#Travel140: Three Rules for Baggage Claim

#Travel140 #TravelTip: Our first rule for Baggage Claim: Back up. We have two more to help #travel go better for everyone:

After all of the un-pleasantries of modern travel, baggage claim seems like the final sucker punch before you get out of the airport. It’s often a madhouse of hurried road warriors and confused families rushing the poor, defenseless conveyer belts, even before bags have arrived. Everyone wants that prime real estate right at the edge. In our view, that’s a mistake.

It’s understandable that everyone is in a rush to gather their belongings and get out of the airport, but the mad dash for the luggage carousel seems to make matters worse. We recently learned it can also be a bit dangerous, when we saw a young lady knocked to the ground by a gentlemen swinging his bag off the belt. Thankfully, nobody was hurt but luggage-related injuries are the top airport mishaps. And so we learned…

The way Baggage Claim should be: Stand clear until you see your bag. (Photo: BlackBorder.com)

Baggage Claim Rule #1: Back up. Standing at the edge of the carousel will not make your bags appear earlier, but it does make it harder for everyone else to see and retrieve their bags. If you’re not careful, it can also make you the unwitting victim of a heavy suitcase to the knee…or elsewhere.

Baggage Claim Rule #2: Be patient. Pushing through the crowd to grab your bag is not going to win any friends. However, if you stand still for just a minute, your luggage will magically come back around, and you can grab it then. Being careful, of course, not to blindside your neighbor.

Baggage Claim Rule #3: Be helpful. Sometimes, the elderly lady standing next to you is smaller than her suitcase, or the dad flying with three kids may have his hands full. (#understatement!) This is where you can be a travelling super hero by helping with their luggage. Just be sure to ask first – folks get understandably upset when someone else reaches for their bags.

With just a little common sense, a helpful attitude, and some patience, every traveler can help make things go better. And just maybe, we can all get out of the airport quickly and in once piece.