Nothing can ruin an exciting holiday like your luggage not turning up, which can spark fears that it could be broken into.
They often contain all the things you need for your trip away, including valuables like jewellery or tech items. So it's understandable to feel anxious while checking in your bags, in case of any problems when reaching your destination.
But according to one travel expert on social media, there are some steps you can take to ensure your bags are as secure as possible, preventing people from breaking in.
The Mirror reports that TikTokker Sarah Adekola made a short video about luggage safety, demonstrating just how easy it can be to break into a suitcase.
Using just a pen, she forced it into the zipper and pushed it through, creating a gap between the two edges of the zip.
Even if there's a padlock attached, this doesn't stop the zipper from being ran all the way around the case.
"First never pick suitcases with zippers like this because people are literally stealing your stuff with just a pen," Sarah explains.
"Basically what people are doing is they're taking their pen and they are literally just pushing in between there."
"And they're getting into your suitcase. Then what they do is when you have a padlock they are going to go over it (the hole) and you would never know."
After showing how easily certain suitcases can be broken into, the travel expert explains what qualities she looks for in a travel bag.
Sarah suggested choosing dark-coloured suitcases made from harder, more durable materials, preferably with wheels and zippers that are more difficult to spot - or without zippers at all.
"I would also go for suitcase brands that give me a lifetime warranty or at least five years," she added.
For extra reassurance that your bags will be handled safely, it's worth asking the check-in staff if they can put a 'fragile' sticker on your luggage.
Asking for one could not only earn the bag gentler treatment, it could also speed up your wait time when it comes to the baggage carousel, as the sticker will affect the order in which your bags are packed onto the plane.
Baggage tagged as being fragile will go into the plane last, which means it comes out the other side first, which equals less time to wait at the carousel.
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