Airline Baggage Restrictions and Other Baggage Tips

It is always exciting to plan a vacation, and one of the things you need to do is drag out your old dusty luggage set (assuming you have not traveled recently), and see if you need to replace it. And another thing to put on your checklist is to find out about the airline baggage restrictions for your particular air carrier.

The best thing to do is contact your airline directly or go to their website to see what their particular rules and restrictions are. One thing that has changed is the policy regarding locking your luggage. In the past, it was a good idea to lock it and keep your key in your purse or carry-on bag, but security policies in most airports these days don't allow you to lock your bags. This is done in case they need to check inside for some reason before being loaded onto the plane. If you do use a lock and it is against policy, it most likely will be cut off. An alternative is to simply use a twist tie (like those that come on a loaf of bread) to secure the zipper just to ensure it does not come open accidentally. In some cases this is about all you can do, although there are locks available with a universal key but I am not sure the airport personnel would take the time to verify this or not, so it might be a waste of money to buy these.

Many bags at the airport look alike, so it's a good idea to make yours stand out as much as you can. You can buy a loud neon color that is easily seen or you can put a brightly-colored luggage strap around the suitcase for identification purposes. Another option is to tie a ribbon on it somewhere. One good thing about having easily-identifiable luggage is most thieves will not choose those to steal as they are too obvious.

For better odds on having your luggage arrive at the same destination you do, make sure you have them clearly labeled inside and out with your name and address. If you have a post office box I would use that instead of your home address just for security reasons, but if not then go ahead and use your home address or a work address. The best kind of tag to get is the kind that you have to open up to see the address. That way the details are not readily visible.

Don't forget to remove all luggage straps before checking your bags, as these can get caught in machinery, causing damage.

Your next vacation will be hassle free if you remember to check your airline baggage restrictions and take advantage of these vacation traval tips.

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