We are going on a trip later and I've already started obsessing about our luggage. I'm a bit of an agoraphobic, but Art has always loved going outside of his comfort zone. After high school, he opted to attend Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and couldn't afford to return home to Hawaii for 4 years. After that, he was in the Air Force.
I, on the other hand stayed on Oahu with only a couple of brief trips to Kauai when I was a child and teenager. I did go to Japan on a college trip with friends but stayed at my grandparents' Sendai temple for the three weeks that we were supposed to be on our own. My grandparents, aunt, uncles in Japan and mom did not want me wandering around Japan on my own or even with friends.
If I hadn't married Art, I probably would have stayed on Oahu. However, we did get married and I've tagged along on his adventures. Our children have definitely taken after him.
All this is leading to why I obsess over everything whenever Art decides to take us somewhere.
One thing I worry about is losing our luggage with all our important, comforting belongings. I worry with good reason. They've lost our luggage several times.
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It started with our first trip overseas with our children.
We went to England and Wales in 1990. The plan was to collect our luggage at Heathrow and drive toward Oxford and then Woodstock to see Blenheim Palace.
Unfortunately, the airlines lost the kids' luggage for a few days. They couldn't deliver it to us because we would be moving throughout the country immediately after landing.
Therefore they had to wear our clothes. They were not happy. Nope. Not happy at all.
It was a relief to them when we headed back to explore London and they could do so in their own clothes which had been delivered to our hotel.
We went several days before meeting up with the canal boat.
But yes, the airlines lost our luggage... again. We don't know if it was American Airlines or Continental that misplaced them at our Newark connection.
They asked us to describe our luggage. It was not easy. You do realize there are tons of black luggage traveling around the world.
In 2013 we flew to Las Vegas for a trip to visit various canyon national parks with mom. Hawaiian Airlines asked us at the gate to check in our carryon which held all our chargers, wires, batteries, nightwear, and most of Art's clothing.
We figured they couldn't possibly lose that carryon since they were checking it in at the gate and there are NO STOPS between Hawaii and Las Vegas.
Nope, they lost that very IMPORTANT carryon, too. We got our checked-in suitcases, but we had to spend a day looking for appropriate chargers, wires and clothing for Art. We did not get that carryon back until the end of the trip.
Hawaiian Airlines did reimburse us for all the things we had to replace for our trip.
I'd even painted a giant K on it.
#1 Hopefully making it undesirable for thieves and...
#2 Making it easier to describe at the Luggage Lost and Found.
They shocked us all by waking us up at 11:45 PM to deliver the suitcase.
So now... here we are getting ready for another trip after nearly 3 pandemic years.
One thing Art and I have learned to do is to split some of our clothing between the two suitcases. We also try to carry our chargers and other important electronics with us in our backpacks.
My fingers are crossed for our next trip. Have the airlines ever lost your luggage?
Good grief, I'd be afraid to travel again if I went through all this already! But I must admit I had a good chuckle over that giant k of yours Kay 😄. Well, I'm sure we will all be keeping our fingers crossed this upcoming trip of yours isn't so stressful!
ReplyDeleteWe haven’t travelled like you have, but Sue has attached bits and bobs to our suitcases so that at least we can recognize them more easily on the spinner thing.
ReplyDeleteWow, I can see why you might be a bit agoraphobic. I usually only travel by car so that has never happened to me. Good idea splitting up your items between suitcases. That giant K at least made recovery a bit quicker:) Zebra stripes maybe? Hope your upcoming trip is uneventful in that respect.
ReplyDeleteHave a safe trip! Once we caught someone pushing out suitcase out of a Mexico airport I think trying to steal it
ReplyDeleteYou are brave to travel when Covid is still out there and getting back to USA is a problem if you test positive overseas. Lost luggage? Emily's was lost when she flew to Newfoundland to meet us. It was delivered that evening though. I think there was a return trip where luggage lost but then we were home and just had to return to airport to get it. Then there was the time we picked up someone else's bag from Dulles and drove it home. Didn't realize it till the next day when I opened it and it was full of china purchased in Scotland. We drove it back to Dulles so airline could deliver it to owner in PA and claimed ours. It was the only time we saw another Eddie Bauer suitcase like ours. Chalk up our mistake to exhaustion from travel and time change.
