It was meant to be a routine collection of luggage after immigration at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. The walk to the carousels was not that far away. Everything seemed normal, just that the wait for our luggage was taking quite some time to appear. By the time our luggage appeared, I realized that my luggage which was locked was now missing that lock (the same lock that has followed me to Paris, Taiwan and South Korea)!
Thankfully nothing was missing from the luggage, since it was practically awaiting to be filled with the shopping spoils after the trip; there was nothing valuable in it. But the thought of losing an item with such sentimental value (it has traveled with me) was simply irritating and made my imagination go wild: was it snapped off on purpose, or perhaps accidentally when it was moving through the belts to reach its final destination (but it ‘survived’ so many other trips before this)?
Upon closer look at the other luggage on the carousel, I noticed that while some luggage seemed perfectly fine, others were (more) worse for wear (than mine), they were literally unzipped or even ripped at the seams!
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| Just some examples of what could have been worse |
A little googling brought up astonishing results. I never knew that you could use a pen to open a locked luggage, given it was easier when the luggage did not have a fastener (to make it a little more difficult). While you can prevent such things from happening, you can most definitely lessen the probably and increase the difficulty of doing so. Always keep your valuables (ie. camera, laptop, or anything else you don’t want stolen) on you.
It’s important to remember not to put electronics, cameras, jewellery, money, or eyeglasses in your checked bags. Airlines do not insure those types of items, which are a prime target for thieves.When packing, snap a photo of the items that you're putting inside. It'll help support your claim of stolen items later in the event you encounter such a scenario. Again, do not place any valuables into your checked baggage... unless you want to take the chance that it will be lost, damaged, or stolen, and you recognize that you will most likely not be reimbursed for the loss.
The below are some itesm which maybe considered as valuables and if you place them into your checked luggage and lose them, you will most likely not be reimbursed for the loss:
- Cash currency
- Negotiable papers
- Legal / Business / Financial contracts and documents
- Jewelry, precious metals, stones or materials
- Watches
- Equipment such as cameras, video and photographic equipment, camcorders, audio equipment, film, camera equipment, photographs.
- Electronic equipment/devices, personal electronic equipment/devices, including components such as compact discs and video game cartridges.
- Computers and related components
- Binoculars, telescopes, optical devices including eyeglasses
- Silverware
- Art objects, sculptures
- Historical artifacts
- Original manuscripts
- Irreplaceable books, publications, collectibles (such as baseball cards)
- Antiques, heirlooms
- Keys
- Medications - Keep necessary medication with you at all times. If your bag goes missing, you won’t have access to your medicine anymore.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Let us know in the comments below!
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