1. Start with the right carry-on bag, the lighter, the better.
When you need to bring multiple outfits, toiletries, and workout gear, lightweight luggage can help balance out your load. Choose a bag that is durable, easy to maneuver, expandable and has TSA-approved locks.
2. Build a capsule wardrobe.
Choose clothing outfits that will mix and match. With just 10 pieces of clothing (six tops and four bottoms), you can create 24 different outfits as long as the 10 pieces work together.
3. Folding or rolling clothes?
Packing folded clothes flat can lead to wasting valuable space in your carry-on. Rolled clothes can fit into the crevices and gaps of your bag. Wrinkle-prone items will benefit from rolling. However, the Japanese organizing expert Marie Kondo uses her own KonMari Method to file-fold her clothes in neat vertical stacks at home that transfer easily into her suitcase. “Not only does this folding technique keep clothing neat and wrinkle-free, it also maximizes the space of the suitcase,” says Kondo. We found a combination of rolling and folding works best. So do whatever feels right to you.
4. Consider using packing cubes.
Whether you fold or roll your clothes, using packing makes it easier to keep the contents of your luggage neat and well organized. Some sort by outfit, others may sort by category such as underwear, workout gear, etc. How you pack your cubes is an individual choice. We are fans of the cubes that have two sides to them, clean and dirty to keep our dirty clothes separated. Plastic bags also work well to keep your dirty items separated.
5. Invest in Merino wool clothing.
Packing a few pairs of merino wool socks or T-shirts is also a great idea; thanks to wool fiber’s hydrophobic properties, the particles that contribute to body order have a hard time absorbing into wool clothing, so you can wear them multiple times before you need to wash them.
6. Invest in a multi-port charger.
Look for a charger that can serve your computer, mobile phone and another device from a single charging brick. It not only saves space in your tech pouch but also uses a single plug in your hotel room.
7. Be sure to check the weather for your destination.
Even if you check the forecast in advance, it may not be right! So be sure to bring a packable rain jacket in case of sudden downpours, and a packable travel jacket in case of cooler weather.
8. Don't forget to identify your luggage.
Our personalized luggage tags are not only a practical way to identify your suitcase, but they also add a touch of personality to your travel gear. With a unique tag, you can easily spot your luggage among the sea of look-alike bags, saving you time and frustration.
By following these packing tips from travel professionals, you can make the most of your carry-on bag space and avoid the increased checked baggage fees imposed by US Airlines. Happy travels!
]]>It can be tough to pick your SCUBA gear out from the crowd, especially when there are a lot of people with similar gear. Now my wife Rebecca had started a custom luggage tag company, YourBagTag.com three years before and it occurred to me this dive gear all looking the same was a black suitcase problem.
Upon my return home, I asked Rebecca to make me a simple name tag that would wrap around my SCUBA BCD shoulder strap with a bright contrasting color for the text.
You can see an image of the original tag in this blog post. Soon we added more options for strap color and text color choices. Some divers wanted more text than the 9-10 characters that could be embroidered so we added a version with a plastic plate that could be laser engraved. Dive shops wanted to add their full color logos so we added the capability to full color print on the plastic plates. Our original SCUBA BCD name tag has evolved into a full line of SCUBA BCD name tags.
With our personalized BC name tags, you'll never have to worry about finding your BCD on a crowded dive boat, drying locker or wash tank again. And since they make it easier to identify other divers, divemasters and boat crews will love your addtion.
]]>We have worked with individual divers, dive shops and dive clubs to create a wide variety of Scuba Diver Memorial Tags, from equipment tags to BCD names. Some with special graphics, some with quotes or favorite sayings. Each can serve as a healing remembrance, a special way of taking your lost friend or buddy on every dive you make.
Because this type of tag is very personal, we encourage you to contact us directly and let us know what you may have in mind.
Here is an example of a Scuba Memorial BCD Pro tag. This particular tag was going to be attached to the BCD owned by their lost friend. While we are not Latin language experts, Google translate suggested that "ad mare in aeternum" meant "In the sea of eternity".
When the MV Conception dive boat fire occurred, we worked with a very thoughtful PADI SCUBA instructor and underwater photographer from Santa Barbara, CA, Douglas Klug - Instagram @divindk. He ordered tags to give away as a healing remembrance and memorial tag that divers could wear on their BCD to remember the divers lost on the Truth Aquatics “Conception” Dive boat. They were also promoted by the Santa Barbara Aquatics dive shop.
Here are a few more images of tags we have made that may serve as inspiration for your special remembrance tag. While most of these tags are shown with engraving on black/white plastic, we offer a wide variety of colors. We can even full-color print on tags if desired.
]]>
COVID-19 is still with us so we made this touchless hook keychain as a promotional giveaway. It can be used in a variety of ways to reduce the number of things you have touch in public as part of your daily routine. The photos below highlight just a few.
Special thanks to Trotec Laser for making the design available for use.
]]>Note: We recommend the following length for your cut pieces, but this can vary
for each person: 12” pieces - large mask, 11” pieces for medium mask.
Keep reading to learn 5 scuba diver gift ideas that will help any diver in your life keep from losing or mixing up their gear ever again.
]]>You need to not only know their exact size but also what gear they already have and what their preferences are.
Luckily, there are plenty of other scuba diving gifts you can buy that your friends or family will love but that don't require that specific knowledge. Scuba diving shirts, plane tickets to dive sites, and guide books are all great choices.
But if you want to buy something unique that they can use on their next trip, why not opt for something that helps them identify and mark their gear?
Keep reading to learn 5 scuba diver gift ideas that will help any diver in your life keep from losing or mixing up their gear ever again.
When it comes to choosing your scuba gear, many items offer you the chance to customize your look.
For instance, while black wetsuits with striping or other decoration in another color are the norm, many companies offer fun alternatives. You can choose from bold patterns, color combinations, and other unique looks.
This is not only a great way to make your gear easy to identify when you're on trips with other divers, but also a cool way to mix up your photos and videos.
Other gears that can sometimes be customized include supply bags and masks. But one item that you'll rarely find to be customizable is your air tank. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most common items and the easiest to misplace.
Too large and bulky to put in a gear bag, tanks often get piled up. Dents and scratches are commonplace, making your tank perhaps even less easy to identify.
Scuba tanks can be dangerous if they do get mixed up. They need to be cared for and kept in the right environment, as well as checked and certified by an expert yearly. If you grab a tank that belongs to someone who hasn't kept theirs to these standards, you could be putting yourself at risk.
Scuba tank name tags make for perfect gifts for scuba divers because they eliminate this concern.
If your friend or loved one doesn't want to shell out a lot of money for a new, expensive, unique wetsuit, they might be looking for other ways to customize their gear.
Because trying to squeeze into a too-small suit or finding yourself in a large one that hangs off of you is never fun. And you may not want strangers climbing into and out of your suit either.
Wet suit ID tags are a great solution. Lightweight and low-profile, they won't get in the way while the wetsuit is in use. But they're noticeable enough to keep someone else from doing the wrong suit.
And you don't have to choose a simple, dog-tag look either; a cool tank-shaped tag makes a great gift for every diving lover in your life.
Sometimes getting to and from your favorite dive site is half the battle.
