Top 13 Luggage Security Tips for Kiwi Traveler's Flying Overseas

It is very important to keep your luggage with you at all times – or alternatively have a trusted person watch over it, not only to prevent it from theft, but also to ensure no one is able to place illegal items into your luggage. If leaving your luggage with the hotel, make sure the concierge marks it and locks it away safely and if you have a safe in your hotel room, use it to keep your most important items safe during your stay. Luggage safety is vitally important.

You will have to confirm the weight of your luggage during check-in and you will be asked whether you packed your own bags. It is important that you know exactly what you packed. It is therefore recommended that you pack and weigh your own suitcases, giving you the chance to not only optimise your luggage but to become familiar with it. The airline will note down the weight – ensure it matches the weight you measured. Should your luggage arrive with a different weight, something might have gone wrong.

Luggage Scales are a great investment that are small and compact – perfect for storing in your carry-on to check your luggage weight whenever you need.

Being a kiwi you know how strict the local quarantine laws are to protect New Zealand’s flora & fauna, agriculture and rare species. Hefty fines apply in many countries if you import forbidden fruits, wood carvings, body parts or endangered animals. Also make sure to review the dangerous goods list and restricted items list of Air New Zealand or your respective airlines prior to travelling. Most of the time you have to fill out border protection forms prior to landing – never lie or believe it is ok to “forget” something when filling out the form or speaking to authorities. If in doubt, declare it! The immigration officers will politely ask what you declared and might check your luggage, but hey, you’ll avoid those hefty fines.

This is a no-brainer: hiking in the Himalaya will require something quite different to that of a business trip to New York. Often people don’t realise though that some destinations may not have paved sidewalks, Uber taxis or regular bus connections. You may need to carry your luggage over long distances or rough terrains. It is advised to think about the various stages of your journey upfront and ensure you get the right gear to make your travel as comfortable as possible. Are you better suited to a wheeled backpack, perhaps a duffle or are you happy to stay with the classic suitcase? Our team is always happy to help you choose the right piece for your needs!

You want to make it as hard as possible for people with bad intentions to mess with your luggage. We recommend to use TSA friendly locks and security ties. *EDIT: We no longer stock security ties but check out our other travel security products here!* The Transport Security Administration (TSA) has the right to open and check your luggage if they see fit, TSA officers have the tools for opening and re-locking baggage with accepted and recognized locks, should a physical inspection of your suitcases be required for security purposes by the government agencies. TSA Locks are required to travel to and within the USA – a large amount of luggage comes with built-in TSA locks, but for those that do not you can purchase them separately.

Especially if you carry valuable items such as camera gear, golf clubs or laptops you may want to consider getting additional travel insurance on top of the advised medical cover.

Most airlines such as Air New Zealand allow you to take one carry-on piece and one small personal item per person into the plane’s cabin – weighing up to 7kg and not exceeding total linear dimensions (length + width + height) of 118cm (46.5″), so that it fits into the overhead lockers. Frequent travellers or business class passengers may be allowed to take more. Ensure you have your key personal belongings and valuables such as jewellery, paperwork, passports or technical items e.g. tablets or notebooks, etc. with you.

Yes, we do advise to add a name tag to your luggage that includes your contact information at your destination, this makes it easier for the airline to deliver your luggage later should it end up on a wrong flight. Write in clear letters and add country codes to your mobile phone numbers.

At the check-in counter you should cast an eye over the tags that get attached to your luggage. Can you identify the three-letter airport code? If something seems wrong, speak up and ask the ground staff. It also helps if you position your luggage on the scale, so that a grip or leash is on top – that will make it easier and safer for the ground crew to attach your airline tag with the important barcode in a visible way.

Every airline has baggage service officers, mostly located within the luggage pick-up area next to the arrivals carousels. Air New Zealand even offers an online baggage tracing service in cooperation with worldtracer.aero (visit the Air NZ mishandled baggage website for more information).

A great tool for keeping track of your luggage is the Tile tracker. We also have a broad range of travel security items that are worth a browse.

If your suitcase does not have any special marks such as stickers or coloured luggage straps, it may be hard to identify your suitcase on the luggage carousel and you risk that your suitcases gets mixed up and leaves the airport with someone else. Coloured luggage name tags or covers are a great way to have your luggage stand out.

Most airlines have a 23kg limit per check-in suitcase in economy class. Frequent travellers or business class members may be eligible to check in more. Please consult your airline. For Air New Zealand any piece of baggage that weighs over 23kg but less than 32kg and/or exceeds the total linear dimensions (length+width+height) of 158cm (62″) will be subject to an overweight/oversize charge. For more information visit the Air New Zealand site. Again, the Luggage Scales can really come in handy with ensuring you stay within your weight limits!

In this modern day world scammers are finding new ways to steal our identities and our hard earned money. Protect your passports, wallets and credit cards with a range of handy RFID blocking wallets and sleeves that ensure all within is protected from skimming.