wear clothes can free up a lot of suitcase room, potentially allowing you to just pack a carry-on.

Hopefully, these tips and tricks will prevent your bag from ever getting lost, and if not, help you get re-connected with your bag, or minimize the losses you incur if your bag is gone.

Safe travels!

PS- liked this blog post? Check out this article for more lost luggage tips, which we were quoted in!