Delayed Luggage?

There is nothing so stressful as arriving at your destination and you wait for your bag at the arrival hall only to be told you luggage did not come with you on your flight. If you are a frequent traveler like me you know what I am talking about. It gets worse if you had packed all your clothes in your checked in luggage not to mention if you were going for a business presentation, and the materials you need are all in it. Delayed baggage is a frequent occurrence in the airline industry. We all wake up, pack our luggage and hope to arrive at our destination to enjoy our vacation or whatever we have gone to do, we want to do in a stress free environment and that means having our luggage with us. Why does luggage delay in spite the fact that the the airline has promised to ensure you travel with your luggage? As a matter of fact, it is considered a security risk if your bag does not accompany you- that is a story for another day. Let us see some of the reasons why you may arrive at your destination without your luggage.

 Tight connections
When you have a tight connection for your flight, there are chances you are not going to connect with your luggage. You may get it at the earliest later in the day or the following day depending on how big, busy your connection airport is and how smooth the process of the airline you are traveling with is. Some luggage get delayed for a week or more and sometimes you may never get your bag at all and in this case the airline may opt to pay.

Tagless Bag 
Ever had of a tag-less bag? Oh yes this can happen. The tag put on you luggage may come off due to various reason not your fault or the airline's but occasionally this does happen. Airports handle a lot of luggage to different destinations, tags are meant to guide the staff on which destination to load your bag. A tagless bag has no destination and can not be loaded, it will its way to an assorted area within the airport and the airline staff will try their best to locate the owner. The reason why it is important to always have a name tag on your bag with contacts and your permanent residence. With the passenger manifest, it will be easier to ferry your bag to your destination or to your permanent address if you have come back home from your destination.

Space and Weight Restrictions 
Sometimes the bulky of the luggages we carry as travellers or the number may be more than the aircraft we are travelling on. If this happens, the airline will of course leave your bag behind and promise to get it to you at the earliest time possible. sometimes the space may be available but the weight limit of loads the aircraft has to carry may be exceeded, in this case the airlines choose to carry the passengers without their bags and ferry them later.

Weather conditions
When it is cold, aircrafts carry more weight than when it is hot.In hotter conditions ,more luggage may be left behind due to weight limitations.

Someone picked your luggage
This happened to a friend of mine, someone picked up her luggage thinking it was theirs. The bags were similar, she got her luggage two days later when we were on our way home from our vacation. She was not amused, neither would I if the something similar were to happen to me.

How to ensure chances of getting your luggage are high 
First, be a pro at packing lightly, this way you will not have to check in your bag as you will have only cabin luggage. You will not have to worry about not getting your luggage unless you leave it in the cabin when disembarking.

Label your bag
Have a name tag with your full names, e-mail address, telephone number and your permanent physical address attached to your bag. Have another one inside your bag where it is easily accessible. I prefer to have the kind of name tag which I can reuse, all I have to do is slide in a piece of paper with my address and can change them as often as possible, that way I can include my destination on the date of travel. You can choose to have this on a different name tag which you can change conveniently. It is advisable to have your permanent residential address in case your bag delays for longer than expected. You do not what to be given a call that your bag has been delivered to the hotel where you were staying for the vacation when you have already come back home and your vacation is long over.

 Attach something unique to your bag
I like tying a scarf tightly around the handle. It is always easy for me to spot my luggage a mile away and no one is going to mistake my luggage for theirs.A strap around your bag can also do, just ensure that it is not of the same colour as your bag for convenience. You can always but it inside your bag once collected if you do not want walk with it around your bag.

 Which ways do you employ to ensure you get your checked in bag at your destination? If you loved this article please share with your friends and travel buddies.

What you need to Carry for a Day Hike.

