Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Luggage Tips this Holiday Season

Luggage Tips this Holiday Season: From GovGab
"Those of us who don't get to do our holiday travel via sleigh all seem to have our luggage horror stories.

My poor sister survived a seven hour flight to Germany seated next to some wack-a-doo who sucked his fingers the entire time- only to arrive in Deutschland with no luggage. Europe sans skivvies isn't really ideal.

My spring break in San Diego was tarnished when one of my two bags didn't make the trip. After two days of not being able to work on my tan because my bathing suit was in the missing bag, I "went all Philly" on the customer service agent over the phone. The bag was on my doorstep two hours later.

Then there was the family ski trip to Salt Lake City when our equipment ended up in Las Vegas. While I'm pretty much Sin City's biggest fan, the skiing there isn't exactly ideal.

During December, more bag mishandling reports are filed than any other month of the year due to the volume of bags being checked. Here are some tips to avoid spending the holidays wearing Uncle Al's spare sweatshirt.

  • Avoid connecting flights. If you must take a flight that connects, allow at least 30 minutes inbetween for your bags to be transferred.
  • Don't wrap presents you've packed. Foil wrapping paper or tin foil can appear as a solid object during a screening, resulting in a luggage search. This can delay the bag.
  • Travel light. Larger bags tend to fall off conveyor belts.
  • Make your luggage easily accessible for screening. TSA security having to unlock your bag will cause a hold-up.
  • Check in ASAP. Rushing a bag through at the last minute might cause it to be left behind.
  • Be sure your name and contact information can easily be found on your luggage. This makes it easier to return to you should it get lost.

What horror stories or tips do you have? Are you traveling this Holiday season?"

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