One thing you should do before checking your luggage, just in case it goes missing
Losing luggage while in transit and arriving at your destination with nothing is most travellers' biggest fear.
Still, around 1.8 million bags are either lost or stolen from airlines each year.
Reducing the risk of lost luggage can be easy if you take a few simple steps before checking your bags, according to travel experts at the smart luggage tag company Chipolo.
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Around 1.8 million bags are either lost or stolen from airlines each year. Getty
"Remove all straps that aren't absolutely necessary for carrying your luggage," they told the Sun.
"This will make sure your bag doesn't get hooked on anything while journeying through baggage handling."
They also strongly advised taking a picture of your bag before checking it in.
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"Although this won't prevent your luggage from going missing, this two-second hack is a great way to help identify your bag if it does," they said.
"If you have to reach out to the lost property department you'll be able to easily show them what your luggage looks like, so they're more able to find it."
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Passenger putting luggage on the scales at check-in counter in airport. Getty
Previously, an airline worker in a Reddit Thread on travel hacks revealed their 'holy grail' hack for preventing lost luggage.
"As an airline employee responsible for reuniting bags, the best bags have a print out of their airline itinerary, or at least the airline reservation code inside one of the front pockets or right on top of all your belongings," they said.
They went on to explain that if a bag tag goes missing, airlines will need to open the case to try and match belongings to what is reported.
If a missing suitcase report is filed, they said the airline will open the case and try and match belongings to what is listed.
"Things like 'shoes, pants, and t-shirts' are useless to identify with. An airline reservation code is by far the holy grail," they added.
Tourist Travel with black large suitcases or baggage in lobby hotel waiting room or check in line at airport. Trip vacation or holiday tourism insurance concept Getty Images/iStockphoto
Another airline worker commenting in the thread advised travellers to attach a sturdy personal identification tag to checked luggage.
"Baggage tags can sometimes become detached during transit, especially if a bag gets caught on the conveyor system," they wrote.
"A simple tag with your name and phone number (please add the country code) inside or outside the bag significantly increases the chances of us getting your bag back to you quickly."
A travel expert also previously told 9Travel that the type of suitcase you use can reduce your risk of losing bags.
According to John Mavroudis, General Manager Samsonite Brand, brighter-coloured suitcases, particularly those other than black, are far less likely to get lost, and easier to identify on the carousel.
