One of the biggest fears of flying is that when you arrive at your destination, your luggage won’t be waiting on the belt at the airport. It’s part of the reason that people are so hesitant to check their bags when the gate is asking for volunteers. Now, between air tags and bag tracking, there’s a little more information floating around, but there’s still error in those systems too. For me, throughout my years of travelling for work and on vacation, I’ve lost my bags more times than I’d like to.

There is an upside to that. I’ve learned plenty of lessons from the experiences. In some cases, it even illuminated how having access to fewer items can actually make you focus more on the trip itself.

One thing that I learned only in recent years is the art of packing for the worst case scenario in the carry on. I thought I was great at it — and I was, to a degree. I had a great lightweight dress that could be dressy, casual, with sleeves that could roll up and down, and the pair of shorts doubled as pajamas.

What I didn’t do a great job on was the toiletries. That included items like sunscreen and makeup. Plus, I didn’t pack enough socks or underwear for the heat given how much I was sweating. I also have learned to pack some small laundry detergents in case sink laundry becomes a necessity.

If you do end up losing your bag like I have (many, many, many times), here’s the best advice I can give:

• Take a deep breath. You’re exhausted, tired, and likely physically worn from the flight. Now you’re in a stressful situation to put in a claim for your lost baggage. That moment will pass. Plus, though it can happen, the most likely thing to happen is that your bag will arrive (a little delayed) and you get your possessions back.
  
• Make sure you keep all your paperwork from that claim. Always make sure you have your bag tags somewhere secure (a lot of airlines are going digital now, which is a great help). If your bag does get lost, this is the critical piece of information you need to fill out your claim. I always bring a little folio where I can put my critical information, which has been a huge help.
  
• While you wait for your bag to arrive, you get to go shopping for replacements! Keep all your receipts so that you can claim them. Then, be patient, because it might take some time for you to get the money back, so I wouldn’t go crazy beyond the essentials
  
• If you’re on a trip with a tour guide or someone that speaks the local language, enlist their help. The tour guides are there to make your trip more enjoyable. Get them involved and enjoy your trip while they track things down for you
  
• You may have to be a little proactive. When I lost my luggage in England, I was never in one place for more than a night. I was heading West and my luggage was having to chase me down, and the thing that made it easier to reconnect was calling them daily to update them on my whereabouts so that when they initiated the delivery, it went to the right place
  
• Use the opportunity to realize that maybe, that much stuff isn’t necessary. For all that I’ve lost my luggage multiple times, this last time in Italy made me realize that I actually could enjoy myself without having to worry too much about a big suitcase. Honestly, it was nice to go city to city and only worry about a purse and a backpack. Will I travel that way on purpose in the future? Maybe not, but it was amazing to learn that I could
  
• Always pack what you absolutely need in your carry-on. Invest in a piece of clothing that you can wear in multiple situations. The dress in the above picture was that thing for me. It was comfortable, but dressy enough for multiple situations. Plus, it was easy to wash and dried quickly. In addition to your one main outfit, don’t forget the essentials (ie: medicine, electronics, etc.)
  
• When you get home from your trip, now is the time to do the paperwork. Grab your bag tags, your receipts, and start sending off your claims to the airline (which you can find on their main pages). This will be how you get reimbursed for anything you had to buy during the luggage loss

Lastly, my best piece of advice is to enjoy your trip. Is your luggage missing? Yes. You’re still on a vacation that you’ve been excited for and possessions are just that — things. You’ll still be able to make amazing memories. So what if your pictures might start looking a little repetitive. In the long run, the memory of what you did matters, not wearing the same thing again and again.

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