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Losing It! Dealing With Lost Luggage Anywhere

“Ummm…I think the airline just lost my luggage.” Those were the ominous words said to me by a friend  – we shall call him Kingsley – flying into JFK from Heathrow on a Thursday evening.

“What!?”, I shrieked. No one wants to hear those words or experience them, especially if it’s a first timer on new flight routes, like he was in New York City.

If you’ve ever been in this situation, you know that it is a very stressful and nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re in a foreign country and away from home. Your lost luggage contains toiletries, underwear, clothing and more and the thought of spending budgeted money to replace these necessary items are enough to cause a stress rash.

While experiencing lost luggage is a hit and miss based on Lady Luck, we can take some precautions to alleviate how we deal with lost luggage anywhere.

Before Travel Preparations

Be A Unicorn

Everyone and his wife has black luggage of all shapes thus it is very easy for another passenger to take your black luggage, instead of theirs home.

To prevent this, take a different coloured luggage like purple or red for easy identification. Isn’t it easier to tell the airline to look for white polka-dotted luggage instead of a basic black one?

Coloured luggage will come handy in identifying lost luggage on full or intercontinental flight routes where there are hundreds of random black luggage going through chutes to various destinations.

Contents Photography

If you cannot be bothered to buy brand new coloured luggage to replace your all black set (I wouldn’t blame you), at least take photos of your luggage and any identifying markers on it. For example, a unique name tag or stickers.

In addition, take pictures of luggage contents, especially pricy ones. Most airlines might insist you check-in photography and electronic equipment with lithium batteries so have pictures and a list of these contents for posterity.

Acquire Travel Insurance

I can read your mind. “This is just an extra expense for nothing!” Well, it doesn’t just cover flight delays and illness, but your chosen plan may also cover damaged or lost luggage up to a certain dollar figure. So, spend the extra $15-$20 for travel insurance and it may come in handy if the airline is playing hardball with compensation.

Carry on!

If you’re already paranoid about lost luggage and reading this isn’t helping, just take a carry-on that at least you can account for on all flight routes.

Straight As An Arrow

Lost luggage situations can be minimized with direct flight routes as there are more chances for lost luggage with multiple layovers, especially if they are less than an hour.

Be vigilant when luggage is being tagged and ensure that it is for your final destination and not the layover destination. Click To Tweet

My friend learnt the hard way when she took two airlines from London to Havana. Her luggage didn’t arrive until four days later and that was with her having to follow up twice a day with the airline. Luckily, the Air bnb provided free toiletries but imagine the stress of it all!

When the S**t Hits the Fan

So the unthinkable has happened and your luggage is not on the carousel. What to do?

March to the Airline Counter/Baggage Reclaim

Make like a general and march your exasperated self to the airline counter to file a complaint for lost luggage and don’t forget the baggage ticket given to you when you checked in.

You will be given an identification form to fill at the counter, and in Kingsley’s case, he was asked about identifying items in his black luggage to make the search easier and faster. This is where that list of contents you have comes in very handy.

Fill out all details about your lost luggage, its contents and cost and keep all tags they give you in return. Make sure to file a claim before leaving the airport! Click To Tweet

Give Me Your Number

I know you’re irritated at this point but try not to take it out on the staff as they’re trying their best to solve the problem. You don’t want your luggage to stay missing now, do you?

Instead, politely ask for their best contact methods to follow up on your lost luggage and specifically insist that you be given the contact methods they respond to faster.

My friend in Havana got nowhere with emails or Twitter but she got a human response via one of the airline’s Whatsapp numbers a kind agent happened to give her.

Two brown suitcases one stacked open on top the other with clothes hanging out.

Tucker Good. Unsplash.

Run Me Some Money!

Now, you’re in a foreign city without clothes, underwear & toiletries and you need to know how to sort your life right now.

This is the ideal time to inquire about the airline’s policy for lost luggage and to inquire about funds for “essentials”, like toiletries.

Airlines are required to provide this, at least. Alas, Kingsley didn’t know this and spent money purchasing basic toiletries.

This is also the best time to read the fine print we all ignore behind our e-ticket, about maximum baggage claims.

Baggage claims differ depending on whether flight routes originated within the U.S. or not but the fact still remains that under the Montreal Convention, you are entitled to compensation for lost luggage.

The Montreal Convention provides compensation to passengers on certain international flights between participating countries so check to see if your flight is covered by this Convention for lost luggage.

It not only establishes airline liability in the event of delayed, damaged or lost luggage or cargo, it also does the same for injury or death. Let’s pray that never occurs to us during air travel. Read more on the Montreal Convention and what it really is about. Fascinating.

