Traveling Light

After picking up some "essential personal items," I found a flyer on my car from a local psychic offering one free phone consultation. Maybe she can tell me where my bag is? Continental Airlines has no idea.

Familiar with those nearly indestructible bar-coded tags the airlines attach to your luggage? They scan those tags and know the location of your bag at all times, just like FedEx, right? Ha! Pure fantasy. When pressed, a Continental representative revealed that they scan the tags at random, or only when "headquarters" tells them to scan an entire flight.

Despite checking in 101 minutes before the scheduled departure of my direct flight from San Francisco to Newark, paying $15 for the privilege of flying with my bag in the cargo hold, and confirming that the tag attached to my bag was correct, I left the airport in New Jersey empty-handed.

I once traveled for a month on an itinerary that involved multiple airlines and so many segments that the booking agent interrupted me to ask if I would ever return home. Newark - Chicago - San Francisco - Honolulu - Kauai - Honolulu - Salt Lake City - San Diego - Denver - Phoenix - and finally, Newark. For this combination of business and pleasure, I traveled with four pieces of luggage: two carry-on bags and two checked bags. Nothing was lost.

Even before I had a reason to study the fine print on the claim form, I raised my eyebrows at the woman on the airport shuttle who bragged about stowing her laptop in her checked bag (so she wouldn't have to juggle her laptop, shoes, and plastic bag of liquids at the security checkpoint). At the time, I thought about how easily the laptop could be removed in transit. Now I know that if the airline loses your bag, forget about it. They will not reimburse you for a laptop, or essentially anything else of value, should your luggage disappear. Anything worth $100 or more (e.g., your suitcase)? Hope you saved your receipt.

So, my plight could have been worse - I pack my electronics in my carry-on bag. In these days of heightened security, I avoid putting anything with wires or batteries in my checked bag to reduce the likelihood that the TSA will find a reason to rifle through my belongings.

Traveling to a special event? Be sure you arrive more than a day early, because the airline won't reimburse you for anything more than basic toiletries and undergarments for the first 24 hours. If you shop carefully, the next day's allowance might just buy you a pair of shoes.

On the bright side, I won't be paying that $15 fee on my return trip.