August 24th, 2008 
Tushar Mathur 
When planning a trip there is something many leave out; something which can save a lot of time if you are ahead of the game. If you have ways to identify your luggage quickly once you deplane, you’ll be able to get out of the airport much faster – and spend more time enjoying your vacation!
It’s not always easy to figure out which luggage is yours in the bustle of an airport baggage claim – next time you’re waiting at the baggage carousel, make a note of how many identical black canvas bags you see. I’m guessing this accounts for the bulk of the bags there in the carousel, right? This is why baggage mix-ups happen so often; a lot of people have baggage which is the same color, size and style as everyone else!
If you are in the market to purchase new luggage, consider getting something a bit offbeat. While it’s impossible to be completely unique unless you have a custom design, you can move away from the standard black or brown bags most people gravitate toward. For the more creative types perhaps bold patterns or bright colors will do the trick. Of course, this strategy isn’t for everyone.
Making A Statement And Finding Your Bags
You can make your luggage stand out from all the other bags on the carousel by tying a brightly colored ribbon or patterned scarf to them. You should go for a color or pattern which is more unusual to minimize the chance that someone else with the same idea will accidentally grab your luggage or vice versa. For this reason, you should always check your luggage tags, no matter how unique you think your ribbon or scarf to be.
Another problem with ribbons or scarves is that they could become caught on something during the handling process. Not only can this slow down or damage the handling equipment, your luggage identification may become damaged or removed completely. If you still want to use this strategy, make sure you also include an actual tag listing all of your contact information.
You should also have your contact information inside all of your bags. Why? In the event that your bag is lost or mistaken for someone else’s bag, this can help you and your luggage be reunited. It’s also useful in the event all of your tags are somehow lost during handling.
A growing number of travelers have turned to personalized luggage tags as a way to keep better track of their belongings. You might be surprised at the variety of looks you can find and while possible, it’s not likely your fellow travelers will choose the exact same ones. Embroidered luggage tags in particular have gained popularity recently but there are many options from which to choose. Because really unique ways to identify your luggage are key to finding your bags quickly, try to go for the most unusual tag you can find.
