Travel and living

How to Avoid Baggage Problems at Airports

image02Whether you are flying out or returning home, baggage problems at the airport can quickly put a dampener on your holiday. Whether it's being charged for going over the weight limit, losing baggage, or spending forever at the baggage claim belt looking for a bag that looks just like everyone else's, nobody likes to have issues with their luggage when they're getting on or off a flight. In order to make sure that your trip runs smoothly with no luggage problems in sight, follow these top tips.

Be Identifiable

If your luggage looks just like everybody else's, be prepared to spend ages at the baggage claim carefully inspecting every bag that comes through to find yours. Even worse, having luggage that blends in too well can mean that someone else mistakenly picks your bag up thinking that it is theirs, or you end up with a bag that doesn't belong to you. When it comes to picking your luggage, choose cases that are easily identifiable, such as going for bright colours or unusual patterns that you'll be less likely to see everyone else carrying. www.globalluggage.co.uk has a great range of high-quality bags to choose from. Don't forget, cabin luggage should also be easily identified, just in case it has to go in the hold! If you do take a plain black bag or another commonly seen design, tying a brightly coloured bow or luggage tag to it is a must.

Weigh, and Weigh Again!

There is nothing worse than getting to the check-in desk at the airport only to be told that you have packed your bag too full, and need to pay more because it's gone over the weight limit. This is an especially common occurrence for those returning from holiday, especially if you've been on a shopping trip whilst you were abroad. Extra baggage fees can be pretty hefty, so in order to make sure that you avoid them, weigh your bags beforehand using a luggage scale at home to ensure that they are within the limit. Take your scales with you as well, so that you can pre-weigh your bags before the return journey. When it comes to your cabin luggage, your airline will also have restrictions on size measurements - so make sure that your bag is within these to avoid any extra charges.

Avoiding Lost Luggage

Losing your luggage at the airport is one of the biggest nightmares that a traveller could imagine. In order to avoid lost luggage, there are many things that you can do. Updating your luggage tag is one of them - most lost luggage cases occur when a paper tag gets ripped off, so investing in a more high-tech luggage tag could help to prevent this. Checking in your luggage as early as possible is also a good strategy for avoiding lost luggage, as it'll be loaded into the hold earlier with less other bags around to get lost in. Place your itinerary and contact details in your bag, so that airline staff can easily locate and forward the bag to you if it does get lost.

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