No matter where you live if you want to dive all of the best reefs and wrecks around the world, you'll need to do a lot of traveling.
Some locations, like Australia's famous Great Barrier Reef or the colorful sites lining Hawaii's coast, are easy to get to. If you live near a major city with an international airport, you may even be able to catch a direct flight.
But for many of the top dive sites and lesser-known locations, you'll be hopping from plane to plane, then bus to bus, to get close to where you need to go. And you'll be lugging around lots of scuba gear, not to mention your clothing, toiletries, and other belongings, every step of the way.
Even with a direct flight, this can be a hassle.
From finding your bag on the airport luggage-carousel to grabbing your packs from a pile on a bus, there are plenty of opportunities for your gear to get lost or mixed up. A luggage tag can solve this.
Buy one, two, or several for your scuba diving friends so that they can mark every bag they need to bring along on their next adventure.
While ID tags and tank bands are great for marking all of your scuba gear, you'll likely still end up with unmarked items. This is especially true for smaller gear, like bottles of goggle defogger, your goggles themselves, and your underwater camera.
These items might be easier to toss in your bag than a tank, they can still get lost and mixed up. Even inexpensive items will have to be replaced, which can be tough when you're on site.
Help your friends keep track of every piece of gear by buying them a pack of Sharpie Oil-based Paint Pens. These make it simple to mark all of your gear, without worrying about the marks wearing off in water or with wear.
These paint pens are also ideal for writing on the backs of ID tags that haven't been previously personalized.
While luggage tags are great for marking duffle bags and suitcases used for getting to and from dive sites. But when you get close to water, these are often too big and not waterproof enough to keep on your dive packs.
That's where zipper tags come in. Ideal for using on clothing, wetsuits, or gear bags, these are waterproof and low-profile.
They make it easy to mark your belongings to help them stand out, without getting in your way of actually using your gear.
Any of the scuba diver gift ideas on this list can help you mark and identify your gear with ease. That way you can spend less time searching and sorting and more time in the water!
To learn more about other essential scuba gear, check out this guide next!
]]>The excitement of a trip can come to a screeching halt if your bags take a different vacation than the one you planned. But there are things you can do to put the checked luggage odds in your favor.
Let’s look at several things you can do to avoid losing your checked bags.
If you want to make sure your suitcase makes it way back to you every time you travel, you’ll want to label it with your info. Yet, (here’s the plot twist most people don’t see coming) you’ll not only want to label each piece of luggage on the outside but on the inside as well.
On the outside of your suitcase, hang a luggage tag. This tag should include your name, address, phone number, and email address. It’s also not a bad idea to slip the address and phone number of your destination hotel right behind it.
And mini tags are perfect to attach to the inside of your suitcase. That way, if anything should happen to the outside tag, your info is still fastened inside. And always make sure to attach it in plain view.
To avoid losing any checked luggage, head off any issues from the get-go at check-in.
While it may be tempting, don’t use curbside check-in. It’s best to walk your luggage in and check it in yourself. That way you can see it head off to your flight with your own eyes.
Also, ask the counter agent if you can double check the routing information they place on your luggage handle. Especially if you have a connecting flight. And clarify if your luggage is checked through to your final destination or if you’ll have to recheck it at your connection.
Nothing is worse than standing at baggage claim and having to pick out your black suitcase from the sea of other black suitcases on the same flight. Not only is it frustrating, but it can also lead to someone misidentifying your bag as theirs… and they walk right out with it.
So make your luggage stand out from the crowd! Use brightly colored luggage tags, straps, or ribbons to make your suitcase look uniquely you.
It’s also a great identifier to report in case the worst should happen and your luggage does go missing.
Airlines not only attach routing information tags on your luggage handles, but bar code stickers are stuck on the outside of your suitcase. And if you don’t remove them from a previous trip, your luggage could get scanned to the wrong destination.
Examine your suitcase before AND after you pack it. Remove all routing tags and bar code stickers before you get to the airport. Not only will it save your luggage from ending up in the wrong place, it saves time at check-in as well – that’s a win-win.
If your luggage goes missing, a picture really can be worth a thousand words. So take a picture to keep with you!
Snap photos of your luggage from all angles, making sure to include all colorful identifiers. Then keep a digital copy in your phone and have a printed copy stored with your travel documents.
That way, you can show the airlines exactly what to look for and you can leave the hard-copy picture with them for reference.
Another way to avoid losing your checked luggage is to not check it at all. Make it a carry-on only trip!
Not only will carry-on ensure your bags stay with you at all times, it can save you in overpriced airline checked bags fees.
But many people need the extra storage that checked bags provide. Especially if they’re going on a long trip or a family vacation. If that’s the case, place all important items and things you’ll need right away in your carry-on… just in case.
In the fight against lost luggage, you want to make sure you cover all your bases. So even if you have luggage tags attached, placing a copy of your trip itinerary inside your bag will help even more.
That’s because there’s always a chance the airline won’t be able to get a hold of you. And you want them to know exactly when and where you’ll be.
Having a copy of your itinerary will give them the information they need to get your luggage to you as quickly as possible.
When time is in short supply, mistakes can happen. That’s why having short layovers can increase the chance your luggage doesn’t make it onto your connecting flight.
Short layovers give baggage handlers limited time to route your luggage to the correct flight. And if there’s a delay or mechanical issues with equipment, that precious time gets slashed.
If getting a direct flight isn’t possible, make sure your connection gives plenty of buffer time to avoid headaches.
Before you head to the airport, check out the condition of your luggage. Are any of the straps broken? Are there any loose pieces?
Airports have complex systems of conveyor belts that luggage travels across. And if there is anything on your bag that could get snagged or stuck on machinery, it could prevent it from making your flight on time.
Repair anything that is loose or broken. Or buy a new suitcase. You don’t want something as simple and preventable as a loose luggage strap be the reason you make it to your vacation without your bags.
Sure, mistakes can happen. But you don’t have to let them happen to you! Taking steps to make sure your checked luggage is waiting for you on the baggage carousel will save you headaches on your next trip.
Need some luggage tags to make sure you never lose your bags? Shop our selection of luggage tags today!
]]>With so many people interested in this sport, it's important to know what equipment you need before you take a dive. Each piece of gear is necessary before each dive.
Read on to learn more about the scuba diving gear you need before a dive.
As you prepare to go scuba diving, you need to bring with you a scuba mask. Since human eyes are not made to withstand being underwater without protection, you cannot forget your diving mask.
The diving mask will create a space between your face and the mask that will allow you to see while you're diving.
If you don't get a comfortable mask, you could be cutting your time short.
Before you settle for a mask, make sure you look for one that has some of these qualities.
When you put the mask over your eyes and look up, there should be no space in between your face and the mask. Next, you need to place the regulator mouthpiece in your mouth and make sure the mask still feels comfortable.
You can also place the mask over your eyes without the strap while you look straight ahead. Breathe in through your nose and observe how the mask seals on your face.
A wetsuit or drysuit is essential in order to protect your skin from the cold water as you submerge deeper into the ocean.
The wetsuit is designed to act as an insulator since the ocean water can cool your body 25 times faster than air.
Before you settle on a material, you need to consider the type of diving conditions you will be facing. For example, a lycra suit will protect your body from temperature changes, but it will not protect you from stings and scrapes.
