Atreyee Poddar
Between last-minute packing panic and your father who insists you carry ‘just one more thing’, checked luggage often becomes a black hole of bad decisions. But before you zip up that suitcase and send it off into the cargo abyss, here are 5 things that have no business being in there.
That trusty power bank you can't travel without? It stays with YOU, not your suitcase. Lithium batteries are a genuine fire risk in the cargo hold, which is exactly why airlines — DGCA included — mandate they travel in your carry-on. Loose batteries for your camera, laptop, or that emergency phone charger all fall under this rule too.
Whether it's your daily BP tablets or travel sickness pills, medicines belong in your handbag, not checked-in. Bags get delayed, misrouted, or occasionally take a scenic detour to a different city entirely. You don't want to land in Goa while your insulin lands in Guwahati.
We know, we know — Indian weddings mean suitcases full of jewellery and cash gifts. But checked bags are handled by dozens of hands, occasionally roughly, and things do go missing. Keep the gold chains, the cash-stuffed envelopes, and your laptop or camera on your person or in your cabin bag. No listicle is worth the heartbreak of an empty jewellery pouch at baggage claim.
This one seems obvious until you're rushing through security at 5 am. Your passport, ID proof, boarding pass, hotel bookings, and travel insurance papers should never leave your side. If your checked bag disappears, you can survive without your clothes for a day. You cannot survive without your ID.
Your grandmother's antique ring. The one-of-a-kind souvenir from your Europe trip. Anything sentimental, rare, or impossible to replace — keep it close. Airlines will apologise (and maybe compensate you) if your bag goes missing, but no compensation brings back a family heirloom.