Lost and found...or maybe not

More than 3 million Brits are expected to jet off to sunnier climates this August Bank holiday, but the Co-op Insurance is warning holiday goers to be careful after 20 million bags went missing at UK airports last year, with the leading insurer predicting that many more are facing the possibility of a bank holiday with no luggage.

This summer alone there have been several high profile cases of celebrities including the infamous Naomi Campbell ‘lost luggage tantrum', which has illustrated the problem some of the biggest UK airports are facing. This has helped fuel the publics concern about losing their luggage and those essential and sometimes expensive items.

In a recent bank holiday survey The Co-operative Insurance asked 1000 women and men what items they would most miss not having with them on holiday. 32 per cent of women said a bikini, 25 per sent said underwear, with third place going to a favourite item of clothing at 18 per cent. Cosmetics 16 per cent and sunglasses 9 per cent came in fourth and fifth place.

29 per cent of male holiday makers said losing their sunglasses, with swimming trunks trailing in close second place at 27 per cent. Third place went to a favourite item of clothing at 21 per cent, followed by a mobile phone with 16 per cent. Worryingly only 7 per cent said boxer shorts.

In most cases holidaymakers have been reunited with their lost luggage within 1-3 days, which is still a lengthy period of time for those on a short weekend break. But in more unfortunate cases there have been reports that holidaymakers have had no alternative but to buy new clothing and toiletries once they have reached their holiday destination because their belongings haven't been returned.

Travel insurance can make a huge difference for those who can recoup the financial loss of their luggage and contents, but it can be a costly mistake for those that have bought inadequate insurance cover or for those that haven't taken out any travel insurance at all.

The Co-operative Insurance is advising Brits to be on the safe side this bank holiday by taking extra precautions and making sure that all suitcases and bags including hand luggage are labelled correctly with clear contact details. Ensuring that luggage is safely padlocked to deter would be thieves and rogue staff and limiting the number of items of luggage taken on holiday are also highly important preventative measures.

David Neave, Director of General Insurance at The Co-operative Insurance commented: "It goes without saying that the more luggage you take with you the more likely it is that some or all of it will either get lost or stolen. The temptation is to pack everything just in case you might need it, but ask yourself if you really do. The most sensible thing to do is reduce the amount of luggage you take and share out expensive items across your luggage rather than putting it all into one suitcase.

"Losing your luggage before you even get to your holiday destination is a practical and expensive nightmare especially if you're only away for a few days because that could mean you have no luggage for the entire duration of your holiday. If you have adequate travel insurance and receipts for electrical goods and other such items you will be able to claim for any loss. But if you don't it could turn out to be the most expensive bank holiday you've ever had."