A wetsuit is also necessary for keeping the water out. When you're looking for a suit, make sure you pick one that is snug but it doesn't restrict movement.
Although you don't want to pick a suit that is too loose, you do want to make sure you have enough room around the arms, legs, and crotch area.
You cannot go scuba diving without your fins. Fins allow you to have control over your movements and give you the agility to propel yourself underwater.
When you swim underwater, fins will take power from your leg muscles so you can move underwater since it's about 800 times denser than air.
It's important you get the right fit when it comes to scuba fins. Ensure the fins fit snug, but you should still be able to wiggle your toes.
You need to avoid fins that pinch your toes or cut the circulation to your fit. It won't be as enjoyable if you're worried about how loose or tight your fins are.
You need a scuba tank as part of your gear. This tank is an essential component of your breathing apparatus. It allows you to transport large volumes of compressed air or nitrox.
If you don't go scuba diving often, you might not need to buy a tank. There are some tanks available to rent. However, if you plan on doing a lot of diving, you should consider investing on your own.
There are a few material options when it comes to scuba tanks. Most of them are made of aluminum or steel. The pressure varies between 2000 to 3500psi.
Since the air in your scuba tank is highly pressurized, in order to be able to breathe it, you need a regulator.
The regulator will take the high-pressure air in the tank and convert it into ambient pressure so you can breathe in.
When you look for a regulator, you should look for a high-performance one. These regulators are designed to deliver high volumes of air depth while under heavy exertion.
Make sure you get a regulator that has a comfortable mouthpiece. Also, ask for hoses that are the right length.
Since scuba gloves are made of durable and strong materials, you need them to help protect your skin against skin punctures and abrasions, especially if you'll be exploring underwater caves.
Similar to a wetsuit, they trap a little bit of water between your skin and the material so you don't lose body heat as fast.
A dive computer will measure how long a diver has been underwater. It will also let you know other useful information such as how deep you are and how long you can stay.
Before you decide on a dive computer, you have to keep in mind user-friendliness. The last thing you want to do is be on a dive and not know what you're looking at.
Keep in mind renting one might cost you a lot more in the long run than buying one, so you should consider investing in one.
You can use a dive computer along with some of the gauges we will talk about next.
It's essential that you get a depth gauge, compass, and submersible pressure gauge before you dive.
A depth gauge will record your current depth and let you know the deepest depth you reached while on a dive.
The compass allows you to navigate while on a dive. It's essential you know where you are when you're diving, especially during a low visibility dive.
A compass prevents divers from getting lost or running out of air because they don't know where they're located.
Divers never want to be on a dive without a submersible pressure gauge. This gauge allows them to know how much gas is left in their scuba tank.
Now you know what scuba diving gear you need to get before your next dive. Don't forget to get a scuba tank, dive computer, a wetsuit, and more.
Want the best accessories for your scuba gear? Check out our collection of scuba tags.
]]>Some of these families hop on a plane and fly down to Florida to visit Disney World. Others jet-set halfway across the world to get a taste of a new culture in a different country.
Whatever you do, don't pass up on the chance to take vacations with your family. Outside of allowing you to relax, family vacations will also bring your family closer and create new bonds between you.
But before you head off to the airport, pick up personalized luggage tags for your trip. When you do, it'll give you the opportunity to enjoy a whole host of great benefits.
Let's take a closer look at why it's so important for people to invest in custom luggage tags for everyone in their family.
]]>Some of these families hop on a plane and fly down to Florida to visit Disney World. Others jet-set halfway across the world to get a taste of a new culture in a different country.
Whatever you do, don't pass up on the chance to take vacations with your family. Outside of allowing you to relax, family vacations will also bring your family closer and create new bonds between you.
But before you head off to the airport, pick up personalized luggage tags for your trip. When you do, it'll give you the opportunity to enjoy a whole host of great benefits.
Let's take a closer look at why it's so important for people to invest in custom luggage tags for everyone in their family.
Everything about a family vacation is great. From riding on a plane to seeing the sights in your final destination, it's all so much fun.
But you could argue that the best part of a family vacation takes place before you even leave your house. Studies have shown that anticipating a family vacation in the months, weeks, and days leading up to it is what many people enjoy most.
Truth be told, it shouldn't take much to get you and your kids excited about your upcoming family vacation. But if you need help building up the anticipation, you can:
You can also pass out personalized luggage tags to everyone to get them pumped about packing for your trip. It'll make the anticipation surrounding it that much more exciting.
If you've ever purchased luggage before, you know that it's not cheap. It's not uncommon for people to pay at least a few hundred dollars for a single piece of luggage, if not more.
Therefore, you should get your kids into the habit of taking good care of their luggage when they use it. The last thing you want is for them to think it's "just another bag" they can toss around in their room.
One way to get kids to take ownership over their luggage and care for it accordingly is by outfitting it with personalized luggage tags. When your kids feel like a piece of luggage belongs to them, there's a better chance of them treating it with the proper respect.
You should, of course, still talk to your kids about how to care for luggage. You shouldn't just expect them to know how to do it because there's a tag with their name on it tied to it.
But a luggage tag can go a long way towards teaching your kids about maintaining their expensive luggage on their own.
The custom tags that you stick on your family's luggage should have more than just a set of initials or a sports logo on them. They should also contain vital information pertaining to your family.
This information should include:
There is some debate over whether or not you should put your home address on a luggage tag. But if you feel comfortable doing it, you should put that on your tags as well.
The purpose of this is so that your luggage can be easily identified by airport personnel in the event it goes missing. If your bag is misplaced while you're making your way to your final destination, the airport will know who to call when they find it.
The good news is that airlines are losing track of fewer bags than ever before right now. Only about 6 bags out of every 1,000 get lost in transit.
But just in case your bag does get lost, it doesn't hurt to have personalized luggage tags on it to make it easier to find.
Is there anything more frustrating than standing around at baggage claim after a long flight trying to track down your family's luggage? Almost all of the luggage that comes around the carousel will look the same.
Your personalized luggage tags will set your baggage apart and make it simple for your family to see it. You'll spend less time searching for your luggage at baggage claim and more time making your way to your hotel to get your family vacation underway.
Personalized luggage tags will work wonders on your next family vacation. But you can also put them to good use in between vacations.
Your kids will enjoy using them on their overnight bags when they go to grandmom's house for a long weekend. They'll also like using them on the bags they have to bring to school for field day.
Don't be afraid to break out your luggage tags throughout the course of the year. They can identify almost any type of bag and prevent your kids from losing their bags when they head out into the world.
Would you like to get your hands on personalized luggage tags prior to your next family vacation?
We have plenty of options available to you. Whether you want faux leather tags, brightly colored tags, or camouflage tags, we have something for everyone in your family.
You can customize your tags in whatever way you want and make them personal to each of your family members. They'll make your next family vacation that much more special and protects your luggage in the process.
Contact us today to order custom luggage tags or to ask any questions about the personalization that will go into each one.
]]>Adventure tourism, especially scuba diving, is becoming more and more popular. It's something you can with your partner, solo, or even with your whole family. Kids as young as age 10 can get scuba certified, making this a unique family activity.
Keep reading for 10 suggestion for finding the best scuba diving in the world and start planning your 2019 dives today!
