P_M

I always check the tag on my suitcase too, but for some reason it doesn't help. I accepted the fact a long time ago that I am unlucky in luggage.

Sassafrass

People do not always match their tags to the bags on the conveyer belt either. I have had to show someone they had the wrong bag. Many bags are alike. I try to do something to make mine a little different.

scdreamer

I have decided to always watch to see that the ticket agent puts the right tag on my checked bag. Just last month - I was flying from San Francisco CA to Manzanillo MX, and as the agent was getting ready to tag my bag, she casually said, "There's no charge for the first bag to Europe." She was sending my bag to Barcelona, Spain.

My bag almost got a better vacation than I did!

Sassafrass

Scdreamer, if your bag had gone to Spain, do you think you would ever have seen it again?

scdreamer

Sass - I don't know. Hard to say when the mix-up is continents away. We were staying in a small town about an hour from Manzanillo, so it's possible the bag may have arrived a few days later and been brought to us by taxi. Or if not, someone in Spain might be wearing my swimsuit today?

About 25 years ago I flew from California to Puerto Vallarta with my two young daughters, then 5 and 7 yrs old. The five year old's bag went to Portland Oregon instead of PV, Mexico. We had to leave PV after two days - we were staying a four-hour bus ride away in a somewhat remote (at the time) area. The airline promised to deliver it by bus to our little town. After many days of meeting many a bus in our little village, we were finally reunited with the bag. It was pretty amazing to see that hot pink duffel bag riding up on the dashboard of a funky third class bus ... and my daughter was pretty happy to get it. There was absolutely no place in the little village to buy girl's underwear!

Off topic a bit, but there's a little story that goes along with this tale of the lost hot pink bag - there was also another passenger on the flight whose bag was misdirected to Portland. He seemed like a pretty uptight businessman, and we watched in some amazement as he totally lost his cool over his lost bag. We were kind of bummed about my daughter's bag, but as we all know, sometimes things don't work out the way you plan when you're traveling, so we just tried to figure out what we would do next ... meanwhile the other guy was in a major rant, yelling about his "heart medicine" and swearing (in English of course) threatening the baggage and immigration employees who of course had nothing to do with the problem. Totally out of control. And it seemed like a made-up story about the "heart medicine" - that came well on the heels of loud lamentations for his golf shoes and other belongings he would need.

So ... after we filled out the paperwork to claim our lost bags, and as we all were leaving the area with our carry-on bags, when we went to push the button at immigration, guess who got the RED? We were standing behind the guy, and I KNEW that was going to happen - he was such a jerk.

We had a pretty good laugh over that, and my kids were so impressed by the show the guy put on, later on our long bus ride they even composed a little operetta with a chorus about "My heart medicine, my heart medicine!"

eliztravels2

Great story, screamer. I expect your daughters have grown up to be great travellers, able to roll with the punches. Whereas the ranting guy may well have died of a heart attack--on the golf course.