If you've ever been at the airport watching that carousel go around and around and never seeing your suitcase, you know what a headache it can be when your luggage is missing.
From standing in line to filing a claim, it's frustrating, but a lot of travelers don't know you are entitled to compensation even if you eventually get your bag back.
The room for lost luggage is like purgatory and absolute misery.
Then you leave and it's endless hours on the phone, which is why you deserve compensation.
Our own New Jersey travel expert is currently abroad without a bag.
7 On Your Side caught up with Westfield, New Jersey-based intrepid traveler "The Miles Man" overseas.
Eric Lipkind and his wife Lani left from Newark for a two-week European cruise last week, but one of their two bags never arrived with them.
"We were in Prague and Budapest and our bag was stuck in Malaga for five and half days," he said.
Luckily, Lipkind knows his passenger rights.
Most airlines consider a bag lost between 5-14 days after the flight.
For international flights, the rules provide financial compensation up to a maximum of $1,700, but airlines are not required to pay the full amount.
For domestic flights, the U.S. DOT requires airlines to pay passengers for lost domestic baggage with a cap of $3,800 per passenger.
"It doesn't mean you're going to get that," Lipkind said. "It's kind of up to the airline what they're going to give you and it doesn't state a minimum either."
That's why passengers have to be their own advocates.
First, file a claim at the arrival airport as soon as your bags don't arrive.
Then, keep receipts of everything you have to buy which was in your bag.
That includes clothing and shoes, medicine, and toiletries.
Next, before you even take off, take photos and document what's inside the luggage.
Remember, most airlines exclude covering electronics, cash, jewelry, and other valuables from lost luggage, so anytime you travel you want to try to carry those items on.
Eric and Lani eventually reunited with their bag in Budapest, five and a half days into their trip.
"United States rules say they're not allowed to prescribe a limit per day but Eurowings said 30 euro per day, so it's up to a negotiation," he said.
Getting top dollar will mean fighting for it.
"I wouldn't accept the first offer they give and say, 'No that's not enough please give more,'" Lipkind said.
This gets super sticky, if you had to buy something you can use again, like shoes, the airline won't reimburse you exactly what you paid for it. It's necessary to have proof.
The Lipkinds had Airtags on the bag. They nicknamed their bags Greg and Marcia from "The Brady Bunch," and they could see Marcia was in Malaga sitting in the same place for almost a week.
AirTags were on sale for Amazon Prime week. You clip them on your bags and that way you can follow them around the world.
If an airline loses your luggage, travel insurance may provide additional reimbursement for covered costs your airline doesn't reimburse you for. But, before you buy extra travel insurance, check your credit card policy for travel protection.
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