California newlyweds flying Delta Air Lines make rookie mistakes on Caribbean honeymoon

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My mother-in-law recently sent me an article that I thought was worth sharing to help other travelers avoid making the same mistakes reported within. The Daily Mail article was titled:“Newlywed man is forced to wear hotel staff uniforms on his own HONEYMOON after Delta Airlines ‘forgot his suitcase’”. First of all, the headline has a spelling error, which is the first thing that caught my eye. It’s not Delta Airlines but Delta Air Lines. RELATED: Airline lost your luggage? Do this if you want to get compensated

Listen, I’m no wordsmith and of course, mistakes happen, but when I see Delta Air Lines or any other major brand name misspelled, especially in a headline, I wouldn’t normally read the article. I wouldn’t have read this story if not for the fact that my mother-in-law sent it to me. But I’m glad I did because after so many years on the road (I’ve flown more than three million miles and visited 70+ countries), I’ve learned from my own mistakes.

Per the Daily Mail: “A newlywed has claimed that he was forced to spend half his honeymoon dressed in hotel staff uniform after Delta Airlines reportedly forgot his suitcase. Bailey Hasty, 30, and husband Shane, 32, jetted off to Saint Lucia from Dallas, Texas, on June 3 to spend eight days in the Caribbean following their nuptials. But after landing at the airport to start their post-wedding vacation the pair, from Venice Beach, Los Angeles, were shocked to find Shane’s suitcase was nowhere to be found.”

To make this easier to read, more fun and hopefully more helpful, I’m going to dissect each mistake:

Mistake #1: “Singer-songwriter Bailey said they spent hours searching for the lost baggage at the airport which saw them miss out on the first day of their holiday.”

Solution: I have two words for Bailey: Apple. AirTag. Having Apple AirTags, or a Tile tracking device or the slim, credit card sized tracker from Anker, will let you know right away if your bag made it onto the plane or not. He  also should have downloaded the Fly Delta app because they have an excellent bag tracking system.

Mistake #2: “Shane had brought all of his best clothes – all of his medication, contact lenses, toiletries and his underwear. ‘All the stuff he needed to survive on the island he didn’t have.”

Solution: Never, ever pack your medications, contact lenses or anything else of high value in your checked luggage. Bring them in your carry-on bag. The same goes for a change of clothes. If you’ve ever seen me travel with my little kids, then you know I always have a backpack with a change of clothes for two reasons. One is in case someone has an accident on the plane (like the time my son threw up on my wife) or someone spills a drink. Secondly, it’s always smart to have a change of clothes in case your checked bag doesn’t make it.

Mistake #3: “There was only one shop at the resort and it didn’t sell it so he had to go without underwear. That was a kicker. ‘He had to buy swim shorts so he could wear them but had no underwear.'”

Solution: Another thing you will always find in our backpack is clean underwear and a bathing suit for all four of us. They take up little room and that way, if our bag doesn’t make it, we don’t have to go hunting for a bathing suit shop or spend a ridiculous amount of money on one.

Mistake #4: “Shane was left with no choice but to ‘dress like a hotel employee,’ and sport the resort’s branded clothing while his luggage was being tracked down.”

Solution: I find it funny that Shane walked around the hotel for a couple of days wearing a hotel branded shirt they gave him and a hat that he purchased from the gift shop. But St. Lucia isn’t like Bora Bora, where you really have no place to shop. There are plenty of stores on St. Lucia. The question is ‘are they open?’ My family and I were last there in January and it just happened to be a holiday, so everything was closed.

Additional advice: If you’re traveling on your honeymoon and are going to a tropical destination like St. Lucia, you don’t need a lot of clothes. My wife and I would have just done carry-on as we always did when we traveled before kids, whether it was a weekend getaway or a three-week-long, around-the-world trip. Traveling with carry-on only means you don’t have to worry about your bag getting lost, having anything stolen and wasting precious time waiting around an airport baggage carrousel.

KEEP READING:

–8 Ways To Make Sure An Airline Doesn’t Lose Your Bag … And That You Don’t Get Robbed or Stalked
–The Trick For Getting Airport Luggage Carts for Free
–Airline Lost Your Luggage? Do This If You Want to Get Compensated
–Why Frequent Fliers Use Apple AirTags or Samsung SmartTags When They Travel
–An Airline Executive’s Number One Tip for Avoiding Lost Luggage When You Fly

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