Last week I went for a day hike after being out of the field for almost two years. I did remember to carry most of the essentials except for something for the rain which I did not need at the end of the day thanks to the weather. If it had rained, it sure would have ruined the fun. I realized that some of the hikers were quite new and had all the wrong gear or did not carry some essentials. I would like to take you through a few must haves when you are setting out for a hike/ a day hike for that matter.

Navigation.
In our case we had two tour guides for the hike and so the maps were not necessary, however that does not mean you should not have any. Invest in a compass and a map if not at least be aware of the terrain and how to get about. In case you do not have such, stay close to someone who has or to the tour guide. The golden rule is, always be in a group of at least three. This will reduce your chances of getting lost, you will also have a helping hand in case of any emergencies.

Water
Water is a must have for a day hike. You will realize that you drink more often during the hike, this is a natural body craving to protect you against hydration. You will need more water if you are hiking in dry and sunny weather as compared to cold and humid weather conditions.

Clothing
It is always good to wear light clothing during the hike for ease of movement, however I highly recommend that you take your terrain and environment into consideration when choosing your clothing. If the terrain has thorny trees and shrubs, consider wearing protective clothing to safeguard your skin from injuries. Include a vest, jacket, pants, long underwear and gloves in your packing list. Consider warm but light clothing incase it gets cold, wear layered clothing in case it gets hot too.

First Aid Kit.
First aid supplies are essential for any hike. Emergencies may arise, one can get bruises and a cut during the hike. Having a first aid kit comes in handy. Your Kit should have among others disinfectants, pain killers, assorted bandages, eye wash and eye bath, sterile gloves, sterile water,  safety pins and a first aid manual.

Sun screen protection
Ensure to pack some sunscreen ointment to protect your exposed skin from sun burns. Sunglasses will come in handy to protect your eyes from the long exposure to strong sunlight. Do not for get to carry some lip palm to keep your lips moisturised, lips ted to get dry with the dehydration. On top of the water to keep your body hydrated, lip palm helps to keeps your lips well moisturised.

Shoes
Choose the right shoes for hiking, different terrains will require you to have different kind of shoe. Your shoe will be determined by where, how and the conditions under which you are hiking. Hiking shoes during cold and wet weather conditions will be different from those in dry weather conditions. You should also ensure that they are the right size, not too big or too fitting otherwise you will be prone to blisters during the hike. Further more heavy shoes will make you weary long before you are half way your journey.

Source of light
It is always prudent to carry a source of light like a headlamp or a flash light and extra batteries to go with it. Your hike may take longer than expected till dusk and your flashlight may come in handy. Besides you may have to navigate and explore dark caves during the hike that may require a source of lighting.

Food
Ensure to carry enough and nutritive snacks for the hike.

Ridiculous Questions They Ask About Your Check-in Luggage Or Are They?

Some Questions they ask you when you are checking in for your flight, very ridiculous or are they?
When I started working in the airline industry over 10 years ago, I was instructed to ask some questions religiously before accepting customers to check in for a flight. I thought some of those questions were ridiculous, I got to be asked same question more or less the same every time I checked in for my flight at the airport. From face value, you will agree with me they are ridiculous or unnecessary. Let us go through some of the questions together.

Is this your Luggage?
Give me a break, why would you ask me if this is my Luggage, who else would it belong to? And what if it is not mine, what do you care? It could be for my friend or brother, all the same it is mine now, I am the one checking it in.You are right about one thing, once you check it in, it is your bag and you assume full responsibility. It is a familiar reaction for first time travelers and for frequent travelers it could be an annoying question you get to hear now and again. Is it really necessary? My personal opinion, yes it is. I have come to appreciate this question more and more as I travel and sometimes I wish the same could apply to road transport systems. The airline industry is very volatile and security concerns has been on the rise. For your safety and mine, airlines have put measures to ensure that you are aware of the luggage you are checking in, checking in a bag that does not belong to you with no knowledge of its contents may put your safety as well as of other travelers at risk. Go easy on the check-in agent and politely answer the question as honest as possible.

