How you can protect yourself against losing your suitcase while on vacation

If you lose your luggage while traveling, it can significantly reduce your enjoyment of your vacation – also because high-quality and expensive items are often carried in suitcases. How can you protect yourself against losing your suitcase while on vacation?

Lost suitcase at the airport

If the luggage is lost in the care of the airline, the airline must pay for the loss. ARAG Insurance explains on its website that damages of up to around 1,400 euros can be claimed. This amount can increase if it was noted before the luggage was lost that particularly valuable items were being transported in it. The loss must be reported after 21 days at the latest, but the ADAC recommends taking action at the airport immediately upon arrival.

A little tip to put your mind at ease: If particularly bulky items of luggage cannot be found at the baggage claim, they are often not lost at all – but can be picked up at the bulky baggage claim. It may be worth asking here before reporting an alleged loss.

Lost suitcase on a package holiday

Even on package tours, suitcases occasionally get lost. The tour operator is usually liable here – also up to around 1,400 euros. According to ARAG, if luggage is lost at the beginning of the trip, those affected are entitled to a refund of 5 to 30 percent of the total daily price per day without a suitcase. If the luggage does not appear again by the end of the trip, a refund of 50 percent of the total cost can be requested. An even higher refund may be possible if, for example, sports equipment was in your suitcase on a skiing holiday and the holiday experience was significantly reduced by the loss of your luggage.

Insure yourself privately for the loss of your suitcase

There are various ways to protect yourself privately against the loss of a suitcase while traveling. Before you take out new insurance, you should read the existing insurance contracts carefully – because the loss of your suitcase is often already covered by normal travel insurance. The consumer advice center also recommends reading your household contents insurance carefully before traveling. The VZ blog says: “As a rule, luggage and valuables are insured for up to three months with ten percent of the insured sum, up to a maximum of 10,000 euros. This clause applies worldwide. Insured persons should check in good time before the start of the holiday whether and under what conditions such protection exists.”

Editorial team finanzen.net