Now Your Watch Begins…

Welp! Form has been filled, claims tag kept safe in bag and voice hoarse from talking and near shrieking in exasperation. You still gotta leave the airport, no?

Do not forget to give a contact number that you can easily be reached on. If you’re in a foreign country and did not roam your phone, you can ask for their Whatsapp number or you can give the number of your accommodation. It would be a waste of money to buy a burner phone and SIM card just for this reason.

Make sure to follow up daily and if a strange number calls, answer it. Airlines use a third party to deliver found luggage and you don’t want to miss their call and have to wait an extra day or so for delivery.

This is what happened to Kingsley above; he almost missed the driver and had to chase him down the street. His lost luggage was delivered a day before his departure from JFK.

If your flight routes are within U.S. and E.U. with renowned air carriers from these regions, you have a higher probability of your lost luggage being found intact with little to no damage on it.

If your routes are within Asia, South America or Africa, you might have a less smooth process because of red tape and some disorganization. It will also take time to arrive, if eventually found, and most times, contents may be missing.

This has happened to lots of family members travelling these particular flight routes so I know exactly what I’m saying.

Most times, compensation was never received so family knew to never include valuables in checked luggage or leave them at home.

Luggage No-Show

Your dreaded thought has manifested and your luggage is truly lost; it cannot be found. Sigh. Now what?

The airline will give details of avenues for compensation – you already know the Montreal Convention – but ask about their compensation.

You will be told to send an itemized contents list and their cost addressed to the Claims Department or something similar, but bear in mind that they never give the amount you are claiming.

All airlines have a maximum claims amount that might differ depending on certain flight routes and you might even have to negotiate if you truly had expensive contents within your lost luggage.

Poor Kingsley submitted a claims report on his return to London to recoup the dollars spent on toiletries and clothes but he got nothing as his “lost” luggage was eventually found, even though it was at the end of his vacation.

*********************************************

I hope you truly never experience lost luggage and if you have, let me know in the comments how it was sorted out and if/how you received any compensation.

I know that it differs per country and airline so it’ll be great to know how processes work everywhere else.

Thank you for reading and see you on the social streets! xox

*This post is sponsored by Travelstart but all stories & research are mine.*

Sharing is caring! xx

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49 Comments

  • Reply
    Navita
    November 29, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    Loved these tips shared in the post. Especially the ones around before Travel Preparations. Recently shipping things from another country I did take pictures of my contents but never thought of it for normal travels. I hope so too that no one really goes through this but it never hurts to know the process and prepare for the worst.

    • Reply
      admin
      December 2, 2018 at 11:57 pm

      Right, Navita! I pray we never have to experience it as it is a drag and so inconvenient.

  • Reply
    Aditya Tiwari
    December 4, 2018 at 5:04 am

    Did you worked for Buzzfeed or something like that? If not, you can create something like that. Love the fact that you created a long and simple list of travel list of preparations. Even sometimes, I never take pictures, but maybe in my next trip, I will do something like this.Hope everyone gets to know about this list someday.

    • Reply
      admin
      December 4, 2018 at 5:14 am

      Lol thanks Aditya! No, I’ve never worked for Buzzfeed though you’re giving me ideas now as it’d be a great side gig. I’m glad you find it useful; if not in case of lost luggage but for items stolen from luggage as that occurs more often than we think.

  • Reply
    Ann F. Snook-Moreau
    December 4, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    I totally agree with these tips! I always take the biggest carry-on bags allowed so I don’t have to check any. Plus my luggage is hot pink so no one would confuse my bag for theirs!

  • Reply
    Liz Bayardelle
    December 5, 2018 at 12:01 am

    Such good advice! I fear I’ve learned a lot of these the hard way!

    • Reply
      admin
      December 6, 2018 at 12:04 am

      Poor thing! Hope it wasn’t too stressful. Glad you found it useful.

  • Reply
    Karla
    December 5, 2018 at 4:07 am

    This is really important for frequent travelers like me. Now, I need to step up and be a unicorn! HAHA! I’m planning to decor my luggage in a unique way after reading this. Thanks for the tips!

    • Reply
      admin
      December 6, 2018 at 12:03 am

      Lol unicorn it is! I have a unique tag and my regular carry-on is purple.

  • Reply
    Michael Satterfield
    December 5, 2018 at 3:02 pm

    Missing luggage has only happened to me once, it is a massive pain to deal with. In Nicaragua we had to go hunt for our bag in a massive room of lost baggage, thankfully we found it.

