Losing your luggage can really dampen any holiday spirit. While airlines often return your luggage back to you, this could take days - and in rare cases weeks - before you can reclaim your luggage. Some travel insurance companies cover baggage loss, but this is only a remedy after the damage is already done. We explore some ways on how to avoid being a victim of lost baggage.

1. Don’t leave your things lying around

Of course, one does not anticipate that your items will go missing when staying at a hotel, however, these things happen. Staying at a trusted property like the Park Grand London Hyde Park is the first step you can take in securing your belongings. The second thing to do is utilize the safe in your room. Most hotels come with key coded safes, where you can keep all your valuable items, that only you have access to.

2. Make sure your bag is easily identifiable

Having a bag that stands out is one way to ensure your luggage doesn’t get lost in the mix. Bare-in-mind that there are hundreds of people travelling with you, the chances of your bag getting mixed up with someone else is more likely when your bag looks like everyone else’s. This is especially applicable if you plan to travel by plane, bus or train.

3. Keep your bag with the hotel after check-out

Most hotels require that you check out between 10am and 12pm. This might come as an inconvenience to you when your flight only departs later that evening. Hotels often have a baggage storage room – a place guests can store their luggage after check-out. By keeping your luggage at the hotel, you avoid wandering the city with your bags and potentially losing them. Alternatively, check out London Hotels Special Offers for deals on late check-outs.

4. Check-in early

Passengers who check their luggage in early avoid getting their luggage separated from them. Airlines often have a cut-off time of 30 minutes prior to departure for baggage handling. If you check out late, you risk the chance of arriving without your luggage.

5. Upgrade your luggage tag

We live in the 21st century where technology is at the palm of our hands. This goes for our luggage as well. Travellers can now have the option of a tag upgrade that allows you to have a unique tracking code for your luggage. This works on a GPS system where you will be able to track the location of your bag, using an embedded microchip.

6. Avoid Short Layovers

This rule applies for your luggage as well as for yourself. Allow enough time for your luggage to be transferred to your connecting flight in a reasonable amount of time. Sometimes your arrival flight could be delayed thus increasing the chances of you missing the next flight, or your bags not making it onboard. This is one of the popular ways that luggage goes missing.

Most of the Park Grand Hotels London offer concierge services where guests can request for assistance in tracking their luggage, meaning you’ll be able to make the best out of a bad situation.