I sew quilted very colorful mini blocks on the handles of all my suitcases. I was glad to retreive them very easily as nobody else could possibly do the exact blocks with same color as me :D

I get a luggage tag in a very bright color that clashes with the color of my bag which makes it really stand out. Since you got black bags maybe use two tags that clash with each other.

This is what I do too. I was always going to do something more professional looking but never have the time. My gaudy fabric scraps work really good, and have seen a lot of places.

I just returned from an Alaskan adventure - I have black luggage as well. Before I left, I cleverly tied a red ribbon on the handle of my luggage piece, AND apparently so did everyone else with black luggage. We all stood there and laughed while checking out each others red ribboned black luggage!

I belong to Eastern Star so I have the five star point colors in yarn tied to the handles of my luggage. But you could also use duct tape like some suggested and what about putting the initial of your last name in duct tape on the luggage. But remember that you will never be able to take it off as it will leave a sticky residue. But that would easy to spot yours. Just have a good time and enjoy your trip.

I painted designs (and I'm not a painter) on my black luggage. Always know which is mine. Also put some colored ribbons on handles.

I once painted a black suitcase. I used the tube permanent fabric type paings and did a paisley design. It never wore off and I guarantee no one will steal your luggage. Makes it so much easier to find in a sea of black suitcases.

I have never had a good suitcase remain looking good after one flight so it is worth it to me to personalize them.

After my luggage was dug into by some "now fired" personnel in Miami, a friend told me to put a piece of duct tape over the luggage.....so you can tell when someone goes thru your luggage. My understanding then was that they can NOT go thru your luggage without you being in the room...watching them (so they don't plant anything). I believe that rule is still in effect.

You could tie a big bright piece of fabric on the handle --- so you KNOW that's your luggage when it comes off the turntable.

Do NOT put your name and address on the label thing on the luggage. Too easy for someone to see it and know you're going to be gone for a long time. Just put your name and phone #.....inside you can put your address -- but even then, I wouldn't put it in there.

My daughter used duct tape.. Cheap and easy

I just take brightly colored yarn or ribbon (usually yellow) and tie it on all the zippers pulls and anywhere else I can tie it. It makes my gray carry on easy to find. It's a cheap fix, too.

Use the bright address tags. The other thing you can do is make a huge design "X" or "O" on the flat side in duct tape (get the colored ones) or painters tape and mark both sides of the luggage. Do not forget to put your name and address and even your local destination on the inside of the bag. I usually make up "busines cards" on my printer and I put them in every zippered pocket. You never know what may get torn. I wouldn t buy locks. The ones that fit luggage can be popped off easier than you can put them on. They often open suitcases to inspect them and then you have no lock at all. I take some tie wraps (zip ties) in my purse and when they have opened my case I put a zip tie on them to secure them.

PS the kindle idea is great. I used to carry a pile of paperbacks when I took a long trip and left them when I finished them. The kindle is a whole lot easier.

Years ago when we traveled to Europe, we spray-painted polkadots on our luggage. Everyone knew our bags immediately and would not have touched them for anything.

I was going to suggest one of the new bright or decorative duck tape. It would catch on things like a strap.

I buy the TSA locks off Magellen.com. They have ones that have a dot that turns from green to red if they've opened your luggage. I was under the impression they had to let you know when they open your luggage. Of the times they've opened my luggage, only once did I get notification they did that. It must be about 4-5 times they never replaced the lock on my luggage so I bought some large (about 6" long) colored rubber bands at an office store and put one end on my handle and the other around the harp? of the lock close to the body of the lock. They can still open the lock and the band isn't in the way and so far the locks have not been lost. The locks I buy are about $10-20 a piece and that can get expensive replacing them. I have never lost anything out of my luggage that was opened by TSA but have heard stories of stuff disappearing. I NEVER check electronics, meds, jewlery (I don't travel with any anyway), or other things I don't want to lose.

I went to Aus back in 1990 with my son and it was a great trip! Enjoy.

I took some of my brightly colored fabric and made 4 inch strips out of it and attached it to the handles of my luggage and tied a bow tie to each piece and then tied a knot on top of that to make sure it didn't come untied. It was so easy to spot. I still have the same fabric on each piece. And I travel quite a bit. I have gotten quite a few compliments also.

I use a bright colored ribbon on the handles of each piece. Easy to spot. My sister uses brightly colored shoelaces. I like the idea of painting the sides, but that doesn't work for me since I am not an artist. Locks are not allowed in the US, and if you get one that the TSA can open, not sure that is very secure either. Just make sure you don't put any valuables in your checked luggage.

If you have a hand project, crocheting, knitting, sewing that will keep you busy. Crossword puzzles, letter writing (to grandchildren or parents), books are aslo good ideas.

[QUOTE=Alu_Rathbone;5299829]Here's a question that I must ask!



My program is giving us bright colored tags for our luggage, but I want to take extra percautions. Should I also buy brightly colored locks?

I sewed some colorful fabric scraps together into a strip about 8 to 10" long x 2" wide .... folded and sewed the strip to 1" width ... tied the strip to the bracket to which the handle of my luggage is attached. Tightly knotted the strip several times, thus shortening the length of the strip .... Easy to spot my luggage when it comes down the carousel.

Just read your first post and not sure if this was mentioned already but when I traveled, took multicolored yarn and made a large, thick pompom and attached it to the handle. Neither the pompom nor the luggage was lost. Made mine of varigated orange yarn. Enjoy your trip.

If it were my luggage, I would get some bright colored acrylic fabric paint and put some sort of quilt block design on it.