Scuba diving is addictive. Once you start, it's hard to stop! Whether you're a beginner or a veteran diver, these dives are ones you should add to your diving bucket list. While you're at it, you should plan to get a personalized scuba equipment tag to commemorate each of your bucket list dives.
This dive spot is a deep and wide hole that's outlined by a coral reef and inhabited by sharks. The reef is colorful and bright. It descends into a blue hole that transitions from saltwater to freshwater 15 meters down. Ancient caverns, huge tuna, and stalagmites and stalactites are some of the thrills you'll see on this dive.
The Maldives are a scattering of islands far out in the Indian Ocean. The islands are surrounded by reefs full of marine life. The best times to go for diving are during the Northeast Monsoon and the Southwest Monsoon.
If you visit during these times, you can see schools of fish like barracuda, tuna, sharks, and eagle rays. Manta rays and whale sharks can also be seen during certain seasons.
The Galapagos Islands have some of the most unique wildlife, both above and below the sea. Sea lions, manta rays, moray eels, hammerhead sharks, and tropical fish can all be seen during a Galapagos dive.
The current is very strong at Gordon Rocks, but this can be a good thing as it brings all of the sea life right to you.
Mary's Place, in Honduras, is a sheer-walled crevasse. It's lined with black coral and good buoyancy is necessary to descend and traverse the crevasse.
Brightly-colored corals bring anemones, seahorses, spotted drums, parrotfish, and white spotted filefish that actually change colors.
If you are a fan of cave and cavern dives, Gran Cenote is the dive for you. The water is shallow and clear. Cenotes are a naturally occurring sinkhole that emerges when limestone collapses. They are very common along the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
Gran Cenote is full of caverns and caves that you can explore deep inside the rock. Look for families of turtles and marvel at the stalagmites and stalactites in the crystal clear water.
Tiger Beach isn't an accurate name, because there's no actual beach. Tiger Beach is a dive spot that is about an hour from the west end of Grand Bahama Island. If you want to dive with and photograph tiger sharks, is where you want to be.
Tiger sharks, named for their vivid stripes, are plentiful in this area. Not only can you see tiger sharks, but lemon sharks, nurse sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, and hammerhead sharks all frequent this area as well.
Thanks to the Bahamas for making the waters surrounding the islands a marine sanctuary, the ecosystem is thriving and healthy.
Getting to Barracuda Point requires some serious travel, but it's well worth it. Made popular by Jacques Cousteau, Sipadan Island is formed by living corals growing on the top of an extinct volcano.
A dive at Barracuda Point will bring turtles, octopuses, white-tip reef sharks, gray reef sharks, eagle rays, and the namesake barracuda. The barracuda gather in the thousands and create tornado-like formations.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's most famous reef, of course, and the Acropolis is like nothing you've ever seen before. The colorful reef is thick with hard corals and full of invertebrates and schooling reef fish.
The Great Barrier Reef has the world's largest collection of coral and is the only living thing on earth visible from space. It's safe to say that any dive here will be well worth your while!
While you're in Australia to dive the Great Barrier Reef, pop over to New Zealand to experience Blue Maomao Arch, part of the Poor Knights Islands. The arch is full of light from both ends that look almost god-sent. You might see fish like white spotted demoiselles or the vibrantly blue Maomao.
Last but not least, is the Ras Mohammed Marine Park. It's located at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, where the Red Sea and the Aqaba and Suez gulfs meet.
The walls of the reef are covered in soft coral and bright orange reef fish, the anthia. Fish like the nudibranch, Napoleon wrasse, snapper, unicornfish, jacks, and barracuda all call this reef home in the summer months.
Which of these dives is on your bucket list? Not only do these locations provide some of the best scuba diving in the world, but they also offer you the opportunity to visit far off lands and experience local cultures unlike any other.
As you start planning your next dive trip, check out our scuba ID and name tags and make sure your equipment has identification.
]]>The odds of you losing your luggage while you're traveling are a whole lot lower than you might think. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, less than 1 percent of bags checked through a major airline are lost every year.
But even with that being said, there is still a small chance that an airline could misplace your luggage while you travel. There's also a chance that you yourself could lose your luggage during your travels.
With those things in mind, it's a great idea to attach a luggage tag with the right luggage tag info on it to any bags you're going to be bringing along with you on a trip. Regardless of whether you choose fabric tags, leather tags, or metal tags, they could help you locate your luggage later if your bags go missing.
Here's the best luggage tag info to include on your tags.
The first thing you're going to want to write down as part of your luggage tag info is obviously your name. This should go on the very top line on your tag and should be easy to read, especially if you have a name that's on the longer side.
Contrary to popular belief, though, you should steer clear of including your entire name on your luggage tag for privacy reasons. The last thing you want to do is become a victim of identity theft because someone was able to swipe all your vital information from your luggage tag.
Rather than writing out your whole first name, just go with a first and maybe even a middle initial. An airline will be able to easily identify you in most cases as long as they have your first initial and your entire last name.
More often than not, the next thing that travelers do when filling out their luggage tag once they have their name written is write down their home address. They think this is a good idea because it'll help identify them further to their airline and give the airline a place to send their bag if they're unable to retrieve it themselves.
But you should not, under any circumstances, write your home address down as part of your luggage tag info. If you do, you'll basically be inviting people to visit your vacant home to burglarize it.
Instead of writing down your home address, write down the address of your destination. This will let an airline know where you're going to be staying so that they know where to send your bag once it's located. You might want to include the phone number of the hotel you're going to be staying at, too, if you have room for it.
It's a good idea to write down the address of your destination when you're starting off your travels. But what should you write down when you're on your way back home?
Well, you should still shy away from writing your home address on your luggage tag. There are still way too many risks associated with providing your home address.
But it's perfectly acceptable to write down your work address if you want. Since you're likely going to be back in the office a day or two after you're finished traveling, it's actually the ideal location to put on your luggage tag.
If your bag gets lost and your airline needs to send it somewhere, it's probably best for them to ship it or deliver it to your work address. That's where you're at most days anyway, so it'll be more convenient than having it shipped to your home during the middle of a workday.
You would be surprised by how many people write their home phone numbers down when they're filling out their luggage tag info. They worry about their airline not being able to get in touch with them if they don't happen to have cell service for whatever reason at the place they're visiting.
But here's the thing: If an airline finds lost luggage that belongs to you while you're on vacation, they're not going to be able to get in touch with you if they call your home number. And furthermore, you're not going to have any way of knowing that they're trying to get in touch with you when they call your house.
By providing your cell phone number, you'll ensure that you'll get a message from your airline sooner or later. Even if they happen to call you when you don't have any service, you'll get a voicemail from them informing you that they've found your lost luggage.
You want to make it as simple as possible for an airline to reach out to you about your luggage if you happen to lose it. That means including your cell phone number on your luggage tag, but it also means writing your email address down as well.
After an airline makes an attempt to call you, they'll also usually shoot you an email to provide you with information on your missing bag. You can access this email either through your smartphone or through a computer at your hotel to get the situation straightened out.
As long as you write down all the luggage tag info that you find here on your luggage tag, your airline should have everything they'll need to touch base with you if your luggage is lost.
