#Travel140: Be Careful What Your Luggage Tag Says About You

#Travel140 #TravelTip: Be careful what your luggage tag says about you. What does yours say, and what should it?

What your luggage tag is really telling people.

Almost every luggage tag you see has a space for your name and address, and we’re prone to filling in every blank we see. But should we? Safety experts say no. In addition to helping the airline locate the owner of a lost bag, those tags also tell unscrupulous handlers and others where there’s an empty house.

Instead of putting your name and address on your luggage tags, consider one of these options:

• List the address where you will be staying, if vacationing for more than a few days in one location. If your bags get lost, they’ll do you more good showing up at your hotel than back at home.
• Only list your email address or cell phone number. This way, you can be reached quickly and easily if your bags are found, but nobody sees your home address.
• List your home and destination airports with instructions to return to baggage claim at one of those airports, where you can claim your bags or arrange to have them delivered.

Should you include your home address anywhere? Most safety and travel experts advise to include your home and destination information inside your luggage. If your luggage is lost at the airport, visit the baggage claim office and give them a complete description of your luggage, including what’s inside and where they’ll find your identifying information. This will help keep your information private but also help the airlines find you once they’ve found your luggage.

Also consider travel insurance that pays you in case of lost luggage, since airlines’ compensation is not likely to be fast nor fair. We like BH Travel Protection. (Not a paid endorsement, just good results!)

Can’t get enough travel tips? Here’s more #Travel140!