It’s every traveller’s worst nightmare. You’ve been planning this trip for months, you’ve stocked up on fresh toiletries and even some new socks. You’ve arrived at your destination and you’re standing at the carousel for what feels like forever.
The empty carousel passes you by one last time and you come to realise – you’ve lost your luggage abroad.
Suddenly, your dream holiday has gone down the drain and you can’t help but be bothered by the thought of wearing your travelling clothes repeatedly for the next ten days.
But worry not, here’s what to do if your luggage is lost abroad:
Don’t panic
Despite how much you’ll want to, going straight into panic mode won’t bring your luggage back. With that said, you’ll be delighted to know that there is a pretty high chance that your luggage has simply been misplaced. The vast majority of lost baggage thankfully turns up within a few days.
According to the SITA 2017 Baggage Report, for every thousand passengers, 6.94 bags were lost as a result of mishandling in 2017. At a rate of 6.94 bags per 1000 passengers, that’s just a 0.7% chance your luggage is actually lost!
Visit the baggage claim office
Head over to the airport’s baggage claim office and file a report of your lost luggage.
Filing a report lets the airline know about your missing bag, it also allows you to create a paper trail if you’d like to receive a reimbursement for the items you had to purchase as a result of your missing bag – which presumably you’ll want to do!
Before leaving, make sure to get a copy of the report and a follow-up number that you can contact.
Create a list of your items
If your luggage turns out to be lost, some airlines may require you to produce receipts to prove the value of the items that you had in your lost luggage.
Of course, this seems like a daunting task. So to begin, simply create a list of the items that were in your suitcase whilst it’s still fresh in your mind.
Keep in contact with the airline
Take the reins of the situation and give the airline a follow-up call.
Depending on the airline, if your bag is truly lost, they must compensate you for it and your lost items – so make sure to ask, it’s worth a try!
We hope you find these tips for what to do if your luggage is lost abroad useful. For more travel related advice be sure to check out our blog.