The Clever Clothing Tip You Never Want To Forget While Traveling By Plane

Traveling by air can be both a dream and a nightmare. You are quite literally lifted out of your everyday life and transported to a destination where you can leave behind your worries for a few days and indulge in all that the world has to offer. After all, our lovely planet is so big, and there are endless opportunities to explore new cultures, eat new food, and meet new people. Sometimes, the journey is just as exciting as the destination.

As nice as air travel can be, it can very quickly turn into the worst situation you have ever been in. Travel mishaps occur, often ranging from slight inconveniences, like your bag getting flagged at TSA, to straight up nightmare scenarios, like getting stranded at an airport overnight. One major mishap that can completely ruin your trip is an airline losing your luggage. On average, airlines lose an estimated seven bags per 1,000 passengers. And though this isn't a large statistic, it is still incredibly frustrating when it happens to you, especially if you can't easily replace the contents.

But you can lessen the stress of lost luggage with a simple hack: Pack a change of clothes in your carry-on. Packing an extra outfit or two in your carry-on is such a simple hack, yet it can make or break your vacation. As annoying as it can be to travel with an overpacked carry-on, you'll rest easy knowing that even if an airline loses your checked luggage, your trip won't be ruined. To be on the even safer side, pack essential toiletries, extra underwear, makeup, and hygiene products in your carry-on rather than your checked bags. Invest in some packing cubes if you're worried about making everything fit into a small suitcase.

Having peace of mind is one thing, but being in a situation where you have to rely on your emergency clothes is another. The best thing you can do to ensure you have a good trip is to do everything you can to prevent your luggage from getting lost in the first place. Use tracking devices, such as Apple Air Tags, to keep track of your bags' location. Make it easy to identify your bags with a unique marker. Remove labels from previous trips. And, if you can, book direct flights rather than flights that require layovers.

If your luggage does get lost, don't panic. There are steps you can take to get it back. The first thing you should do is file a missing baggage report with your airline. You can do this from the airline's baggage desk. You can also ask the airline to cover the expenses of lost essentials to hold you over until you get your belongings back. Some credit card companies can also cover this cost. From there, keep track of your luggage's status and be thankful that you packed emergency clothes in your carry-on.