A travel expert has explained how thieves get into bags and how you can stop them.
When all of your most important possessions and everything you need for a happy holiday are packed into a single suitcase, it is difficult not to worry about its whereabouts when you are parted at the checked-luggage desk.
According to Sarah Adekola, a TikTok user who goes by @millennialwealthsarah, it is possible to break into such a bag using just a pen.
Rather than suggesting people refrain from ever going on holiday again or only taking hand luggage with them when they do, Sarah offered some tips on how to keep your bags as secure as possible.
In a recent clip she shows just how easy it is to get into a locked suitcase using just a pen which is forced into the zipper and then pushed through.
This creates a gap between the two edges of the zip, which can lead to the whole bag being opened up by running the zip pull over it, even if there is a padlock attached.
"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 recommends going for darker coloured suitcases in either grey and black, and ones made from harder materials rather than soft, squishy bags.
When buying a new bag, she she always goes for one with wheels as they're easier to move, and prefers those which have zippers that are difficult to spot or obscured by fabric. It is now possible to buy bags without any zippers at all, Sarah said.
"I would also go for suitcase brands that give me a lifetime warranty or at least five years," she added.
If you are also concerned about how well treated your bag will be after you've said goodbye to it at the check-in desk, then you may want to consider slapping on a 'fragile' sticker.
According to news.com.au, asking for one for your luggage 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 dreaded carousel.