    • Reply
      admin
      December 6, 2018 at 12:02 am

      Phew! Better to find it in a massive room than stuck in a distant airport far, far away.

  • Reply
    Garf
    December 5, 2018 at 8:02 pm

    I have a fair share of lost luggage. Dealing with it is just a headache but eventually, they show up after 5 days max.

    • Reply
      admin
      December 6, 2018 at 12:01 am

      5 days max?? Oh Lawd! Never had any lost luggage, touch wood. Hope nothing was damaged.

  • Reply
    aisasami
    December 7, 2018 at 5:33 pm

    JFK is a nightmare of itself. But luckily, I have never lost luggage before. But this a great guide of those times you do!

  • Reply
    Monidipa Dutta
    December 17, 2018 at 8:45 am

    As a frequent traveller I shall say that I agree with all your points here because I have seen people facing it. Weirdly people travelling with me in business class have faced it too. But the tips are great.

  • Reply
    Steve Shakeshaft
    March 8, 2019 at 8:52 am

    I don’t travel often but one of the things that terrifies me is losing my luggage! Luckily it’s never happened to me *touch wood* but I certainly feel better prepared now.

  • Reply
    Eloise
    March 8, 2019 at 7:56 pm

    those are great tips that I hope I’ll never need! I will take photos of my luggage in the future though just incase. I would have never thought of doing that, but it makes complete sense!
    My best friend had this happen to her when she had her wedding on a cruise, she had to wear a different wedding dress that belonged to someone else… it was crazy, but makes for a heck of a story now!

    • Reply
      admin
      March 10, 2019 at 2:17 am

      Yikes! I hope she got some compensation somewhat.

  • Reply
    aisasami
    March 9, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    I have frequently never lost any piece of luggage. I always deal with damaged ones. But this is a piece of good advice for those who have.

  • Reply
    Jennifer Prince
    March 10, 2019 at 10:33 pm

    I carry on constantly. I am very lucky to have never lost luggage. That is a scary thought, but I always prep for it when on the go!

  • Reply
    Karen Monica
    March 16, 2019 at 5:52 am

    Until today, I am thankful that I have never had issues with losing any luggage. But thanks for sharing this. In case it happens, I will know what to do. Though I hope it would never happen.

  • Reply
    Lyka Chiang
    March 22, 2019 at 5:48 am

    I have never lost a luggage but I can’t imagine the stress dealing with such sort of thing. I’ll keep these tips in mind in case I’ll need them in the future (hopefully not) haha!

  • Reply
    Ritu Sharma
    March 22, 2019 at 6:31 am

    Important tips for a frequent traveler like me.
    Thanks for sharing.

  • Reply
    Elena Toma
    March 22, 2019 at 10:33 am

    Losing my luggage would be a complete nightmare for me. I had no idea what to do about it in case I would lose it but thanks to your great info here I have an idea and i will panic less about it .

  • Reply
    Diana
    March 22, 2019 at 4:20 pm

    This is why I’m so terrified to check luggage. I try to pack everything in a carry-on! Luckily we haven’t had any long trips so it’s been doable, but if we ever do I’ll have to keep this in mind.

  • Reply
    Elizabeth O
    March 24, 2019 at 10:29 am

    luckily i have not experienced it yet but your tips are so helpful because it can happen with anyone. in case i go through this now i know what to do so thanks to you.

  • Reply
    Marjie Mare
    March 25, 2019 at 2:55 am

    This is such great advice which we will benefit as we are planning an overseas trip soon. Thanks for sharing.

  • Reply
    fashionandstylepolice
    March 25, 2019 at 10:35 am

    I took a wrong bag once and someone else took mine. We had the same box and same padlock. It was horrible. It was quickly rectified though.

    • Reply
      admin
      March 27, 2019 at 3:11 pm

      Yikes! That’s why I don’t do black luggage. Too common during travel.

  • Reply
    Dalene Ekirapa
    March 25, 2019 at 3:50 pm

    I have never lost my luggage and wouldn’t even want to. It can be very discouraging for a heavy packer like me to lose all my stuff. Anyway, sounds like I should get travel insurance then

    • Reply
      admin
      March 27, 2019 at 3:10 pm

      Always get travel insurance.

  • Reply
    Joan
    November 19, 2019 at 1:50 pm

    These are great tips, I wish I don’t have to experience any lost luggage any time soon.

    • Reply
      admin
      November 25, 2019 at 5:46 am

      Amen to that lol. Still, great to know steps to take if one is unfortunate to experience this mess.

