Vitamin C. For a bon voyage

While I’m glad I made it back in one piece from my trip abroad, given the recent catastrophe, I do wish airlines/airports would make it easier for travellers. So here is my wish list, for the airline industry, and checklist, so that the same fate doesn’t befall another.

When it comes to travelling, henceforth, my mantra will be: Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. And I advise you to make it yours as well.

Don’t assume that lost baggage, like HIV, only happens to others, so be wise and don’t skimp on travel insurance.

However, while buying travel insurance, go through the document with a fine-toothed comb. And be well versed with details to do with compensation. And pack accordingly.

This is a lesson I learnt the hard way during my recent travels when I discovered that I was eligible for compensation only after seven days had lapsed since the luggage went missing. Which means that I should have been bereft of my baggage for a week if I was to be compensated.

But alas! I was travelling only for five! The day-to-day compensation was minuscule, so I was prepared to book a return flight home as buying a new wardrobe would have been prohibitively expensive.

Thankfully, though, my luggage was retrieved. While checking your baggage in, make sure baggage stamps have been stuck on your boarding pass, and ask if luggage is eligible for through check-in if you are taking a connecting flight.

Again, in case you are taking connecting flights, make sure you are supplied with all the boarding passes at the first destination of boarding. If not, make sure you are allocated enough time between flights to get this done and to check in your luggage again.

Apart from this, take photographs of items of luggage being checked in at the counter, where they are affixed with destination tags, and cautionary stickers such as ‘Fragile’. In the event of your bag being misplaced en route, in a non-English speaking nation, this photo will come handy while filling out paperwork related to lost luggage — which asks for the exact description of the lost baggage. It also becomes easier to explain to the official in charge.

I am compelled to point out that airports should make a greater effort at enlisting English-speaking personnel or training existing staff in the language. It will go a long way in boosting the morale of disgruntled travellers.

Don’t be quick to spend all the local currency you have before you enter the airport. Certain airports levy an airport tax and paying that in the local currency is far cheaper than using precious dollars. Likewise, in case you are informed of delays once you are at the airport, buying refreshments in the local currency is more cost-effective.

While some airports do house money changers, the rates they offer are sure to give one a heartache.

Incidentally, while duty-free stores in India are not as well-stocked or offer as much variety as ones abroad, there are more savings here when it comes to buying that last-minute bag of chocolates or basic alcoholic beverages.

And lastly, equip your hand luggage to work as an overnight bag containing charged devices, charging cables, a change of clothes, and toiletries. Delays are inevitable, so it’s best you be prepared for them than not.

Bon voyage!

Vitamin C is a weekly dose of consumer empowerment