ReplyDeleteLove the giant "K"! Also I agree that it's probably smarter to get bright colored luggage these days and not black. I used to tie colored yarn on the handle of our black suitcases. And yes, definitely put a little of each other's clothes in each suitcase as well as carryon what you can't afford to lose. Can't guarantee any of it will help... but it might. And you are brave to fly right now. We're not ready to do that just yet.
ReplyDeleteHow frustrating! But "planning for it to possibly happen" might be the only calming procedure.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad always traveled with his briefcase for carryon. He packed his shaver and a pair of skivvies in it in case luggage was lost. I've had luggage "located on the next plane" after mine, and the airline brought it to my parent's house where I was visiting. I've always split the cash we're carrying between us in case one of us lost their billfold.
My State Department diplomat brother taught us to "walk on your money." In case you lose your billfold during the TSA inspections: put on a thin pair of socks; place your flat paper money on the bottom of your foot, put on a second pair of socks over the money. This way, when you have to remove your shoes, your biggest cash stays with you during the walk through the scanner and inspections.
Actually, if you do the ratio math, for the number of trips you and Art have taken versus the number of times your luggage was lost, it may not be so bad of a result. Still frustrating. Have a good trip with extra skivvies in your backpack! Linda in Kansas
I just returned from overseas and would you believe they alllllmost lost my luggage again? What the heck is wrong with my purple suitcase anyway?
DeleteOn this 28 minute hop to LA. We are off to LA again with AAA in hand, luggage and scooter in the back.
ReplyDeleteThat is crazy! You've had so many experiences with lost luggage. I've traveled quite a bit but never experienced that. Whenever possible though I carry on only or get a non-stop flight. Impossible in many cases, I realize. My older daughter has had several misplaced bags, mostly flying out of Dakar. One time she was coming home for a wedding and her dress was in the bag. She had to wear something else and we had to run to the mall to get shoes. It was stressful!
ReplyDeleteThey have never lost it completely but have misplaced it a number of times for several days. I never really minded the temporary misplacing of my luggage until the time they misplaced it on the way to the Philippines where the average male is somewhere around 5 feet tall and a 100 pounds dripping wet. My being 6'2" and twice the weight made it nearly impossible to find clothes that fit. So now, I at least pack a change of underwear in my carryon. I'm okay with wearing the outer clothes for more than a day if need be but I do like a fresh pair of underwear.
ReplyDeleteWe have not had "lost" luggage, but we have had misdirected luggage twice. In Chicago, coming home from a reading conference, my principal and I had a flight change and our luggage did not keep up with us. Fortunately we were on our way home and our luggage was delivered to us at our homes the next morning. On a trip to Germany we had a stopover in London, I think. One of our bags missed the connection, but we were informed that it would be on the next flight, arriving in an hour, and it took us about that long to arrange our rental car, so we were good. Your stories are certainly enough to make you paranoid.
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved to Hawaii in '87, aloha airlines destroyed my husband'st portable ypewriter. Remember Aloha airlines and portable typewriters? LOL
ReplyDeleteOn my last trip I went to Seattle to see my newest grandson and had 2 full bags packed with frozen local foods, my clothes, and also whatever I usually take in my carryon bag because I took a sewing machine on the plane instead and couldn't deal with more than that. Well, Hawaiian Airlines messed up royally - when I tried to web check-in my bags, I was unable to and was informed to contact customer service. Even though they could see that I had a seat on the outbound flight, my ticket number was not valid because I had done a flight change (through their customer service in the Philippines) and that agent had not updated the ticket number. It was so frustrating trying to get them to fix it and then they gave away my seat and said, sorry, can't do it. More frustrating! I suggested that they accommodate me by putting me on their Maui flight that left later in the day and was told that I would have to pay $200 more but I could possibly get refunded.
