If you’ve been subscribed to my newsletter for some time, then you know I’m a huge proponent of not checking a bag. Before my wife and I had kids, we would travel the world, including back-to-back around-the-world trips, with just carry-on luggage.
However, once you have little kids like my wife and I do, traveling with carry-on only bags quickly becomes a thing of the past. So if, like us, you check bags when you travel, here’s how to do it right:
1. Pop an Apple AirTag (they’re currently on sale) or a Samsung SmartTag (also on sale) inside your luggage (and your carry-on) so you know exactly where your bags are. I made a huge mistake last month when I didn’t check the location of our AirTags and relied on American Airlines’ app because our luggage hadn’t even been loaded onto the plane like the app said.
2. Go directly to baggage claim and keep an eye on your carousel (and surrounding ones) to make sure your luggage hasn’t already arrived. Make sure you’re there when it does come out.
The reason why you should go straight to baggage claim is to make sure no one walks off with your suitcase. Oftentimes when this happens, it’s just a mistake, especially if your bag is black (I’ve done it). But other times, it’s theft.
In the past, I’ve joked to my friends that if I ever went broke, I would just go to an airport’s baggage area and grab a bag that’s been circling or left on the side from a domestic flight. Airlines and airports don’t check like they used to 20+ years ago. They’ve all cut costs, including the people manning the baggage exits.
This couldn’t be more apparent this week than in this viral video of a man stealing bags. The Instagram account @airport_ramplife shared the video embedded below with the caption: “baggage bandits are on the prowl. With airport luggage theft on the rise, it might be time to rethink what you pack in your checked bags. But you won’t believe the nerve of one thief caught on camera, casually swiping luggage right off the carousel.”
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As you can see, it’s pretty easy to steal a bag and it reminded me of the story I wrote last year of an alleged thief seen rummaging through passengers’ checked luggage at a baggage carousel in Miami International Airport (MIA). He was even trying on pants and shoes out in the open.
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My friend and colleague Gary Leff from View from the Wing wrote about the video above and commented: “There are more law enforcement agencies on premises at a major international airport than anywhere else. There’s TSA, local police, DEA, Customs and Border Protection, FBI and that’s just to name a few. Yet people can just walk into the arrivals level of an airport, walk up to baggage claim, and pick up bags belonging to anyone that they wish – and walk right out.”
He’s right, which is why you need to take the precautions I mentioned above.
KEEP READING
–Did you know your electronic devices should always be charged when going through security?
–The travel gadget flight attendants never leave home without
–Going on a cruise? Be sure to bring this
–The genius phone hack to try when your plane doesn’t have an in-flight entertainment system
–Travel hack: How to use your wireless headphones to watch in-flight movies
Want more travel news, tips and deals? Sign up to Johnny Jet’s free newsletter and check out these popular posts: The Travel Gadget Flight Attendants Never Leave Home Without and 12 Ways to Save Money on Baggage Fees. Follow Johnny Jet on MSN, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for all of my travel posts.
