I haven't had to deal with lost luggage since the airline lost my favorite teddy bear 25 years ago—think it is traumatizing as an adult? Now imagine that as a child.
This Lifehacker tip recently popped up in our feed, and we thought it was at least worth sharing (though, really, no one does travel hacks better than us 😉). It goes like this: In case luggage goes missing, split belongings between your and a travel companion's checked luggage to minimize downtime.
The reason?
The idea behind this is this if one of you lose your suitcase, you both will still have the things you need to get by until the MIA suitcase makes its way to your destination... If you’re traveling with a partner or friend, rather than carrying your own individual suitcases, split the load between each of you.
Of course, it doesn't really fly for those travelers that often go solo. It also happens to be completely moot for passengers that solely carry on. And again, the whole thing again can be mitigated by having at least an emergency overnight kit and fresh set of clothes in a personal bag.
(This also seems much more sane than the starter pistol idea. People are really paranoid about losing luggage, aren't they? At any rate, the airline is legally required to compensate travelers properly.)
But there ya go.