ReplyDeleteSince I had to get to Seattle, especially with all the frozen food packed and ready to go, I grumpily accepted and took the interisland flight to Maui, which was delayed, and then onto the Maui/Seattle flight - barely in time. I had the sewing machine in the overhead compartment and when we landed in Seattle around midnight, my checked in bags did not arrive. They didn't make the connecting transfer and would be arriving the next evening - hopefully.
It was the first time I was stuck without my normal toiletries, change of clothes, slippers, etc. Thankfully I was staying at my daughter's house but still - I somehow felt too uncomfortable borrowing her clothes, especially underwear. It was a long, cold 24 hours of worrying about the foodstuffs and my great son-in-law drove all the way out to the airport at midnight the next day to retrieve my suitcases. The frozen food was defrosted but still chilled and as a result of that, the immediate neighbors of my daughter got some really delicious miso butterfish instead of being stored for their use later on.
I got to see my hapa grandson and my daughter got a good sewing machine. So in spite of it all, the trip was a good one. And the lesson learned is to always have an extra pair of underpants in my purse.
Oh yes, definitely an extra pair of underpants and nightwear too actually.
DeleteI've luckily haven't lost anything yet
ReplyDeleteYou have many great stories to tell about lost luggage! It's not at all funny.
ReplyDeleteI once lost my luggage on a flight to Moscow. It was missing for a week, and when I was told it was there for me to pick up (no delivery to me), I had to walk into a long corridor of luggage and pick mine out. All the zippers had been sewn shut!
ReplyDeleteI've never had lost luggage. I travelled extensively for business once and generally travelled in jeans (in the seventies--gasp). Once I met my "boss" who worked in a different division in a different state, going somewhere himself. We were catching connecting flights to different destinations. He surveyed my jeans and sweatshirt and said "What if they lose your luggage!" and I said I'd just go to the meetings in my jeans. Good grief.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest son and his new wife included me on their cruise to Alaska right after they got married. I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise but when we got back to Seattle the airline had had lost my luggage . It took several days for them to locate it and they brought it to me at 11:00PM at night. I never stay up until 11:00PM. I was not a happy soldier.
ReplyDeleteYes, luggage was lost, and missed my connecting flight home, so went to a hotel for the night with new arrangements to catch the next available flight in the morning. All I had were the clothes no my back. No pjs to put on, no toiletries, no make-up, no comb or brush. The worst part was the next day having to put on the same outfit as the day before, all rumpled looking from traveling, going down to the lobby where business men were wearing suits checking out, and myself too - a corporate hotel - and there I was, hair uncombed, etc. So embarrassing. And getting on the plane that way too. Since then I always put a complete change of clothing in my carry on bag, toiletries, make-up and pjs. You have had the worst luck with lost luggage; fingers crossed this next time will be different for you!
ReplyDeleteHello Sandy, This is Kay of Musings. It’s so very nice to meet you. We now do the same thing as you and pack at least for one night in our carrry-on.
DeleteI lost luggage once, but got it back.
ReplyDeleteI always worry about my luggage being lost when I have traveled also. It is nerve wracking! Where are you going on your trip? Safe travels and I hope your luggage arrives safely!
ReplyDeleteI haven't flow enough times for them to lose my luggage. That would drive me crazy!
ReplyDeleteWe are also heading to Scandinavia, visiting many of the same sites you will see on Viking Homelands. We are doing the Baltic Jewels and the Midnight Sun from London to Stockholm. And, like you, I am already obsessing over packing decisions and worrying about lost luggage. It's great to be thinking about travel again!
ReplyDeleteI’ve had luggage lost Twice, but I haven't travelled as much as you have. One was a very short trip from Ontario Int’n’l Airport (An Hour east of Los Angeles - LAX) to Monterey, Calif. up the coast. They sent it to San Francisco and I didn’t get it until end of next day. So, I had to wear my same clothes all that next day after my arrival for the convention. The other time was a flight from Calif. to Detroit then driving to my son’s in a nearby city. They delivered my luggage finally the end of that next day.
ReplyDelete