Destined To Travel

Travel Safety: Consider your Luggage Items

When you travel one of the last things you want to happen is to lose your luggage. It’s even worse when you finally get it back (if you are lucky) and things are missing. To add insult to injury your returned luggage looks ok and unopened when you get it back but that could be far from the truth.

That could be just a front and the real damage is some of your important items from your baggage are missing. Let’s hope that does not happen to you; however, that happened to me recently, so it is definitely possible.

In my January African Safari trip, my luggage was delayed by four days. When I received it, the luggage was locked, the lock was intact. My pouch that contained all my chargers and some additional memory cards, extra batteries, usb cables, and a couple of small flashlights were in the luggage. However, when I opened it, everything had been turned upside down, and things were in disarray. That pouch with my computer stuff had been gone through and all my memory cards had been taken, along with some of my extra batteries.

You know all those items were pretty heavy to be carrying in my carry on since those items are fairly large and heavy so I had put them in my checked luggage. Big mistake, I now see.

I was very upset and filed a claim with TSA (Transportation Security Administration) because my luggage had bee gone through but the bag’s lock was intact.

Here is the TSA response;

Ms. SafariKay:

A thorough investigation of your claim was performed. Understand that TSA fairly adjudicates all claims without bias. Our records show that your luggage did not alarm and TSA did not enter your bag. Please be advised that baggage handlers, contractors, and others, are able to access locked luggage and do so regularly. Also, your luggage was lost for 3 1/2 days before you received it. Any third party may have accessed your luggage during this time. For your convenience, a link is attached below showing and explaining how to open and access locked luggage without a key.

There is no evidence to indicate that TSA may be liable for your loss. As we have a responsibility to public funds, TSA cannot pay a claim when there is no evidence of TSA liability.

Video: how-to-open-locked-baggage

You should be aware of this. Travelling to your favorite travel destination could easily be ruined if this happened to you. So, I’m not sure what the point of a TSA lock is now, in this circumstance. Look at the link to the video above – it’s just another way for crooks to help themselves to your things.

Let this be a lesson. Figure out a way to carry your important items so this will not happen to you.