Did you pack this Luggage yourself

Oh my goodness, why on earth would the airline want to know if I packed my bag myself? From the face value it sure does not make sense at all and I would have agreed with you 100% over ten years ago on this. I would be in a hurry and ask my spouse to pack my bag for me or a house help would do the work as I get myself ready. Packing a travel bag is not my favorite part either, however I ensure I do it myself or supervise the packing, this way, I am in a position to ensure I do not carry staff that are forbidden for check in, stuff that can be dangerous mid air or worse still God forbid someone packing something in your bag that can put you on the wrong side with the law. One thing I hate about travelling is when I have to remove some stuff from my travel bag at the airport or worse still having to answer some questions to the custom authorities about things in my bag that I did not pack myself or was not aware about. Trust me it is not a good experience, if you have been in this kind of situation you know what I am talking about. If you did not pack your luggage, checked in or carry on at least know every item that is in your luggage, the airline is concerned about your safety.

Did you Leave your luggage unattended at any time?
Unattended luggage includes the one you left for that guy beside you when you felt a need to visit the toilets or get your ticket from the sale shops. Your bag was with someone else not you, it was unattended. We are trustful most of the time, but not everybody is trustworthy, anyone can put anything in your travel bag at any time. Dangerous or not, you need to be aware of what you are carrying in your luggage at all times. I highly recommend that you stay with your luggage at all times, if you have to leave it behind, let it be with someone you trust like a family member and only if they are travelling with you. It is also good to inquire if they have put anything extra in your bag in case they have and what it is, more especially if they are not frequent travelers. Recheck you bag in case you have left it behind with someone else. It is highly recommended.

Are you aware of the contents of your luggage?
Well I have carried a package for a friend to deliver to his cousin abroad, an extra box for the guy behind me on the line who has busted his weight limit, but does it really matter? I have known my friends for long and the guy behind me is travelling with me on the same plane. Hello! who told you he is going to board the flight at the gate or take responsibility at custom clearance? You should be 100% aware of all the contents in your luggage. When I say 100% I do not mean 99.9%. It does not matter who packed your travel luggage, you are the carrier of your luggage and you take 100% responsibility of its contents from the time you check in, to the time you clear with customs at the port of entry. You can not convince the authorities that it was your spouse who packed your luggage or the possibility of your 10 year old putting something in your travel luggage which you were not aware about. Be alert at all times, keeping your luggage safe is prioritizing your safety more than you think.

Thank you for going through this with me, if you have some ridiculous questions they ask about your travel luggage at check in, share with us and we will go through it together to see if it is really necessary. I hope you are now more enlightened about your travel bag contents and how they affect your safety.

What Not to Carry in Your Check-In Luggage

We all love to travel and we would love to be home far away from home, as a result we carry everything we think we need for our trip. Consequently we have too much for carry on and the rest , well must be checked in. I always recommend that you carry only the essential. If it can fit in your hand luggage the better, if not then avoid carrying some items in your checked in luggage. 

I have highlighted below some of items among others you should avoid to check in at all times. Next time we will talk more on how to pack effectively.  

Valuables
Avoid carrying valuables of any kind in your checked baggage such as jewelry and money, especially since bags are subject to search at port of entry.

Electronics
Don't pack anything electronic in your check-in suitcases, such as laptops, PDAs, MP3 players, iPods, phones, cameras or film. These items are prone to damage by security screening equipment. Many airlines if not all do not compensate for these items when they get damaged. They have a caption of the same in their conditions of carriage.

Food and Drink
Do not put any food or drinks into your checked baggage. Food items can perish or spill on other items.

Flammable Items
Do not pack anything that can start a fire, such as firearms, explosives, flares or matches. Fireworks and dynamite are prohibited as well. Flammable liquids or substances should not be packed, such as lighter fluid, gas or aerosol, unless the aerosol is an ingredient in personal care items like hairspray.