Don't Panic If You Forget Your Laptop At TSA (Do This Instead)

Traveling can be stressful, and going through a TSA checkpoint can sometimes make matters worse. There's nothing quite like speeding through security while TSA agents yell at you to take off your jacket and remove your laptop and other electronics from your bag, especially when there are inconsistencies across different airports. With everything going on, it's easy to get flustered and make a mistake or two, including speeding off to your gate without your valuables. It happens more often than not, with laptops being one of the most commonly left-behind devices. This photo from the official TSA Instagram page illustrates just how often this happens at Newark Liberty International Airport.

If you happen to be one of the many people who leave their laptops behind at TSA, don't panic. Clearly, you're neither the first nor the last person to do so. But it's important that you know what to do. TSA explains it in the caption of the Instagram post. "When a laptop is left behind, it's recorded in the lost and found log at the airport and stored in a secure location," the caption explains. The TSA goes on to state that one of the first steps you can take to recover your lost laptop is to call your airport's lost and found number. You can also reach out to the AskTSA team via Twitter or Facebook Messenge. "The most common way laptops are forgotten is when travelers stack a bin on top of the bin their laptop is in," TSA said in the Instagram caption. "Out of sight out of mind."

The stress of losing a laptop or valuables, combined with the chaos of a TSA checkpoint and the risk of missing your flight, is the last thing anyone needs. The last thing you'll want to do is get on the phone with an airport representative, be placed on hold, and wait who knows how long for any real answer. To avoid unnecessary delays, take a few simple steps before arriving at TSA to make locating your lost laptop faster and easier.

The first, according to the caption on the Instagram post above, is to attach a sort of luggage tag to your laptop displaying your phone number. This can be in the form of a taped business card or piece of paper. This way, if TSA or someone else finds it, they can call to facilitate a swift return. Just make sure whatever you attach is secure and won't fly off when you're pulling your laptop in and out of your bag. Another method you can use is attaching a tracking device, such as an Apple AirTag, to act as a personal GPS device for easy tracking. Some Reddit users also suggested buying travel insurance for the worst-case scenario of not being able to retrieve your lost item.