But it's very important for your luggage tag info to be legible when you write it. If you don't have the best handwriting in the world, ask your spouse, your roommate, or someone else with decent handwriting to fill out your info for you. You want whoever finds your bag if it goes missing to be able to read what it says on your luggage tag.
Contact us to find the right tag for your luggage. You can also read some luggage tips that will help you attach your tag properly.
]]>This week at YourBagTag, we’re highlighting another one of our favorite partners, Lisa Miceli-Capano. Not only is Lisa an avid scuba diver, she’s an entrepreneur, conservationist, and an artist. We can’t say enough about Lisa and all of the work she does in Southeast Florida.
Lisa is the founder of Stoked on Salt, an ocean conservation clothing line designed to raise awareness and help protect the sea and its living coral reef ecosystems. In her spare time, she produces beach cleanups and ocean conservation events.
She also created SOS Ocean Clean Up, a local conservation group that is comprised totally of volunteers ages 4 to 85. All of the debris removed is always weighed and documented by their volunteers at every event... but she doesn't stop there. Once the debris is thoroughly cleaned, Lisa paints outdoor murals, driftwood art and produces fundraiser painting classes using these items as her painting tools. The SOS Debris Paint Nite events help bring awareness to the types of trash that is being left behind on the shoreline and into the ocean which can destroy marine, and ultimately, human life.
Lisa has even let us use one of her beautiful designs for our custom BCD tags for us!
We first heard about Lisa’s work through Instagram and knew we had to connect. And we are proud to share her story with you today.
Lisa Miceli was raised in sunny Florida since 3 months old and having the beach as her 'backyard' only continued to nurture her love for all things ocean-related. She played in the sand, surfed the waves, and eventually married a dive instructor – which led her to explore the water from an entirely new perspective.
As time progressed, Lisa noticed more and more that the ocean was changing. The beautiful reefs and underwater wildlife was declining. And this troubled her.
“Divers get it. We spend a great deal of time in the water and as a result, we often are the first to see the short term and long term changes in the aquatic environment,” she said. To make a difference, she started attending other beach cleanups but recognized the younger generation was not as involved.
"Many people are not aware of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean and I wanted to do something that was inspiring for a younger generation because they're the ones in line to inherit all these issues." As the mom of a teenager, she asked her daughter for input on how to get people her age more involved in ocean conservation and cleanup efforts. She was seeking a perfect company name to start.
Lisa decided to use her talents as an artist to design shirts and artwork centered around ocean conservation efforts. A percentage of all sales allow her the opportunity to produce educational events throughout the year and also donate to local non-profits that share the share mission.
In addition to donating money to these non-profits, Lisa has also begun organizing her own local cleanups and created a volunteer organization called SOS Ocean Cleanup.
SOS Ocean Cleanup is a team of over 2,000 volunteers that range from 4 to 85 years old – and everything in between. This amazing group hosts beach cleanups and educational events throughout the year, including SOS Debris Paint Nights.
"SOS Ocean Clean Up is not a non-profit organization so we rely on a small portion of our proceeds to produce these events. We are so thankful for the community because most of our supplies are either donated by local businesses, conservation groups, families... basically the community. As you would imagine, I don't have a staff so I spend a lot of my personal time executing these free events to the community. What sets me apart from others is that I do it with a passion and not a financial motive."
Lisa has used her artistic talents to raise conservation awareness by painting murals and artwork using debris found in the ocean. She painted this seahorse using a toothbrush, sea sponge, and screwdriver that washed ashore.
The artwork of a spiny lobster was painted with materials like palm from, cork, sea sponge, and plastic fragments.
Even this incredible mural, located at South Beach Park in Fort Lauderdale, was painted using ocean debris.
Lisa paints these projects to bring awareness and to get the community involved. This past summer she invited children from different summer camps to join her in creating the murals for South Beach Park, Florida through an event she calls “Make Your Mark”.
She also recently completed an SOS Debris Art mural at Fort Lauderdale’s Wind Jammer Resort.
Check out this footage of Lisa at work.
In addition to raising awareness through art and cleanups, Lisa hosts a popular family event called the SOS Ocean Conservation Day.
This free event is put on each July and includes around 50 to 60 different local non-profits. The 2018 SOS Ocean Conservation Day was held at Oakland Park.
Each year has a different theme. The local non-profits set up booths at no cost, but in return, they must provide something of value to educate visitors to the event on ocean conservation and cleanup. This year's focus was awareness.
Environmental non-profits in the community had the opportunity to spread awareness about what is happening with our ocean. They shared details about their organization and were able to accept donations or sell items to raise money.
Additionally, the local Saltwater Brewery served beer at the event and donated all the proceeds to the Marine Environmental Education Center.
YourBagTag was also one of the proud sponsors of this event.
SOS Ocean Conservation Day was free to the community and more than 2,000 people attended this past July. Next year, the event will focus on solutions to the growing problem that our ocean ecosystem faces.
Participate in a Cleanup
For those who are fortunate enough to live near the ocean, get involved in a cleanup effort like SOS Ocean Cleanup. And even if you don't live near the ocean, plan your next dive trip to include volunteering for a cleanup.
There are so many great organizations out there that need your help. If you are as passionate about the ocean as we are, find an organization that supports your values and donate to it.
There are so many great organizations out there that need your help. If you are as passionate about the ocean as we are, find an organization that supports your values and donate to it.
You can purchase products or services from an organization that supports ocean conservation. A Stoked on Salt t-shirt or ocean debris artwork could make a great memento or even a gift for someone who shares your love of the ocean.
Don’t underestimate the power of social media. If you see a story online about what’s going on with our ocean, share it with others. Let them know what is going on – and help these stories and cleanup efforts get noticed. You never know who you might reach and how they will respond to help.
At YourBagTag, we provide custom luggage tags for travelers and divers worldwide.
Our customers are like family. And we love hearing and sharing stories like Lisa’s. Do you have a story? If so, we’d like to hear from you!
Post your comments below or send us a note at info@yourbagtag.com
We look forward to connecting with you!
Have you ever packed your bags and headed out for a hauntingly fun Halloween trip? At YourBagTag, we love any occasion to travel or use our personalized luggage tags.
So, if you have a similar “hankering” to ditch the trick-or-treating and go on a true adventure, check out these great Halloween destinations.
Why visit Salem for Halloween? Because it is the witch capital of course! And the fun doesn’t just happen on Halloween, the town celebrates its haunted past all month long with tours, parades, and other events.
The city even has a Witch Museum which covers the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and includes 13 full-size stage sets that walk you through the drama and events of these trials. The museum is open year-round, but October is most popular this time of year, so
check out these useful tips if you are planning to visit around this time.
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Another east coast “haunt” you can visit this Halloween is Sleepy Hollow. With gothic mansions, haunted hayrides, and the infamous headless horseman, this town is anything but sleepy this time of year.
A few of the creepy things you can do in Sleepy Hollow include a lantern tour of its eerie cemetery to see the grave of the legendary Washington Irving, a super scary walk through Horseman’s Hollow (where you just might encounter the headless horseman himself), and a 45-minute performance of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Universal Studios is full of thrills and chills each October. In fact, its production, Halloween Horror Nights has earned the Best Halloween Event award from Amusement Today for the past 10 years in a row! Now, this isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, the park recommends that if you have children under the age of 13, don’t bring them to this.
