Supervise Your Luggage

If you travel anywhere these days and you start from the US, you will hear these words or something like them, "Federal Law requires all passengers to supervise their luggage. The alternative I have heard exchanges "supervise" with "control."

Now I am a good American and if Federal Law requires it, I will do my best to see that it is done. So, Anna and I have spent years trying to supervise/control our luggage. First, we sent our luggage to "luggage obedience school." We both were required to attend because one never knew when we would not fly as a couple. Then we had to take several supervised outings before we could be given a certificate showing our luggage and ourselves had passed obedience school.

Now, I travel with confidence because Anna and I both know how to control/supervise our luggage. I have actually added one little thing that was my own idea. I bring along a piece of chalk and outline where I put my luggage. This is important for controlling one's luggage, because while we are not watching, our luggage may shift or fall over. I will always know by the chalk dust on the outside of the bag. Smart huh! The offending bag is duly reprimanded usually in the bathroom because luggage has feelings too. I don't want to break the spirit of my luggage, I just want to gently discipline it so that we do not get in trouble over unruly bags.

The problem is I have this one duffel bag--black but highlighted in midnight blue, that constantly causes me problems. It is my favorite bag and when we have to travel internationally, it is the first one I reach for. The problem is, it is a little stinker, because it is good when with us, but at the precise moment it leaves our sight, and the airlines take over it is impossible to deal with. It takes off to destinations unknown, wrong planes, wrong cities, wrong countries. It is impossible to control or manage. It always, always ends up at our destination a few days late with the only explanation from the airlines, "the bag was delayed."

Now I know this is harsh, but I have put my favorite bag under the bed in the dark, until I can be promised it will not misbehave out of our presence. On this trip we took a trusted and tried old army duffel bag. No problem! It knows how to behave and has nary a chalk mark upon it.

If we all did our part, and did a more serious job of supervising our luggage, I am sure air travel would not be so expensive, or be so wearisome.