Stand up the business traveller that hasnt lost a bag

Before you get to the airport remove any old stickers or tags from your luggage, don’t identify yourself to the crowds as a frequent traveller.

Frequent travellers have a number of potential problems and if at all possible you want to hide this fact from everyone else. There are many reasons for this but just look at a simple scenario to help explain.

Did that taxi driver who took you to the station strike up a casual conversation about what you were doing and why you had a suitcase?

Did they notice your gold loyalty travel card attached to your bag?

Is it the same cab company that has picked you up ten times this month?

Well maybe they aren’t criminal’s maybe they just moan about how lucky you are to be travelling away all the time to that guy in the bar. Maybe he is the one who visits your home and takes what he wants while you are away, or maybe he is also honest but mentions the conversation to the guy in the takeaway who isn’t.

Oh and please don’t use those travel tags that some cases have so you can add your name and address in case your bags get lost. Why advertise that your home is empty for the next few days or weeks.

Most baggage tags supplied at the airline desks have bar-codes on that are scanned as they progress through the conveyor belts. Modern systems have these codes checked for times as well to ensure that baggage is not taken aside for either theft or terrorist reasons. Anyone who travels frequently will have lost some baggage somewhere but that little tag with your home address on isn’t going to make a significant difference. If you weigh the risk against reward it simply doesn’t make sense to advertise that you are absent from that home address.

 

 I will constantly go back to this point again and again, get insurance. If for some reason your employer does not fully cover you on your business travel then often your home contents insurance covers you for more than you would realise but if not get a good travel insurance.

 Why do we discuss insurance surely that’s irrelevant to self-protection?

Well in a way you are right however it’s a psychological switch that we are attempting to turn on. The aim of insurance isn’t to get everything back the purpose of insurance is so you can relax, knowing that if things go wrong you are financially covered. With the knowledge that you have insurance to cover everything anyway that “fear of loss” switch has just subconsciously been turned. As a result you are more inclined to let things be taken rather than risking you safety. At the back of your mind is the thought of so what, I can claim it all back anyway. Theft isn’t nice and its often not convenient but risking confrontation to merely protect possessions is not worth taking.