Prevent Lost Luggage

[offhegoes03]

Alright, so I've introduced myself in a couple of the other areas where I've asked questions, but I'll give a brief introduction. My name is Chris, and my brother and I are going to Ireland in a little under 3 weeks. We are both really excited and it should be a great time. One of the things I've been a little nervous about is the possibility of one of our bags getting lost on the way. I know there's no way to keep it from happening, but are there ways to lessen the chances of luggage getting lost? We're planning on putting our backpacks in duffel bags and having a TSA approved lock on the zipper. We'll have our names and adresses on the outside on a tag. I read somewhere that when the bags are checked, we should look at the tag and make sure that it says the correct destination airport 3 letter code on it. Anything else that we can do? I know if it happens, it happens, but obviously we want to do everything to prevent the trip from having a negative spin on it at the very beginning. Thanks.

[astro25e]

Ok, so i was worried about the same thing. i originally put my backback in an old army duffel bag, after the initial trip from chicago to london, i never did it again. it wasn't worth it for me, the emty duffel went to the bottom of my backpack until i got my friend to bring it home ffrom sweden with him. you'll be ok putting your id tag on it, making sure all the straps are pulled in and snapping what can be snapped. good luck with the trip!
beth
ps. i apologize if my spelling is off, i've had a few glasses of wine this evening.

[GoKrazy]

I don't really know if there is anything you can do to prevent your bags being lost, but you can take a few steps to calm your mind a bit. Personally I never use locks when going through the airport, but if you get the approved ones then you should be fine. I always put my name on my bags (both inside and out). I also have an little logo sown on my backpack that differentiates it from all the other generic black ones that are out there. I've been in a situation before where someone else tried to grab my bag by accident cause we had identical luggage. I also make sure to pull all my straps tight around the backpack and tuck away any loose ends before checking my bag. I have also seen some people use their rain covering on their packs as some basic protection, but I have never tried that myself.

Now, in case they DO get lost, I always take a few things with me in my carry on (usually a little 'day' backpack). This includes my meds, glasses/contacts, toothbrush, printed out hostel reservations and directions, spare pair of undies, warm socks (sometimes it's cold on the plane) and a sweater. I also have my camera and mp3 player with me at all times, as I would never check them in with my main luggage. Basically - if you need it to survive or you don't want it stolen/lost then make sure you have it with you at all times.

Of course if you can pack light enough to fit all your stuff into a single little carry-on then you don't have to worry either way.

Hope that helps a bit!