Lost or Delayed Luggage Insurance

Imagine finally arrving at your dream vacation spot in the Bahamas, only to discover that your luggage is on its way to Moscow or Sudan. How will survive without your hairdryer or favorite rubber duckie, glasses or medication that you had packed into your wayward luggage? Well, you can purchase insurance for lost or delayed luggage to protect you for such torture.

Imagine finally arrving at your dream vacation spot in the Bahamas, only to discover that your luggage is on its way to Moscow or Sudan. How will survive without your hairdryer, favorite rubber duckie, glasses or medication that you had packed into your wayward luggage?

Well, you can purchase insurance for lost or delayed luggage to protect you from such torture.

Lost luggage insurance reimburses you for the contents of your luggage if it is lost, stolen or damaged. Most policies limit the reimbursement up to $2500 and may exclude items such as eyeglasses, cameras, and cash. Credit card companies and the airlines already provide some coverage for lost baggage so make sure you don't duplicate your insurance coverage.

Delayed luggage insurance reimburses you for the cost of toiletries, clothing and other items needed to tide you over if your baggage doesn't arrive at your destination when you do. Many policies say your bags have to be at least 24 hours late and limit claims to $100 or $200.

Use Common Sense: There are some basic, common sense measures which can help recover your luggage:

Don't try to shove everything into an old piece of luggage that is not able to hold and protect your belongings. Now is the time to purchase Luggage Online. Overstuffed luggage is more likely to burst open en route. Save money by not over-packing; excess-weight baggage fines can add up quite quickly.

If your luggage has a famous brand name, you may want to cover it up with a piece of tape to reduce the temptation for thieves. If you're traveling to/from the United States, use one of the new TSA-approved combination locks too. The Feds supposedly have a universal key to open these locks if they want.

If you're carrying something particularly unwieldy, like fishing rods or scuba diving gear, check with the airlines to see what if any restrictions the airlines may impose on such items. There are also significant restrictions on what passengers can carry onboard the airplane, so check the TSA website if you're traveling to/from the United States. Currently, for example, there are significant restrictions on taking liquids onboard airplanes as carry-on luggage. Remember that bottle of suntan lotion? You may have to put it in your checked baggage.

Use the camera in your cell phone to take a picture of your suitcases so you can give a good description of your wayward luggage to airline officials. Make sure your luggage have distinctive tags attached to them, and put a copy of your itinerary and contact information inside your luggage too (just in case the tags get separated from the luggage.) When checking-in, pay careful attention when your bag is tagged to ensure it is going where you are going.

If your baggage does not arrive at your destination, never leave the airport without first filing a report and obtaining a claim number and copies of all the necessary paperwork along with the telephone number for the lost baggage department. Also, if you absolutely need some items such as clothes for a meeting, tell the airline's customer service representative. They may be able to help you in the interim until your baggage shows up.

Finally, if you don't want to deal with the hassle of hauling your luggage around, consider the services of a door-to-door luggage shipper such as Luggage Forward. For an extra fee, they'll pick up your luggage from your home and deliver it to your hotel - but remember to ask about their insurance coverage for lost luggage too!