YOU’D think by now, having visited more than 54 countries and travelling for more than a decade, I’d be a seasoned bag packer.
But even the best of us make mistakes – which I found out the hard way after my suitcase was left behind on holiday.
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I rarely check in a suitcase, often being able to squeeze everything into a hand luggage sized bag.
Even on long-haul, week long trips, I manage to keep my bag with me (I’ve shared enough tips along the way on how to do this).
However, ran into problems during a recent internal flight when traveling from San Jose in Costa Rica to Panama City, before my flight back to the UK.
Sadly, the smaller airline had a strict 10kg hand luggage rule, with mine being an annoying 11kg.
So with my plans to keep my bag with me dashed, I was forced to hand it over to the strict airline staff, waving goodbye as it was thrown into the back.
It was only as it left my hands did I realise the mistake I had made.
I am always harking onto friends about the importance of leaving details in your bag in case it ever goes missing.
While you shouldn’t ever put your home address on the luggage tag (especially if you are the person who also leaves your house keys in there), you should always at least leave a mobile number and name.
I also often leave a business card in my suitcase, so my work address is in there in case it needs to be returned.
However, I failed to follow this rule myself, having been rushing at the airport.
And it was only as I arrived back in London, 18 hours later and jet lagged, that I realised I had become one of the thousands of Brits who had lost their luggage.
Another 45 minutes of waiting for the last suitcase on the baggage claim, I was then forced to get into the long line of lost bags with everyone else.
As I was passing over my details, I realised they had very little to go on, apart from the fact it was “light blue and small”.
(Another top tip of mine – avoid the black suitcase so it doesn’t get confused with everyone else).
“Do you have an AirTag in it?” The airport lady asked.
I replied eagerly that I did, redeeming myself as a travel writer.
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But alas, my second mistake was forgetting that they have batteries that need replacing.
My phone app blinked sadly at me as it failed to tell me where my suitcase was.
Thankfully luck was on my side, as my suitcase managed to find its way back to me after just a few days.
It turns out, the airline had forgotten to tell baggage claim that I had a suitcase at all, and had in fact left it at San Jose the entire time.
But I’ve certainly learned my lesson and will be adding addresses and Air Tag batteries for next time.
And perhaps don’t make the mistake of my friend and leave your house keys in there, leaving you standing outside your house for more than an hour….
Here are some other packing tricks you need to know about.
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