There’s always that moment of fear when you see your luggage
shuttled down the conveyor belt to the depths of the airport. Will my luggage meet me at the destination or
is it going on it’s own tour of the airline system? In North America in 2015 almost 2 million bags were lost or
delayed. Worldwide, almost 23.5 million bags! Follow these simple steps and you can make your trip less stressful.

Pack light.
You are still allowed to bring a carry on and a personal item on board the plane free of charge. Your typical
carry on can handle 2 shorts, 3 t-shirts, 1 shirt, 2 pairs underwear, 4 pairs of socks, a tie, one pair of shoes, 1 bathing suit. You can also layer yourself with a few extra pieces of clothing. Roll your clothes to maximize space. Put your necessities in your personal item bag. With no check in luggage, no worries.

Fly direct.
The more times you and your luggage have to switch planes, even worse change airline companies, the higher the risk your bag gets detoured. If at all possible, fly direct essentially eliminating the number of places your bag might be.

Take pictures.
In the possibility of your luggage being lost you will have to deal with baggage claim. The forms are long and tedious and the identification charts for your bags are quite detailed. Take pictures of your luggage from front and side. If you can have a measuring tape to show dimensions as well, even better. When you check in your luggage a baggage claim strip is attached to your
luggage and you are given a small tag to coincide. Take pictures of both the claim strip and your baggage tags. These are key items in locating your luggage.

Be noticed.
Think of your luggage. Odds are if I say its black or deep red I’m right. Appx 85% of all luggage are sold in these colours. Go bright and decorate. Buy a pink case and attach colourful ribbons to the handle. It will stand out with airline employees and baggage handlers in search of the luggage.

Take ½.
Increase your odds of arriving with clothes for your vacation by splitting your wardrobe with your travelling partner.
Put ½ your clothes in one suitcase and the other ½ in the second suitcase. If one suitcase goes missing you will still have clothes in the second. To help pack more clothes into each suitcase, roll your clothes rather than fold that way you will end up with a larger wardrobe even if it’s only ½ of what you packed.

Ship it.
Look into shipping companies like UPS or FEDEX. Depending on destination and where you live, the cost for shipping is almost the same as paying for your check in with the airline. Your luggage is guaranteed to arrive and be waiting for you at the shipping centre, generally close to the airport.

Buy insurance.
Travel agencies will sell you insurance to cover your luggage for loss, damage or delay. You can get up to 2000.00 total coverage (limits to each item) for loss or damage and up to 500.00 for the delay of your luggage (more than 12 hrs)

When you are packed and ready for travel, give Orleans Travel & Cruise Centre a call (800-263-3022 or em: adam.stdenis@orleanstravel.ca ) and we will get you there in style.