Having your luggage get lost or damaged while you’re en route to your holiday destination is a nightmare scenario, and the worst way to start a holiday.
Luckily, there are a couple of things you can do to protect your precious belongings, and a lot of it depends on what kind of bag you buy.
A baggage handler has revealed the best ways to ensure your bags get from A to B without being lost or broken.
Posting to Reddit, the anonymous baggage handler said investing in a bag with a good zip is key.
They said: “Zippers. Cheap zippers will eventually leave you with your clothing in the belly of a 737 scattered everywhere, and the baggage handler will try and scoop it up and place it back into the bag, but at that point your clothes could smell like fish/dog urine/anything in that cargo hold that smells, or covered in a light dusting of the aluminium floors that get rubbed off during all of the friction of loading and unloading cargo and baggage.”
They added that as tempting as it may be to cram your bag full of everything you need, it’s a one-way ticket to disaster.
“Do not over stuff your bags! 9/10 these are the bags that get to baggage claim completely exploded, cheap zippers, crappy quality fabric and an overstuffed bag is just a ticking time bomb for all of your belongings to go flying everywhere.”
They also recommended leaving the cling wrap at home. As tempting as it may be to wrap your bag to protect it, it can cause issues.
“We know at some locations it’s necessary, but please please please for your bags sake and our backs, leave the wheels available for use, and please have a 4 wheeled bag. The plastic prevents the bag to be slid across smooth surfaces and must be tossed/thrown/slung to be loaded into the cargo hold.”
Having four wheels and a hard plastic case is the best way to protect your belongings.
Reddit user Adam, who claimed to be a baggage handler he suggested travellers should buy a bag that has “four good wheels, with soft lining on the inside and a hard outer shell,” which is the best type of suitcase according to the travel expert.
He explained that the wheels are important because “we tend to throw those bags less when inside the hold of an aircraft, and the other features help keep your stuff cushioned”.