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The other day, we were over at the Southwest Social in Bryant Park. We snagged Southwest t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, and a bunch of Southwest plastic luggage tags. We had one of their old ones on our suitcase for a long while before Delta ripped it off(we’re sure unintentionally).
Then, the following day, Flying with Fish posted an article on how a baggage tag can make you the target of thieves. He makes a good point. What you put on your luggage tag may reveal too much about you. For one, anyone who hangs around the airport and sneaks a peak at one may know where you live and that you likely won’t be home that night.
Of course, the TSA’s website reminds you… “Don’t forget to place identification tags with your name, address and phone number on all of your baggage, including your laptop computer. It is a good idea to place an identification tag inside your baggage as well.”
Firstly, your information should be, by most recommendations, both inside and outside your bag. For inside, a good tip is to have a business card sized paper or label attached somewhere noticeable. Some bags even have a holder for this. On the exterior, a luggage tag.
These labels should contain the following information:
- Name – preferably how it appears on your tickets. Which is also how it should appear on your form of ID, as they should match.
- Email – Email is a very anonymous method of communication. It tells little about you if it is at a service like Gmail. Even if it is a work address, that limits available information.
- Direct Phone Number – Preferably a cell-phone. Landlines can easily be looked up and associated with your address. You aren’t trying to fend off telemarketers here, although we suppose a clever thief could call you and get your information.
- Contact Info if Phone Unavailable – If you are going somewhere your phone won’t work, ie a foreign country where you aren’t going to pay international roaming, leave some method of contact on your luggage, ie a hotel phone number or such.
We agree that the following information should not appear on your bags.
- Home Address – The airline knows this, as you supplied an address to them when you booked. Why display it to the world?
- Home Phone Number – The reasons listed above for not displaying it apply, as well as the fact that if you are on vacation, who will be answering it?
There are a variety of ways to get luggage tags. Most airport counters offer paper ones. You can get a plastic one with a paper insert. And the most detailed…a custom luggage tag in plastic or metal with your information etched into it. A tag can even be adhered to your bag as opposed to tied around the handle. You have a variety of options from simple to complex.
What is important is that you have something identifiable inside or on your bag. You never know what might happen.
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