Have you ever had that sinking feeling after arriving at your destination and watching the luggage carousel go round and round that your luggage didn’t arrive when you did?    

There are some things that we can do to try to ensure that our luggage arrives when we do.

Shared transportation.  If you are taking shared transportation to the airport, make sure the luggage handler makes the correct notation on your luggage with the appropriate signage.  This is especially important if other passengers are exiting at other terminals.   Once when my daughter was traveling domestically, the bus driver took her suitcase off at the wrong terminal.  Fortunately, she had enough time to make another round at the airport and there was her suitcase sitting curbside.   Luckily, the police or anyone else hadn’t taken it away.  I keep my carry-on bag with me at all times at do not let the driver place it in the trunk or luggage hold.

Take carry-on bags only.  Okay, sometimes this isn’t possible.

Keep anything of value or importance with you.  Be sure not to check your passport, money, jewelry, medicine, travel itinerary, insurance and any other documents that you need for your trip.  If you have a tablet, computer, or iPhone, it goes without saying that you will need to have these items in the cabin with you not in checked baggage.  

Identify Your Bags Inside and Out.  Your exterior id should be inside a sleeve so airport thieves aren’t alerted to people who will be away from home. Sometimes exterior identification tags fall off. Make sure you have contact information inside each of your bags as well.  Also, including your itinerary can be helpful in getting your bags to you.

Check-in.  When you check-in whether it is at the curbside or counter make sure that the tag is correct.  Check to make sure the airport code is correct.  If you are check-in in at a kiosk and tag your bag yourself, again, make sure that the printout is correct.

Keep your checked luggage stubs.  If the worst happens, you will need these to help find your suitcase so put them in a safe spot. 

Make your suitcase stand out.  It’s good to have luggage that doesn’t look like everyone else’s.  If your luggage is nondescript add a ribbon, bow, tape, or some other easily identifiable mark.  Yes, men, this goes for you too.   These days suitcases come in all shades and graphic designs.  Chances are someone else will have the same thing you do even if you don’t think so.  So it is important to have something that uniquely identifies your belongings.

If your checked luggage doesn’t show up when you do make your claim immediately.  Alert the airline baggage handler who might be able to help you. If not, immediately find the airline’s lost luggage representative and make a report.