  • Reply
    Gill Trotman
    November 22, 2019 at 5:17 pm

    I just dealt with this in June! My wife and I were returning from Italy and my bag got lost somewhere in transition. It took me a week to get my luggage back! Thankfully nothing was damaged or taken, but I had many sentimental items in there, which made it a very stressful time. No one should have to go through the fear of loosing their belongings, no matter the situation. Great post. Thanks for sharing.

    • Reply
      admin
      November 25, 2019 at 5:45 am

      Yikes, Gill! I cannot even imagine. Thankfully, it’s never happened to me but many relatives and friends have suffered the anxiety and stress of being stranded without clean clothes and hygiene products.

  • Reply
    Trisha Agrawal
    August 6, 2020 at 7:49 am

    We travel very often and are often worried about luggage being lost. Thankfully, it has never happened to us and wishing it never does. But it is always good to be prepared. We always keep an extra set of clothes in our backpack so if something happens to our check-in luggage we don’t have to go shopping immediately. These tips you’ve provided are invaluable. No one should travel without insurance!

  • Reply
    Kristine Nicole Alessandra
    August 6, 2020 at 9:57 am

    That would be a horrible experience – losing your luggage! Oh my. It has not happened to anyone in my family and hopefully it stays that way. It is funny that you mentioned it, but my luggage is actually in purple color. Easy to spot and I don’t think any one would be interested in luggage that is the same color as an eggplant. Haha. Thanks for your tips and advice.

  • Reply
    Charlotte Petit Noble
    August 6, 2020 at 4:27 pm

    Love your tips. Indeed have recognizable luggage has always shown to be helpful. I always fear losing my luggage, but I guess with your tips, I will be well prepared next time I travel.

  • Reply
    Eric Gamble
    August 6, 2020 at 6:22 pm

    Great tips on how to prevent yourself from losing it when dealing with Lost luggage anywhere. Personally, it happened to me when I got to Iceland where I was supposed to be backpacking across the entire island outdoors for 3 weeks. However, all my camping and outdoor cold weather clothes decided to fly to Toronto. I was kind of freaking out.
    But after taking a few seconds to calm myself, I talked with the people at Iceland Air and tried to remember that the woman at the desk didnt herself lose my gear! If you try not to lose your marbles, people in general will always try to help you.
    I do love your whole idea of the pre-emptive strike…be a Unicorn! I personally love bright and crazy looking luggage cause I can always notice it! Also, travel insurance is definitely key!

    • Reply
      admin
      August 8, 2020 at 4:58 am

      You spoke a word! Cooler heads always prevail even though at the moment, you don’t feel it. I cannot even imagine how you must have felt *shudder*. I’ve flown Iceland Air many times but always with hand luggage because their check-in fees are ridiculous.

  • Reply
    Di Hickman
    August 6, 2020 at 8:55 pm

    Thankfully I haven’t had this stress, I can only imagine. However, one thing we do as a couple is mix up our clothing, so we at least have a clean outfit to wear. Toiletries etc can be repurchased, but having fresh underwear is priceless!

    • Reply
      admin
      August 8, 2020 at 4:56 am

      Fresh undies is priceless! I know people that pack undies and toiletries in hand luggage for these kinds of situation. They’re definitely smart.

  • Reply
    Lyosha
    August 7, 2020 at 8:50 am

    Very important at least to me. I am always so afraid to loose my baggage. I also have a tiny spare of things I need in my hand luggage (and often I have nothing but hand luggage)

  • Reply
    Ketki Sharangpani
    August 7, 2020 at 4:03 pm

    We travel a lot and I can relate to this post on so many levels. I absolutely hate the anxiety when my bags show up late on the carousel, cannot imagine losing them altogether.

    • Reply
      admin
      August 8, 2020 at 4:55 am

      I hate the anxiety too. Ugh!

  • Reply
    Khushboo
    August 7, 2020 at 11:41 pm

    Thats a helpful post. Touch wood we never lost our luggage till now. I can understand how painful it must be if someone’s loses their luggage.

  • Reply
    pooja
    August 9, 2020 at 10:25 am

    I can only imagine what would someone face if they loose their luggage. This is a great article and quite helpful. Just pinned it to share with other people.

    • Reply
      admin
      August 10, 2020 at 1:54 am

      Thanks Pooja! I cannot even imagine the stress and worry of lost luggage in a foreign country. Glad these tips made an impression on you.

  • Reply
    Viano Dee
    August 19, 2020 at 9:17 pm

    This is why I do not travel with so much luggage and I try to squeeze up as many items as possible in a piece of hand luggage because I do not like stress. But these are nice tips though.

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