Worried about losing your luggage? Here’s how I keep mine safe — and avoid bag fees

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There are a lot of reasons I only travel with a carry-on: cost, convenience, flexibility and maybe a twisted sense of accomplishment.

But this one wasn’t even on my radar until recently.

This week, we reported a story about model Kate Love, who claimed she saw a suitcase get stolen from baggage claim at the same time hers went missing. We asked experts how this could happen. And though having bags stolen from baggage claim is “relatively rare,” it’s not impossible.

Traveling can be tough, so don’t let missing luggage add to the stress. Here’s how I keep mine as safe as possible.

Never lose sight of your luggage: I’m not saying it’s impossible for a carry-on to get mishandled, lost or stolen, but it sure seems more likely for those fates to befall a checked suitcase.

Always use a tracking device: I keep an Apple AirTag tucked in the lining of my carry-on. That way, I can stave off the separation anxiety if it gets checked and see its latest location throughout the journey. Just keep those batteries fresh — that’s another lesson we learned from Love, who admitted her missing suitcase contained a dead AirTag.

Keep a backup carry-on handy: I rarely leave home without a small, packable duffel. It’s lightweight, folds to the size of an e-reader and I’ll use it if I’m forced to check my suitcase at the last minute. Absolutely anything valuable, sentimental or essential gets shoved in the duffel and comes with me inside the cabin.

Whether you’re on team carry-on or can’t wait to check your suitcase, one thing we can all agree on is this: Paying bag fees is the worst. Though I’ll do everything in my power to avoid it, every once in a while, I find myself parting ways with my carry-on, watching it slip into the unknowable abyss of an airport’s baggage handling system.

One small consolation is not having to pay for the service (or indignity, depending on how you look at it). And fortunately, there are a lot of credit cards that can help cover the cost.

If you’re loyal to an airline, free checked bags are a common perk with co-branded cards. And depending on how often you fly (and check bags), that perk can easily justify an annual fee. If you travel with American Airlines, for example, they have a credit card with a $99 annual fee (waived the first year) that offers a free first checked bag on domestic itineraries. When you consider that American generally charges $50 per bag at the counter, per direction of travel, you can see how quickly those fees would add up.

Airline agnostic? Some travel rewards credit cards have flexible credits that can be used to cover everything from checked bags to the Bloody Mary you might order while you’re tracking your suitcase’s location from 36,000 feet.

Though I don’t suggest it for a bag you’re sure you’ll need to check, your airline could gate check items for free when they’re low on overhead space. And it’s not common, but if you’re flying a small, regional aircraft, you might even valet check your bag for free and pick it up at the end of the jet bridge after your flight. Either way, it’s less time away from your bag.