Is Your Luggage Safe When You Travel?

October 22nd, 2014  |  Travel Insurance

The short answer is not always. Lost, delayed, and missing luggage is not the only thing you have to worry about when travelling. More and more, we have to worry about whether or not our luggage is safe – not from thieves, but from the people that handle our baggage at the airport, train station, and hotels.

We are increasingly hearing stories and seeing videos of TSA employees digging through our belongings and stealing our personal items. What are they taking? Everything! Money. Jewelry. Electronics. If they can get their hands on it, they will take it, especially if you make it easy for them to take.

Once you check your bag at the airport, you never know what happens to it next. It could be searched and rummaged through, thrown around, and even fall off the luggage cart on the tarmac. You can only hope that once it reappears at the baggage claim that it is in one piece, with all of your items inside. The truth is you will never know, and you can only hope your luggage is handled with care.

6 Important Ways To Protect Your Luggage When Travelling

Even though you don’t have any control over your luggage once you hand it over, there are some things you can do to protect your luggage and minimize loses when travelling:

1. Put a lock on it: Putting a lock on your luggage is one of the best things you can do to prevent people from going through your things.
2. Invest in durable luggage: A common issue with luggage is that it gets damaged in transit. Therefore, it’s important to invest in luggage that can take a beating and is less prone to being damaged.
3. Use the ID tags: Make sure to fill out your information on the ID tag on your luggage. This speaks volumes about who you are and that you have pride of ownership – Something that may deter people from looking in your luggage because they know you will notice something missing.
4. Make it difficult for them to take things: When people try to steal from your luggage, they want to do it as quickly as possible. Pack in a way that makes it difficult for them to go through your things. Many people are putting bags inside their luggage, using ties, and other methods to make their stuff more difficult to go through.
5. Get a safe for your hotel room: Once you get to the hotel, you are not out of the woods. Depending on where you are staying, consider getting a safe for your hotel room to keep your ID, money, and other important items.
6. Carry the important stuff with you: Perhaps the best thing you can do to minimize loss is to keep all your important items with you on your person or in your carry-on bag. Keep things like your ID, money, credit cards, jewelry, and electronics with you. This is the stuff thieves are looking for anyway. Plus, if your luggage is lost, you will also minimize the loss. Read: Things to Carry with you on a Trip when Flying

Do you put a lock on your luggage? What steps do you take to ensure you luggage is safe when travelling? What advice can you offer to other travellers?