Holiday Travel Tips: How to Avoid Losing Luggage and Gifts in Peak Season

Holiday travel brings the busiest airports of the year, packed trains and roads, and suitcases full of gifts. More bags and tighter connections mean more chances for things to go missing. With a bit of planning, you can arrive with everything — and everyone — you set out with.

The short answer

For stress-free holiday travel: book direct or allow longer connections, check in early, pack gifts unwrapped (or ship them ahead), keep valuable gifts and essentials in your carry-on, make your luggage distinctive, tag it inside and out, and consider a tracker. If a bag is delayed, report it before leaving the airport.

Before you book

Tip	Why
Direct flights	Transfers are the biggest cause of mishandled bags
Longer connections	Gives your bag time to make the transfer
Travel earlier in the day	Delays compound as the day goes on
Carry-on only if possible	No checked bag to lose

According to SITA’s 2025 report, transfer mishandling is consistently the largest single cause of mishandled bags. Lost luggage statistics.

Packing gifts

• Pack gifts unwrapped or in gift bags — security may need to inspect them.
• Keep valuable or fragile gifts in your carry-on.
• Ship bulky gifts ahead or order online to your destination.
• Photograph gifts in case of loss or damage.

Packing your luggage

• Essentials in your carry-on: medication, chargers, documents, a change of clothes. Carry-on packing checklist.
• Make your bag distinctive: bright straps, stickers, a colourful tag. How to make your luggage stand out.
• Tag inside and out with a way to reach you.
• Photograph your bag and the contents.
• Add a tracker if you have one. How to share an AirTag location with an airline.

At the airport

• Arrive early — holiday queues are long.
• Watch your belongings at security; busy trays are where laptops, phones and wallets get left behind.
• Keep your baggage receipt safe.
• Keep kids close in crowds and at security. Child ID for travel.

On arrival

• Head to the carousel promptly.
• Check your bag for damage before leaving.
• Report missing or damaged bags at the airline desk before leaving the airport. Delayed baggage: what to do.

At your destination

Staying with family or in a hotel? Keep gifts, chargers and small valuables in one place. Do a sweep before you leave — chargers and gifts are the most commonly left-behind items. Left something at a hotel?

If your bag is delayed over the holidays

Peak season can slow down tracing and delivery. Keep a gift or two and essentials in your carry-on so a delay doesn’t ruin the celebrations, keep all receipts for essentials you buy, and follow up daily with your file reference. Most delayed bags still arrive within a day or two. How to find lost luggage.

Road and rail holiday travel

• Keep bags in sight on trains.
• Don’t leave gifts visible in parked cars.
• Do a seat sweep before getting off. Left something on a train?

The bottom line

Holiday travel is busy, but most problems are avoidable: fly direct or allow longer connections, pack gifts smartly, keep essentials and valuables in your carry-on, make your bag distinctive and tag it inside and out. If a bag goes astray, report it before leaving the airport.

Before you travel, switch your TagTrek tags to Traveling mode to hide sensitive details, and add your holiday address as a temporary address if you like. If a bag or gift goes missing, switch to Lost mode — anyone who scans the QR can contact you instantly, no app needed.