After dark, the park turns into a terrifyingly thrilling series of haunted houses and entertainment inspired by some of the spookiest horror film characters (think Michael Myers, Poltergeist…and new this year, a Stranger Things haunted house).
The people of New Orleans love a good excuse to dress up. And while Mardi Gras may be their grandest celebration, Halloween is a big deal too. With Voodoo shops, parades, haunted tours, and street parties, there is plenty of hauntingly good entertainment here.
One of the most popular family festivities is the annual Boo at the Zoo at the Audubon Zoo where younger visitors can trick-or-treat, listen to not-so-scary stories and get up close and personal with some of the zoo’s animals. You can even participate in a stroller/wagon decorating contest!
If you are headed out west for Halloween, make sure the check out the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. It is a popular vacation spot, wedding venue, and event space nestled in the Rocky Mountains just outside of Denver.
Each year, this gorgeous hotel turns into a terrifyingly terrific place to celebrate Halloween with activities like a Murder Mystery Dinner, Masquerade Party, and even the Shining Ball. With two full weekends of frightful fun, the Stanley Hotel holds the title of “Most Spirited Hotel” year after year.
Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is certainly a unique way to celebrate the holiday. Time Magazine named it one of the 10 most haunted places on earth. The Queen Mary was a legendary cruise ship which sailed the seas from 1936 until 1967. On October 31, 1967, Queen Mary set sail on her last voyage before she was retired. She docked in Long Beach, CA on December 9th of that same year and has called Southern California home ever since.
Ironically, when she was launched a famous English psychic predicted that the ship’s greatest fame would come after she carries her last fare-paying passenger. Dark Harbor offers a spooky haunted tour and…for those who are brave enough…an opportunity to spend the night on the ship!
While the official celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is November 1st, it is synonymous with Halloween. And one of the best places to visit for Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico.
From cemetery gatherings to festivals and twilight vigils, the streets of Oaxaca are filled with awe, wonder, and true reverence for the dead. The food is amazing, and the artwork - incredible. While it isn’t spooky in the same sense as the Queen Mary or Universal Studios, it is equally thrilling. The painted skeleton faces, the ceremonies…experiencing Día de los Muertos at least once is very much worth it!
For some truly authentic creepiness, you may want to travel across the “pond” to Europe. First stop, the catacombs in Italy. The Christian catacombs in Rome at St. Callixtus are the home to more deceased popes and martyrs than anywhere else on earth.
To see something even more frightful, take a trip to Palermo, Sicily where the Capuchin monks mummified 8,000+ bodies. They cleaned them, stuffed them with straw, and even dressed them. These mummies are placed all throughout the corridors and include everything from babies to cardinals. This is about as creepy as it gets!
Finally, what Halloween tour would be complete without a trip to Transylvania? Here you can visit the castle of the real Prince Vlad Dracula. The fictional vampire, Dracula, created by Bram Stoker, was terrifying. However, the prince he was named after, was equally scary.
Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, became infamous after inviting hundreds of people to a banquet, then ordered that they all be stabbed and their bodies impaled on spikes, while still twitching. Talk about creepy!
Halloween is a frightfully good time, but make sure you are prepared for your trip! If you are packing a spooky mask or costume, use caution to ensure that it retains its shape, or plan to purchase your Halloween costume or mask when you arrive at your destination.
You might get a few looks as your mask goes through security, but as long as you keep it stored securely in your luggage, you should be fine. TSA is looking for harmful materials, not scary ones.
And be sure to label all of your gear and luggage. At YourBagTag, we sell customized luggage tags for all your travel needs. Whether you are looking for tags that stand out in the baggage carousel or personalized bag tags to commemorate a special trip, we've got you covered.
You can order online or send us an email at info@yourbagtag.com if you have any questions.
We hope you have a frightfully fun Halloween this year!
There’s no doubt, YourBagTags are the perfect luggage tags for airport travel. They are sturdy and easily recognizable. But you can use them in other ways too…in fact, many of our loyal customers have come up with fun and creative ways to use personalized bag tags well beyond simply marking their luggage when they travel.
Here are some of our favorite ways to use these customized bag tags:
Going on a vacation with family or friends soon? Then why not commemorate the trip with a set of custom luggage tags for the occasion?
We can customize them for any event – just send us the details and a simple logo or picture (if you have one that you want to use).
Have a family ski trip planned this winter? Headed out on a cruise? We can create tags for all of your luggage with the date and location of your awesome trip. Not only will these tags help you identify your bags, you and all your travel mates will have a special memento to remember the trip for years to come.
YourBagTags also work great for sports team travel. In fact, our customers include NBA teams (like the Los Angeles Clippers) and USA soccer teams. They use our sturdy tags to easily identify and label their sports team equipment and travel bags.
But you don’t have to play professional sports to use them! We can create custom tags for college teams, AAU teams, or any other recreational or competitive sports team that travels to competition.
You can personalize them with your team’s colors, logos, and each player’s name. Think about how easy it would be to find your team’s bags the next time they are all standing at the baggage carousel waiting at the airport!
Want your gifts to stand out this holiday season? Use YourBagTags to add a personalized touch to them. Instead of using typical paper gift tags or stickers, order custom luggage tags with your recipients’ names on them.
These special tags add a functional and unique touch of personalization to your gifts. They demonstrate that you go out of your way for the people you care about, leaving no detail to chance. These would make a great addition to gifts for friends and relatives who frequently travel.
Coming up with a unique and fun gift for your wedding party can be a challenge, especially if you are on a budget. YourBagTags make a great personalized gift for your wedding party.
Think about it, there’s a very good chance that your bridal party, groomsmen, and family members will have to travel to your wedding. Perhaps many of them will fly in from out of town.
Why not give them a gift that not only marks the special occasion but also helps them identify their luggage easily when they head home.
We offer a wide selection of tags depending on your type of business – including elegant, personalized leather tags to sturdy that you can even fit a business card in.
But the good news is that with YourBagTags, the extra effort and time is minimal. We make it easy for you to look good! Simply send us the information and logos you need on your tags and we’ll have them ready quickly for you (2-3 days in most cases).
Have questions or comments? Send us an email at info@yourbagtag.com or give us a call at 479.553.7275.
And if you’ve ordered from us before, we’d love to hear from you. What are some fun and creative ways that you have used our personalized bag tags?
Since our earliest days, YourBagTag has focused on providing custom scuba tags for dive enthusiasts. And many of the ideas for the equipment tags, personalized zipper pulls, and work order tags were a result of a collaboration with our dear friends Dan and Cindy at DJ’s Scuba Locker.
This week, we’re sharing their story and we think you’ll find them as amazing as we do!
DJ’s Scuba Locker, located in Brookfield, IL, opened its doors in 1995, but Dan and Cindy’s passion for diving started way earlier. Dan was a certified diver when he and Cindy met. Although Cindy was not, she quickly developed an interest and in 1984, the year they were married, she earned her diving certification.
Dan became a certified PADI instructor in 1986 and they started a dive club. After several years of traveling with their dive club, they decided to take it to the next level and opened their own dive shop. So in 1995, DJ’s Scuba Locker opened in a small storefront in Lyons, IL. As the business grew, they eventually moved to their current location in Brookfield in 2012.
