10 tips to help you store your luggage while traveling

When traveling by rail or by bus, it is a little easier to control your suitcases on wheels, backpacks and travel bags. You can put them yourself in the appropriate luggage compartments, if possible, do not lose sight of them, make sure that they are handled carefully and carefully.

With air travel, things are different: you check in for a flight and hand over your luggage, after which you pick it up already at the baggage carousel at the destination airport. Hence the higher risks of damage to suitcases and things inside, their theft or loss. That is why our main recommendations relate to air travel, although some tips are universal and valuable when traveling by any type of transport.

1. Choose practical suitcases

Before taking your luggage on the plane, think about whether it is ready for possible loads. For example, plastic suitcases that are considered more practical can crack when falling if their body is thin enough. And fabric suitcases and bags can be cut by intruders. It is also more difficult to ensure the safety of the content in them.

To minimize the risks of damage and damage to personal belongings, look for products made of dense and practical materials, additionally protected from moisture, dirt and ready for careless handling.

2. Do not overload the suitcase

"Ramming" the bag with things is not worth it for two reasons. Firstly, by overloading it, you will increase the likelihood of damage to the suitcase and damage to things in it during loading / unloading. Secondly, this way it is possible to exceed the permissible weight of luggage on the plane, which we will talk about below.

The capacity of modern suitcases is determined by their volume. To understand how much it is in kilograms, divide the capacity by 3. So, if your bag is designed for 72 liters, then 24 kg is the maximum sustained weight, taking into account the product itself. Fill in excess of this, and subject the wheels, handles and housing to loads they are not designed for.

3. Don't forget about the locks

You can protect the contents of your luggage with locks. In addition to the code ones, you can also use mounted ones. Ideally, they should all be of the TSA standard. In this case, representatives of the airport security services will be able to open them with a special key, check the luggage, and then close the suitcase again. The usual mini-barn locks, customs representatives are forced to tear off for inspection purposes, sometimes damaging the snakes of bags.

These preventive measures will not become a 100% panacea against theft and autopsy, but they will reduce such risks and increase your level of peace of mind.

4. Study the baggage rules of your airline and destination country

Items accepted by the carrier under its own responsibility and carried in the baggage compartment of the aircraft are called checked baggage. These are the suitcases that you hand over at the check-in desk after weighing, and then pick up on a conveyor belt upon arrival.

The baggage allowance in force today is tied to the weight, dimensions and number of suitcases or bags that can be taken for free and for a fee. They are determined by each airline individually. It directly affects the norms:

• ticket class (business passengers have more privileges than those flying economy class);
• flight distance and direction;
• type of aircraft;
• loyalty programs.

The weight is taken into account both for each passenger (usually from 20 to 24 kg) and for the permissible luggage space (24 – 32 kg). So, if one person can carry up to 20 kg, then, respectively, two — two bags of 20 kg. But if a couple decides to combine their belongings into one suitcase, then its weight should not be more than the weight of one piece of luggage — 32 kg. In general, 2x20 does not become 1x40.

The second important point of the rules of carriage is related to the legislative prohibitions and regulations of the country to which you are going. In addition to the traditional "taboos" on weapons, pyrotechnics, flammable, caustic and toxic substances, some states have their own restrictions. For example, in the UAE it is impossible to take objects and literature of a religious nature that are not related to Islam. It is forbidden to import alcohol into some other Muslim countries.

5. Take everything of value in your hand luggage

Money, documents, electronics and appliances, jewelry and jewelry should not be put in the luggage. The best place for them is hand luggage. After all, an effective way to maximize control and ensure the safety of the most expensive and important things during flights is to take them with you to the cabin in small suitcases.

6. Follow the rules for the carriage of hand luggage

Usually carriers allow you to take hand luggage into the cabin for free, but subject to the restrictions per passenger:

• in size (usually they should not exceed 550x400x200 mm or a total of 1150 mm in three dimensions);
• by weight up to 8-12 kg (the specific value is determined by the airline).

