With summer travel already in full swing, Fox News Digital spoke with experts to learn some tricks and tips to ensure your checked luggage arrives safely at your destination.
Airports are the busiest they have been in years, meaning a significant increase in the number of people checking baggage before catching a flight.
To help ensure your holiday doesn't start with a queue at the airport's lost baggage desk, here are travel experts' top dos and don'ts.
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Check out these four tips:
1. Take a direct flight if possible
“Direct flights are the best way to get your luggage to the right destination,” Richard Campbell, founder of Calgary-based travel company 10Adventures, told Fox News Digital in an email.
If direct flights aren't available and you need to check your bags, Campbell recommended allowing at least 90 minutes between flights.
To avoid lost luggage, travel experts say to fly direct if possible, or at least avoid booking connecting flights. (Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“If there are more than two stopovers, I don't think you'll be able to get your luggage when you get to your final destination,” he said.
Nikita Kosholkin, co-founder and chief marketing officer of the tool App in the Air, told Fox News Digital that he personally wouldn't mind a 45-minute layover, but added that “an hour or more would be better.”
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“Due to airport logistics, there is a limited window of time during which luggage can actually move,” he said.
“Even if you can make the next flight, your luggage might not make it.”
2. Don't overpack
Packing lighter, even for checked bags, can help ensure your belongings get to their destination, Jeremy Murchland, president of Indiana-based Seven Corners Travel Insurance, told Fox News Digital.
People who overpack may find themselves scrambling at the check-in gate to make sure their bags are within the weight limit, which Murchland said is “only asking for problems.”
Experts told Fox News Digital that overweight luggage may be sent to a different part of the airport, making it more likely to get lost. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“If you don't repack your belongings properly, you risk losing or damaging them during the move. Plus, you'll end up carrying around a lot of clutter that you may not have needed in the first place,” he said.
Additionally, oversized or heavy bags will not be treated the same as standard-sized bags and will instead be picked up in a separate area of ​​baggage claim, he said.
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“If your baggage is routed differently than normal or has to go through different procedures than normal, the risk of your baggage getting lost increases, so make sure you stay within the recommended limits set by the airline,” he said.
3. Make your bag look unique
Many suitcases look similar, and if you're not careful, you could end up taking someone else's luggage.
Several experts told Fox News Digital that a “basic black suitcase” can be made to stand out by adding straps or stickers. (iStock)
“Everyone is tired after a transatlantic flight, so it's common for people to pick up the wrong suitcase at baggage claim,” Campbell said.
To avoid this, Campbell sticks stickers on either side of her “basic black suitcase,” plus a yellow pom-pom, which she puts away as soon as she receives her bag.
Dominique Brown, a food and travel blogger from Richmond, also uses identification marks on her luggage.
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“Whether traveling domestically or internationally, I use luggage straps to prevent my luggage from getting lost at the airport,” he told Fox News Digital in an email.
He said those straps set his suitcase apart from other “basic color suitcase sets.”
Brown, who runs the website TallTravelEats, told Fox News Digital that she has traveled to several continents and has never lost a bag while traveling since she started using luggage straps.
AirTags and similar tracking products help travelers find their luggage after a long day of travel. (Apple)
But Brown warned that travelers should make sure their luggage straps are TSA approved to avoid surprises at the airport.
4. Use a GPS Tracker
Another suggestion is for travelers to consider using AirTags or other similar tracking products to ensure their luggage makes it onto the plane.
Apple's AirTags must be set up with an iPhone or iPad, but can be tracked using an app available on the Google Play Store.
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Other tracking devices, such as Tile, aren't tied to a specific operating system.
“Luggage often gets lost and the airline doesn't know where it is,” Campbell said.
“We want to help them, so we use AirTags to help locate lost luggage so that it can be presented to the airline.”
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Campbell said that like all technology, AirTags aren't completely perfect.
“first time [used an AirTag in a checked bag]”I nearly had a heart attack when I flew out of London, but my luggage was still delivered to another part of Heathrow,” he said.
“In the end, it turns out that AirTags can't be updated in some airports that don't have a signal.”
Christine Roussel is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.