DJ’s Scuba locker is a full-service SDI/TDI/ERDI Professional Develop Center and a PADI Dive Center, specializing in Public Safety Dive training, equipment sales and travel. DJ’s runs three to four scuba diving trips per year to amazing locations such as the Cayman Islands, Maldives, Cozumel, and Bonaire.
DJ’s also works with Fire Department dive teams, providing them service for their dive equipment, training and purchases since 2006. DJ’s works with over 65 of these departments and partnered with the Romeoville Fire Academy in 2012 to instruct their subsurface classes through ERDI.
In 2016 DJ’s Scuba Locker became the National Service Center for the Interspiro Surface Supplied Air Systems, which are used by fire departments for recovery, rescue, and locating evidence.
In addition to being an awesome dive shop and resource for fire departments, DJ’s Scuba Locker has found several ways to give back to the community by sharing their love of everything diving.
DJ’s is a strong supporter of Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba (SUDS) program whose Instructors teach Veterans from Walter Reed and Bethesda hospitals how to scuba dive. They also participate in fundraisers for these Veterans and are proud to say that one of their amazing customers even sponsored a SUDS diver on a recent trip to Cozumel.
Additionally, each year, DJ’s partners with the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab and the Wounded Hero Foundation to support Wounded Veterans through an adaptive sports and military camp. These Veterans come to camp for a long weekend event to participate in a round robin of sports including rock climbing, basketball, swimming, and of course, scuba diving.
Besides donating the equipment, dive instructors and volunteers, DJ’s teaches Veterans how to scuba dive and play games underwater such as, hockey, torpedoes, and underwater bubble guns.
According to Cindy, the underwater scuba games are always a big hit for the Veterans. This past year, DJ’s designed a challenge coin for all Veterans who participate in the scuba portion during this camp. When they complete the challenge, a scuba instructor and military veteran who works for DJ’s, palms the Veterans their challenge coin underwater.
DJ’s also works with the Shirly Ryan Ability Lab to sponsor scuba programs for children who have disabilities or have been injured. Some of these children have the opportunity to get certified in scuba. DJ’s partners with a dive shop in Florida, Sea Dwellers Dive Center, who provides the dive boat and crew for the dive trip with the kids.
Yes, we think DJ’s Scuba is pretty special. And we are proud to say that they’ve been with us on our journey from the very beginning. When we first had the idea to create tags to help scuba divers identify their gear, we approached Cindy and Dan and asked for their help.
They donated props and let us borrow equipment to test our ideas on. And they provided ongoing feedback and suggestions for new products to service scuba divers, dive shops, and dive resorts.
DJ’s was instrumental in helping us come up with many of the ideas such as the wetsuit zipper pulls and custom mask straps. Together, we also came up with the idea of the Velcro straps for scuba tanks to help identify them.
“It’s great to be able to personalize your gear”, said Cindy. “As a thank you to our customers who join us on one of our trips, they receive either a personalized BCD tag, zipper pull, luggage tag or key chain from YourBagTag as a memento.”
Cindy also asked us to design work order tags to mark their customer gear and writeable BCD tags for tracking equipment, which we were happy to do.
According to Cindy, “It used to take a lot of time and effort to keep the service documentation with the equipment. Now, this tag stays with the equipment throughout the entire service process. We also asked to have the ability to keep track of equipment by diver for the caring for kids program. We asked, and they delivered. A writeable BCD tag was designed for our programs.”
So, we worked with DJ’s to design these tags for their needs. Two examples are below.
We were more than happy to help Cindy and Dan come up with a more efficient way to track service orders and mark dive equipment. It has been a great partnership over the years!
They are one of many dive shops across the country and around the world that we are proud to partner with.
Whether you need custom tags to identify your dive shop gear, mementos for your dive travel customers, or a custom solution like DJ’s work order tags or BCD equipment tags, we are happy to help you make your dive shop stand out.
Give us a call at 479.553.7275 or send an email to info@yourbagtag.com.
We look forward to hearing from you!
]]>Fall also means that the holidays are just around the corner! Does your family vacation during the holidays?
Whether your family has a winter ski trip planned, a cruise, or even a road trip to see extended family, with a few dollars and a little pre-planning, you can make your next family vacation unforgettable – literally!
Here at YourBagTag, we are big fans of personalized products (especially custom luggage tags) because it’s these “little” things that help you keep the memories fresh from the precious times that you share as a family traveling. And those memories matter.
Here are some fun and fabulously affordable ways to commemorate your next family vacation.
A popular trend that more families are starting to do is to mark their vacation, family gathering, or event with personalized t-shirts. You’ve probably seen these around….at the airport, on the cruise ship, or even online at social media sites like Instagram and Facebook.
Matching t-shirts leave a lasting memory of the event. Every time you see your shirt in the closet, it takes you back to that fun cruise or ski trip you took with your loved ones. Plus, these make for great photo ops!
Wear your custom t-shirts on the day you head out to get everyone geared up for the adventure. Or, choose a particular day where you plan to take plenty of family photos. These shirts are pretty inexpensive and a fun way to commemorate your trip.
We’ve seen some families get t-shirts for every day of the week! (This seems to be particularly popular for trips to Disney). But why not? Not only do they make great pictures, you don’t have to figure out what to wear each day!
And getting your shirts made is easy. You can order shirts online or find a local business that specializes in custom t-shirts, like Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More here in Bentonville, AR.
Traveling can leave you feeling dehydrated – especially air travel. So get your thirsty travelers each their own personalized tumbler. There are so many different types to choose from! You can select plastic cups, stainless steel, water bottles, mugs, or even a sippy cup for your tiniest travelers.
Like personalized t-shirts, these are not hard to find. Purchase them at a local gift shop, or find them online at places such as Etsy or Amazon. Tervis even offers a variety of personalized cups online.
Bonus tip: In addition to putting your vacation destination on your travel cups, it’s a good idea to include each of your family members’ names on theirs to keep them from getting mixed up!
Today, capturing the moments of your trip is pretty easy with our sophisticated phones. Some of the latest ones have unbelievably good cameras! But what happens once you’ve taken your vacation photos?
Do they remain on your phone? Do you upload them to social media? Neither of these is bad, but they aren't always accessible to other family members…especially children who aren't old enough to see the photos on social media.
So, collect your great family pictures and capture cool photo ops throughout the trip, then turn them into a family photo memory book! Shutterfly has a fantastic collection of templates for travel photo books. Whether your family went backpacking, skiing, cruising, or even took a trip to the Big Apple, you’ll find a nice selection of travel book templates allowing you to mark the memories forever.
Did you know that you can mark your luggage with a fun, custom tag for any special occasion! Of course, you’ll want to include your contact information on your luggage tags, but why stop there? If your family is planning a special trip, order customized suitcase tags to commemorate the occasion.
At YourBagTag, we create tags that you can use on backpacks, carry-on bags, suitcases, and any other travel gear. You can send us your logo or tag idea, or choose from one of our fun designs - like this one from our friend Lisa Miceli at Stoked On Salt.
Order a set of these, or one of our other fun designs for the whole family for your next vacation – and make sure to tell us where you are traveling to so we can include it on your tags.
Not only will these tags remind you of your amazing family vacation, but you'll also be able to spot your bags easily at the airport baggage carousel! They may even help you get through the line faster.
