What you should and shouldn’t reveal on your luggage tag

Here’s what you need to write in your luggage tag. Photo / 123rf
Luggage tags are essential for any traveller, but choosing what information you include matters more.
What’s worse than getting stuck in the airport? Having your baggage delayed, damaged, or lost at the start of a two-week holiday.
According to SITA 7-8, IT provider for the air transport industry, air travel passengers are still at risk of losing their luggage in 2024.
However, the results, taken from analysis in 2022, also reveals that the global rate of mishandled bags has decreased. It’s estimated only 7.6 per 1000 passengers will lose their belongings, and the majority of these are returned within 48 hours.
Read more: How to avoid losing check-in bags on a flight
Luggage tags remain a simple way to keep track of your luggage, helping passengers find their bags at the airport, or even retrieve them when they go MIA. Smart tags have also gained in popularity over the years, but the classic hand-written tag still proves to be a life saver in a sticky situation.
But as travel experts point out, not everything needs to be displayed for the world to see.
Mike Harvey, travel expert and managing director at 1st Move International, says it’s crucial to know that certain details could compromise your privacy and put you at risk for theft, fraud, or other unwanted issues.
So, what exactly should you avoid putting on your luggage tag? And how can you still ensure your suitcase is easily returnable if lost? Here’s what the experts recommend.
Many passengers testify to not writing their full names on their luggage tags for safety and privacy concerns. And though this is also a matter of concern, travel experts recommend including your full name, as it is written in your passport, to help the airlines and staff locate your luggage more easily.
However, when travelling with a child, travel experts interviewed by CNN recommended not including a child’s name at all.
If you feel uncomfortable using your full name, provide the authorities with enough travel documents, such as your boarding pass, passport, and even photos of your lost luggage, to help resolve the situation faster.
Including your phone number on your luggage tag may seem like a no-brainer. Harvey and other travel experts interviewed recommended doing so. After all, it’s how someone can contact you directly if your bag is found.
Alas, even this piece of information can be risky if it falls into the wrong hands. There are a lot of scams that can be connected to your phone number, from unwanted calls and texts to bank verifications and other financially related scams.
If you have the capacity to provide a secondary phone number, such as a work phone, or a temporary phone number specifically for travel, that’s considered the safest move.
Just like your phone number, an active email address is crucial when officials are trying to reconnect you with your lost baggage.
Since these contacts can easily be targeted by phishing attempts or spam, travel experts like Harvey suggest providing a separate email account just for travel purposes. This will help safeguard your primary email address.
Bank accounts should be linked to your primary email addresses, along with bookings for flights and accommodation. Travellers should then use a secondary email address for the luggage tag and when asked to fill in forms requiring contact details.
While it may seem like a good idea to put your full home address on your luggage tag, experts advise against it. This information can expose you to potential risks such as burglary or identity theft.
Instead of your full address, experts suggest providing only your city and country. This provides enough information for the airline to identify where you’re from without giving away your exact location.
Harvey stressed the importance of securing your personal identification.
The travel expert urges passengers to never give out personal identification numbers such as national or travel insurance and passport or national ID numbers to unauthorised personnel. This information is highly sensitive, and if it falls into the wrong hands, it could lead to identity theft or fraud.
Choosing the perfect bag tag isn’t as simple as picking a pretty colour. Travel experts suggest opting for covered or flap-style luggage tags that conceal your personal information unless it’s needed.
You can also opt for the popular smart luggage tags, built with QR codes or tracking systems, which allow anyone who finds your bag to contact you through a secure online platform without revealing any personal details.