One Airline Warns Travelers To Avoid Flying With Gray, Black, Or Navy Luggage If You Want To Keep Your Bag

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When you're trying to pick the perfect bag for traveling, comfort and mobility are probably top of mind. But you should also think about what it looks like and choose to skip boring colors. Not just because there are so many great colorful suitcases out there — just look at the range of options by popular brand Away, like their 29-inch tango red suitcase or the 22-inch carry-on in sorbet orange — but because gray, black, and navy luggage is too common. The European airline, Ryanair, even specifically advised passengers to consider skipping these typical colors since it can end up with someone else grabbing your bag off the carousel, thinking that it's theirs. 

After a long flight, you might be jet-lagged and not pay the closest attention as you wait for your luggage, so we could see how a mistake could happen. Save yourself the potential stress by making your bag stand out. Ryanair is one of Europe's largest budget airlines, and, as Rick Steves warned us about services like this, you have to be wary of hidden costs. One of these additional charges is for checked bags. No one wants to get their luggage snagged by someone else at baggage claim, even less so if they paid extra money for it.

But on the flip side, flashy, brightly colored, or name-brand bags might be particularly appealing to thieves. So if you don't want to go all in on a conspicuous suitcase, then you might want to consider some other kind of signifier, like a sticker or personalized luggage handle wrap or strap, to help signal that it's yours. That way, you can hopefully avoid someone else accidentally or intentionally getting a hold of your stuff.

Samantha Brown's simple tip to help you never lose your bag is another good one; she recommends tucking an AirTag or other tracker inside it. Some devices with lithium batteries, like power banks, are banned from checked luggage, but the tracker batteries are typically small enough that the Federal Aviation Administration has approved them for checked bags.

Tracker or not, remember to include a copy of your contact information inside your bag, just in case your luggage tag comes off. That way, if someone does accidentally grab your bag or if it gets lost in transit, there's a way to easily get hold of you.