<p>Just a reminder to those flying home for the holiday break. It’s a good idea to put a change of clothes and toothbrush, electric razor, etc. in your carry-on bag. </p>
<p>We have been happy to have them when our fllight was delayed 24 hours; son wished he had them when his suitcase decided to stay in San Francisco instead of following him home last Saturday.</p>
<p>Medicines. Always keep them with you in case of luggage delay.</p>
<p>Unless you are moving, there is no reason to carry more than one roll-aboard, and REALLY no reason to check luggage. I’ve posted on this here before, but to summarize, if you can’t afford to be without it for several days, don’t check. And assume anything valuable will be stolen.</p>
<p>I was on a bus once from NYC out to Newark airport, and a young man next to me was very agitated. He said he had to get into the airport to reunite with his luggage, which had gotten separated from him. He only had limited time before his next flight took off for India.</p>
<p>I said, “Don’t worry, usually the people and the luggage get reunited even if it takes a few days. It’s only a problem if you’re going to a wedding or something like that, and need special clothes.”</p>
<p>He leaped out of his seat, “Yes, but I am going to the wedding. I’m the groom!” He had all the presents for his bride and parents, and who knows what else.</p>
<p>I told him I’d really be praying for him for success once we reached his terminal. Poor guy! Intuitively, I felt it would all work out okay.</p>
<p>I take about 12-15 filghts a year and have never had a major problem with luggage. The biggest baggage crisis I can remember is when my dad forgot to put our bags in the car before driving to DC for a funeral! </p>
<p>Having said that, it’s always important to include medication in carry-ons (you can bring liquid medicines and syringes on flights, including liquids over 3 oz) and have enough clothes with you to get by for a day or two if you’re traveling somewhere where you don’t have a change of clothes. </p>
<p>P3T, what a story! I’m sure it worked out one way or another.</p>
<p>I checked a bridesmaid’s dress on my way to a wedding in New York and the bag was lost. Fortunately, I was able to run out and replace the dress in the morning and the bride didn’t know about the problemuntil the reception.
I now hand-carry anything crucial.</p>
<p>A big problem is that everyone’s luggage looks so much alike. Before racing out of the airport jubilant with your rollaway from the overhead, check and make sure it’s really yours. Tie a pom-pom on it or something. Look at your own luggage tag. The other guy’s stuff never fits, anyway.</p>
<p>I love either pink suitcases or pink masking tape.</p>
<p>For thirty some years, I have travelled with a red piece of cloth tied to my suitcase handles. Unfortunately, it appears that I need to switch colors or try something else. Lots of luggage now has strips of red cloth tied on.</p>
<p>That is why I have switched to pink. It really sticks out if you can handle that. :)</p>
<p>I wish luggage companies would become more creative with the colors/designs of their products. There is an awful lot of black luggage at airports these days and plenty of red ribbons! Maybe some companies will take heed and begin producing more identifiable luggage–vast improvements seem to have been made in the transport of luggage (wheels and handles), now let’s hope for more variety in looks!</p>
<p>We just bought a black/white polka dot suitcase- D thought it was cuter than the lime green or tangerine ones…</p>
<p>There are a lot of color choices, if you try mail order (Lands End or L.L bean, etc.) Or if you buy a suitcase at a luggage shop. The shop we were at had many colors.</p>
<p>Oh, bag and son were just reunited in a happy moment at the airport lost- and -found. Bag is still locked- hopefully not pilfered of the Christmas cheer that he brought us from California.</p>
<p>If you buy your luggage at a cut-rate store like Building 19, Ocean State Job Lot, Big Lots, etc, you’ll find very interesting colors/patterns. We bought a carry on and a large suitcase in a distinctive pattern that I’ve never seen again! Can always spot it at the airport.</p>
<p>Once our D returned from a college circus tour (favorite EC) and the airlines had lost her stilts from under the belly of the plane. I know they do handle skis all the time, so wasn’t worried. They took down a lengthy description and kept asking more detailed questions, so a long paragraph developed that read “Wooden stick, attached leather boot on platform, silver boot buckle, black boot, brown shoelace…(blah blah)…leather upper handle, pink ribbon, tied in a bow.” The poor clerk just kept looking at her, raising her eyebrows, and D kept adding yet another detail.
I thought we could finally leave, but the clerk said, “What did the OTHER stilt look like?” and wrote it all out again but circled, LEFT FOOTED.
I thought, “How many stilts do they need to trace each day?” but said, “Thanks for doing such a great job.”<br>
Fortunately, a cab brought them back to our house a day later, with a $30 ticket voucher for “inconvenience.” At first the cabbie didn’t wait and I thought they’d walked themselves home.</p>
<p>Yeah, I am expecting son and his girlfriend this Christmas. They will be bringing Christmas cheer this way as well. I am hoping the bags just go right along, no hassles. We get them straight through about 50% of the time. They eventually show up within 24-48 hours if misplaced along the route.</p>
<p>Re: color of suitcase. When my old and trusted black Travelpro finally kicked the bucket, I bought WashMom and I a pair of red Travelpros. It’s not that I like red so much, I was just tired of picking out the black ones from among all the other black ones. This was back when I still used to check luggage – you know, before the TSA started stealing things from bags. Unfortunately, I bought red bags just at the beginning of a little boom in red bag sales. It was still easier than finding a black one, but I still see increasing numbers of red.</p>
<p>My experience is not the same as Corranged. I have had things stolen out of my luggage twice, and had my bags sent to a foreign country to cover up the theft. Eventually, they caught up with me, but I just don’t risk it any more.</p>
<p>If you check luggage, always watch to be sure the attendant attaches the correct airport routing labels.</p>
<p>My luggage is a dark blue-grey. It’s not shocking like pink or plaid would be, but just by being not-black it’s easy to pick out. My sister’s luggage is a cobalt blue. </p>
<p>WashDad, what do you do about a razor or liquids (shaving cream, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.), given the new travel rules?</p>
<p>It wasn’t holiday travel, but here’s our best luggage adventure:
D and two friends were on three different airlines going from Frankfurt, Luxembourg, and Brussels and meeting at UMCP for National History Day, where they were competing in the group performance category. Their set was very simple compared to most, but it did include a three-panel screen affair that they made out of long aluminum garden poles that they velcroed together and covered with black sheets, various other props including a “working” guillotine, and several costumes each. The poles and the side posts of the guillotine were packed in a 6-foot long section of plastic sewer pipe and the airline took it as checked luggage. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, it was the only piece of checked luggage to arrive at its destination late on Sunday evening. Each of the three kids had packed other parts of the props, such as a rolling plant “scooter” that would make the guillotine magically appear at the right time, the wooden guillotine “blade,” a folding music stand fitted with a cardboard “table top,” and all of the costumes and other props. Of course, they were in a panic and spent all of Monday trying to improvise, but fortunately the luggage all showed up on Tuesday morning in time for them to get everything put together before their mid-day competition time. Despite all the suspense, they ended up getting fourth place and a special prize, so it all ended well!</p>