There are legitimate reasons why travellers avoid checking bags when travelling within Australia or to or within Europe right now, including the worry that the bag would be delayed for a week or lost altogether, which can be a nightmare when travelling.

As a precautionary measure, here are a few tips to keep in mind to help keep your suitcase safe:

Even if that’s sound advice, it’s understandable if you can’t always travel light. This is especially true if you’re going on an extended holiday, bringing specialised gear, or going to an event where you don’t want to look like a smashed bag of chips in your formal attire.

Rather than focusing on what the airline can do to prevent your suitcase from being lost, consider what you can do.

The first rule of thumb is never to check anything that you can’t live without. Any unnecessary stuff, such as jewellery or priceless possessions, should be left at home to avoid heartache.

Before leaving for the airport, spend a few minutes removing all the labels and tags from past trips. Those little bar code stickers that get stuck on your baggage are what we’re referring to when we talk about destination bag tags.

If you don’t want your suitcase lost on your current journey, ensure all old codes have been removed.

You’ll want to plaster your name and contact information all over the place once you’ve done that. Include a name-and-phone-number luggage tag on the outside and an extra one inside in case the first one disappears.

Do you want your bag to arrive on time? Don’t check your suitcase as the plane’s doors are about to close. As they state, a suitcase can be checked up to 30 minutes before departure. However, if you have the option to return early and your bag is running late, they won’t wait.

Keep an eye on the printed tags when it comes time to check your bag. Is it assigned to the correct airport and code? Is your name correct? This is useful for tracking your bags on airline apps. Is the barcode visible or smudged? (If it doesn’t appear clear, ask the check-in agent to reprint them.)

Don’t leave until you’ve confirmed that the agent correctly tagged your bag. Stay to ensure that your luggage is placed on the conveyor belt.

This is a perfect moment to use technologies such as Apple AirTags to track the whereabouts of your bag.

Downloading your airline’s app is also suggested, as most major airlines now provide digital luggage receipts and bag monitoring through their smartphones.

Finally, keep the baggage receipts that the agent gives you. You’ll need these as proof if something goes wrong. It will also assist you in obtaining reimbursement from the airline in case