Luggage woes

You might think that when you're attending the world's largest meeting of American travel writers, everything goes smoothly.

Not so. One of my colleagues has been in England for a week now...and she STILL doesn't have her luggage. It's lost at Heathrow Airport, she's been told. Of course, she's now been told that every day for a week, and even British Airways' top public relations man can't seem to get her bags back.

The luggage dilemma isn't just limited to one airline, of course. In the U.S., airlines lost about 10,000 bags per day in 2005 ... and the situation doesn't seem to have improved in the past year.

So what to do? Of course, there are the basics: Be sure your bags are well-labeled with your name, phone number and e-mail both inside and outside each bag. Keep your claim stubs.

But what else? Some people send their bags separately, by Fed Ex or UPS. Some try to cram everything into a carry-on. At the very least, be sure you keep medicines, valuables and at least an extra set of underwear in your carry-on. (Never, never ever check jewelry or electronics if you can avoid it.)

Have you got a strategy? Please share it below by clicking on CLICK TO COMMENT.

And send your best wishes to my friend. She's doing her laundry in the hotel sink and running out every day to TK Maxx, as it's called here. And no, she's isn't have fun.