I took a trip few weeks ago and had my trusty black roller suitcase as my carry- on bag. I waited at the sandwich counter to get a sandwich. I took my hand off my bag a short time to order, pay my bill and have them put the sandwich in a bag.

I then turned around. My bag was gone. I very fortunately saw someone 50 yards away happily wheeling my bag along. (I cound see it was my bag because I had a yellow notebook sticking out of it.

I about had a nervous breakdown. It would have been a total disaster if I hadn't seen that bag. I had film, medicine, my itinerary, travel vouchers.

anyway, this caused me to renew a vow (i) never to let my carry-on get out of my sweaty palms while in the airport, and (ii) to try to make my bag as distinctive as I can do idiots are not tempted to take it, assuming it is theirs..

Youngtom, now come on, boy! You're not going to get away with telling us this experience without telling us how you got it back. Did you have to wrestle the perpetrator to the ground and yank your bag from his greedy hands?! ;-)

I agree--don't leave us hanging!! Do tell.

Exactly - was it a thief - or just someone else clueless?

In an airport or train station you never let go of your luggage, even for a second - no matter what the circumstances. If you need both hands to pay for something you keep you foot on it or straddle it if it's short enough.

Really - it's no wonder people are always complaining abour pickpockets - if you give the stuff away what can you expect?

If they had yours, what happened to theirs???
I buy Kipling bags. They are virtually indestructible, mostly waterproof and come in all sorts of colors.
I have sets in black, blue, red, sky blue and beige.
They come out with new colors every season.
http://www.ebags.com/kipling/wheeled...cfm?N=20030918

Welcome to the big city! It could have well been any bag, a wallet, or anything else one leaves unsecured no matter how close to their person.

Glad you got it back, but I also want to hear "the rest of the story".

Oh, so it was you screaming at my father who took the wrong black roller? He'd give it back as soon as he saw the wrong medications in it!!

Did the alleged perp assume it was his; or did he actually PLAN the heist?

Come on - do tell!

Awww, I thought he'd come back to tell the rest of the story. :-?

Well, if he doesn't come back we could "invent" our own endings as a means of entertainment.

I have heard rumors of this happening with generic looking husbands. Pretty young things happily wheel away others' unsuspecting husbands when wives are looking the other way.

LOL, Starrsville! How come that never happened to me . . . . . then again, I'm not *generic looking*!

Say again, where did it happen? I will look the other way if you agree to wheel off Mr Again!

oh you guys are too much

Well, if he doesn't come back we could "invent" our own endings as a means of entertainment.

Degas...oh Degas...where are you?

I can picture it now..."Degas' adventures with a generic black roller suitcase"

Okay, it almost happened to a friend of mine. Here is what she had to say about the episode -

I about had a nervous breakdown. It would have been a total disaster if I hadn't seen that xxx. x He had my film, medicine, my itinerary, travel vouchers.

anyway, this caused me to renew a vow (i) never to let my xxx husband get out of my sweaty palms while in the airport, and (ii) to try to make my xxx husband as distinctive as I can do idiots are not tempted to take it, assuming it is theirs..

"to try to make my xxx husband as distinctive as I can" - are we off suitcases discussing our husbands now?

In any case, I want some of Starrsville's drink

well it would have been more interesting to have a spouse hijacked. But for me it was only a suitcase. it appeared that a father had merrily taken the bag thinking it was his son's. I have no idea what happened to their bag.

Well that's boring!

I picked up my husband ( a very frequent traveler) at the Lihue Airport. We waited and waited for his black suitcase, finally only one bag was going round n round on the carousel. And it looked just like his bag but without the identifying red ribbon on it. Right away I knew someone had taken his bag by mistake. I raced to the car rental place and eyed all the piles of luggage, spotted his bag which was about to be off to the Hyatt, and nicely informed the culprit he had our bag. It was a teenager, the mother was mortified that her son had grabbed our bag.