As with checked baggage, the restrictions on hand luggage are directly affected by the class of service.

Additionally, it is allowed to take a handbag or a men's briefcase, laptops, cameras and other mobile equipment, outerwear, baby food, products purchased in Duty Free.

Often, traditional carriers do not measure or weigh hand luggage at all. Things are different with "low-cost airlines". Low-cost airlines have stricter requirements for baggage that you can take on board with you. Firstly, they often have lower permissible standards. Secondly, they check everything thoroughly. Thirdly, more things are taken into account as hand luggage (for example, purchases in Duty Free) without taking into account only baby food, mobile devices and outerwear. Overweight or excessive size of hand luggage is an important source of income for "low-cost airlines". Often, measurements and weighing of luggage are carried out in several places, and even before boarding.

Failing to pass such a check, you will either have to pay extra, or give the bag to the checked baggage directly from the boarding gate.

In order not to have to throw away something important before boarding (for example, children's toys or nail scissors), read in advance the list of what the rules forbid to put in hand luggage.

7. Give preference to direct flights

According to statistics, the main reason for the loss of luggage is the factor of minimum connecting time during transfers between flights. In order for the suitcase to arrive at its destination not in a few days and not get lost, try to choose direct flights. If it is impossible to avoid a transfer, then buy tickets so that the connecting time between flights is at least 2 hours.

8. Use the winding

Today, you can wrap up a suitcase, a bag or even a tourist backpack both at home in advance (with the help of a food film) and using the services of the airport. This is an opportunity to protect the suitcase case from scuffs, scratches and dirt. In addition, a badly damaged film on arrival is the first reason to check the luggage for damage and the safety of things.

9. Check the airport code before parting with things

It is recommended to check the final destination of the baggage at check-in. So you will know for sure that things will fly with you, and not to another city. To do this, check the code on the labels left on the suitcases by the registrar with the encoding of the destination airport. You can find out this information in advance on the World Airport Codes website: by the name of the air port or city.

To avoid confusion with luggage, be sure to remove all old stickers and labels from your suitcase or travel bag before a new upcoming trip. So there will definitely not be several marks with different destinations on them.

10. Do not hesitate if something is wrong

It is impossible to protect yourself 100% from mistakes in sorting luggage at the airport or illegal actions of intruders. Therefore, if something went wrong, act immediately.

Didn't find your luggage on arrival? Go to the issuing agent. He will check the transporter, direct people to the baggage compartment of the aircraft and the cargo terminal of the airport. If the "local searches" do not yield results, then you will be taken to the Lost & Found department. Here you will need to fill out an act of loss. All data will be entered into the World Tracer international system, which includes almost all airports in the world.

Usually, the search terms are limited to 21 days. After this time, the items are considered irretrievably lost, and the injured party may claim compensation.

In case of damage to baggage, contact the airport administrators or the airline's representative office to write a claim statement. To fill it out, in addition to the passport, you will need an air ticket and a tear-off tag on the suitcase. The deadline for filing claims is up to 7 days, but it is better to apply for compensation immediately after the incident.

In case of loss or damage, the amount of material compensation depends on the internal policy of the airports. Usually compensation is determined at the rate of $ 20 per 1 kg of luggage.

A few more useful points for travelers:

• label your luggage. These can be either filled information labels with full names, or just bright stickers. These insignia will help to detect things on the luggage carousel and not confuse with the luggage of others;
• when registering, ask to stick a tag "fragile things". You can do this even when you are not carrying anything like this. Employees handle such suitcases a little more carefully;
• take a photo of the suitcase and all the contents. This will be the first proof that the luggage has been damaged and/or individual items have disappeared;
• take commodity receipts to easily confirm the value of lost or damaged items and receive appropriate compensation for the damage.;
• if possible, give up suitcases that look expensive. Such products can attract the attention of intruders or dishonest airport employees;
• think about luggage insurance to guarantee compensation in case of trouble.

Have a good trip!