I have patterened luggage, but so do a lot of others. smile..so I have some very sparkly xmas string on all the handles. Not big enough to interfer with machnes, but easy to spot. I love the design ideas.

I have put short pieces of ribbon on all my zippers and handles. I then also put a piece on my purse that really helped me when my luggage was lost. I just showed the ribbon to the lost luggage people and they found it right away. The woman thanked me for showing her. Another option is stickers just make sure they are all the same.

Brightly colored ribbon tied on the handles worked well for us when traveling abroad. I also like Quilt Novice's advice to tie the same ribbon to your purse.

How about sewing some blocks and gluing them onto luggage? I did put colored fabric around the handles of our suitcases when we went to Europe last year.

Definitely need to buy TSA locks. If TSA opens them, they usually show a color change in a little window, so you can reset them.

Also, like others have said, load up the kindle - I believe there are also e-versions of quilting books, but there are games and such for the kindle.

Australia is a wonderful country. Have a great time. I visited Cairns a couple of years ago on a cruise. Don't forget it is winter down there - check the country's weather (their weather is opposite of ours), so pack appropriately.

I always make a strip of a bright fabric I love ( so I recognize it quickly), and tie it in the handle. I can spot it every time!

Make sure you get up and walk around often.It is a long trip and you don't want to get stiff from sitting . Enjoy the beautiful country.

My study abroad program is giving me bright colored tags for my bags.

I leave when it's Spring there. My area happens to be that one area where it doesnt really fall below 55 in the winter or spring, which is cool. I can't wait to go! I'm hoping to get a kindle! Mom has one, but I don't want to take that from her. We'll see.

I saw one with 'Not your's; Mine" on a tag. I'll bet that worked. I make luggage labels in an unusual fabric and tie them to the handles of each piece of luggage, including the carry on items.
You could make yourself a small hand piecing kit and while away an hour or two making hexagons for English piecing. I also take a small knitting project - usually socks - which is great if the flight is delayed at all because I find it relaxing and I have something useful at the end of the trip.

alu, last year we travelled through Europe and Asia. Before I left home I made fabric ID tags from bright Aussie fabric. I sewed a plastic window on the front and put our name and mobile phone number on each one inside the window. We found our lugguge easily at each airport.
Yes you are right Queensland is a tropical state and is warm almost all year round. Cairns especially is hot as it is even further north. But you may still need a lightweight jacket for evenings in Brisbane for a few weeks till the really warm weather kicks in. If you are planning on travelling south while you are here, it doesn't get too warm usually till October.
If you want to come to S.A. we have a spare bed!!!
Hope you have a great time here in Australiaand make lots of friends. My daughter studied in USA and still has good friends there.

I knot a couple strands of brightly colored wool yarn (something thick enough to be seen from a distance) to the handle. Works for me. Enjoy your trip down under.

I just have hot pink polka-dot ribbons that are tied on the handles. It is stiff grosgrain ribbon so it sticks up if cut short enough.

I have the a couple of long selvages of a fabric that I like -- I cut them into 12" pieces and and tied them around the handles of our suitcases making them easy to spot. Instead of locks I use lime green zip ties and keep a pair of blunt scissors in a pouch of one of the suitcases that I don't lock. My reasoning -- lime green (DH did not want hot pink) zip ties are not common -- TSA uses either gray or white. The suitcases are secure, I know if someone (TSA or someone else) has gotten into them -- and when TSA is done, they use the zip ties too. TSA has opened our suitcases when we were carrying bottles of Dillatante fudge topping for DH, but don't think anyone sampled them :) ).

My DH travels alot and depending on where he goes the bag he takes can be olive, blue, red or black. We have bought simple ribbons and attached them to the handles-all the ribbons are the same colour so he knows which one is his regardless of the bag colour.

As for entertainment-the plane will have movies and a Kindle is great for games or reading.

Enjoy Australia-it is a most beautiful country and the people are absolutely the best. I lived there for 8 years and wish I had never left!!

I make colorful luggage handles for my suitcases to help me spot them quickly. And they are easier on the hands than a lot of the luggage handles are. I make them out of home deco fabric. They remove with velcro. I use them on my recyclable bags too.

When I fly I always have a crossword puzzle book (easy puzzles for quick satisfaction), a puzzle book, my ipod (which also has games on it that I can play), a paperback book, sometimes I take a hand embroidery project that I can work on while I listen to my ipod.

I made a wide and bright coloured ribbon from a piece of my fabric and tied it on the handle - so easy to spot amongst the sea of luggage even though there were lots of ribbons tied to other luggage mine still stood out because it was my fabric

Tying anything to the handles is asking for a problem, they can get caught in the belts, I bought a new piece of luggage to take to Hawaii and when we arrived my luggage was CRUSHED...the airline was nice enough to replace it on the spot but she did say the ties (even short ones like I had on mine) get caught in the belts and that is probably what happened. Like I posted earlier I bought the straps that go around the luggage and buckle, I have used these the last few trips without any problems, I do however like the idea of stenciling something which I may do for our next trip !!

I'm hoping to travel a bit! Thank you!

Thank you to all of you who have given ideas! I really like the stenciling idea a lot. I might tie something on my handles or I might just wrap the handles. My program will be giving us bright tags to put on our handles prior to leaving... but even that will be hard to discern!

Mom's teaching me to crochet, so I might take that with me. I'm getting a coloring book, some stain glass sheets taht I can color with a marker and a notebook to write in.

On my plain wine colored luggage, I attached decorator tape (like duct tape, but in bright colors) all around my luggage. It's easy to spot as soon as it comes out on the baggage belt. I use bright sunshine yellow!!