As our friend Lisa shared with us:
“ When we were in the Miami and Bonaire airport.... we were able to skip the long line because of our Luggage Tags we bought.... everyone else had to sit and write their contact info on the paper tags but not us! We had all our info on the tags!” – Lisa Miceli, Stoked on Salt.
As you are planning your next family getaway, start thinking about how YOU are going to commemorate it so that your family remembers this special time for many years to come. Now, if you have teens, they might roll their eyes a few times (especially if you ask them to wear matching t-shirts), but at the end of the day, they'll cherish the memories as much as you.
When you look back at your fun tumbler, your photo book, or your cute bag tags, it will trigger those priceless memories over and over again!
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And wherever you are going – you are ready! You checked your bags, made it through airport security without any of your carry-on items getting confiscated, and boarded the plane.
After flying the friendly skies for a few hours, you arrive at your destination and its time to grab your luggage off of the suitcase carousel and head out.
And so you join the long line of people staring at in baggage claim waiting for their suitcases to appear. One by one they start coming out…black, brown, another black….and everyone is trying to identify their own bag. A few people even pull the wrong one off by mistake.
Then you start to think to yourself, why did I choose black luggage? It seemed like a smart, classic choice at the time, right? But, unfortunately for you… just about everyone else on your flight likes neutral colors too!
Most people stick to a similar color scheme for luggage – and many luggage companies stick to it too. However, that doesn’t mean you have to find a crazy colored, one-of-a-kind suitcase just to find it quicker (unless you want to). A simple addition to your existing piece of luggage is really all you need to find your bags faster.
And you have lots of options! Today, we are sharing six clever ways to identify your suitcase quickly at the airport. Of course, we’ll start with our favorite solution….
Customize your fabric luggage tag with your initials, your name, a company logo, or even your favorite sports team’s logo.
Or, choose a strong textured plastic tag and engrave your contact information on it.
Each tag comes with a 6” wire loop so that you can secure your tag to your bag for the duration of your trip.
But even if you don’t have one of our fabulous bag tags, there are still plenty of tricks you can use to differentiate your suitcase from the other passengers on your plane.
Let’s take a look….
If you need a super-fast solution, grab a roll of colorful duct tape. You can pick it up at an office supply store or a grocery store. A bright color is best so that it stands out on the luggage carousel.
You can wrap the handle of your luggage with duct tape, place a piece across a portion of your suitcase, or even wrap it fully around your bag. Duct tape is a quick and inexpensive solution.
Keep in mind that your luggage can take a beating on a trip…it may get thrown around a time or two or collide with another bag….which means the duct tape may not last. And if you travel frequently, you’ll need to replace it more often.
Travel stickers are a fun way to identify your luggage. You can start collecting them on your journeys and place them on your suitcase as a reminder of where you’ve been.
Or, if you don't want to wait that long, you can always order them online, like these cute stickers we found on Amazon. This bag is definitely recognizable on the luggage carousel!
Now, this really only works on hard-shell suitcases. So, if you've got one, this is great. If you have a soft-case bag, then these stickers are not the best option for you, you’ll need a different solution.
So here’s one that could work…
A brightly colored ribbon attached to your suitcase could also help signify that it is yours. If you don’t have any ribbon, you could even use a piece of fabric or a scarf.
Choose a bright or recognizable color that contrasts with your bag so that you can easily recognize it, and make sure to tie it securely to your luggage so that you don’t lose it in transit!
One surefire way to easily identify your luggage at the airport is to use a suitcase that really stands out! If you choose to use a unique set of luggage, instead of the traditional black or brown bag, then you’ll easily be able to find your bag. And it is highly unlikely anyone else will mistake it as their own!
It's a costlier investment than your other options, but if you need a new suitcase anyway, and you don't mind walking through your hotel lobby with an outrageous bag, then this could be a great option for you.
A luggage handle wrap can serve two purposes. First, it helps you identify your bag (especially if you go with a custom embroidered handle wrap). Secondly, it serves as a cushioning for your hand so that it is easier to lift your bag off and on the carousel or into a vehicle.
Like our customized bag tags, you can get your name, company, or another word (up to nine letters) embroidered onto your handle wrap.
Marking your luggage is really one of the best ways to get out of the airport and on with your journey quickly. You reduce the chance that someone else will mistakenly take your bag, and when you can find it fast as it comes out of the carousel.
If you travel often, then luggage bag tags or some other clever way to find your travel gear can help you spend less time in the airport and more time exploring.
For more ideas and useful travel information (including TSA information and a Universal Packing List), check out our Luggage Tips page.
]]>Here is a snapshot of some of those tags from our Instagram feed.
As you can see, we can handle a pretty detail logo if that is something you need as well. Let us know how we can make some tags for your or your organization.
]]>For scuba divers, we have assembled another great value, a Scuba Gear Tag Combo Pack that includes a personalized gear bag tag and 3 scuba equipment tags. Separately, these tags retail for $24.96 but are just $19.95 (20% off) when purchased as a set.
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Elizabeth ordered our red fabric luggage tags with the printed hearts fabric handle and used them as personalized name tags for her table guests. As you can see from the photos, they were a perfect match for the event's theme. The benefit party favor was a red velvet cupcake shown in the box holding up the tags. According to Elizabeth, her table guests LOVED the tags!
Most of all, a big thank you to Elizabeth S. for giving your time and talents for the WMC Health's Heart and Vascular Center.
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Our family has always enjoyed giving small Christmas Stocking gifts to each other as one our holiday traditions. Stocking stuffers are always a mixture of fun and practicality. If you are looking for wonderful Christmas Holiday stocking stuffers, consider putting these personalized luggage tags on your list.
Our personalized fabric luggage tags come in a very wide variety of colors and are only $12.99.
Another great stocking stuffer idea for that world traveler on your list is our Extreme Luggage Tag. Like it's fabric cousin, it comes in a wide variety of colors and can be attached with wire loops or carabiners.
Looking for a tag with a bit of humor? This whimsical take on "Keep Calm" might be the perfect present and at $7.99, it won't break the bank. This funny stocking stuffer comes in a wide variety of colors and can be made with a ribbon handle or stainless steel cable loop.
First up, the very popular Scuba BCD name tag. This custom embroidered name tag comes in a variety of color combinations and wraps around almost any standard scuba BCD. Only $12.00.
Looking for something with a little more flair? The full color BCD name tag could just the right gift and still only $17.99. This smart looking tag can be personalized with any name up to 9 letters. The tag wraps easily around the BCD shoulder strap and attached with a Velcro® closure.
Does your friend or family member have a wetsuit? Consider one of our YourZipTags. It makes it very easy to pick out their wetsuit the many others that may be hanging in the drying locker at the resort or liveaboard. Also only $12.00.
Dive shop and travel agency customers asked us for a pen or marker that they could use to write on the back of our plastic luggage and scuba equipment ID tags that wouldn't smudge or rub-off when it got wet or spent considerable time under water. Until now, we have not been able to recommend or offer a solution. We were thrilled when we came across these oil-based, fine-tipped markers from Sharpie.
All of our laser engraved tags have either a black or white plastic back that can be written on with these markers. See actual sample below. We currently carry yellow, red, black and silver in ink-colors.
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I have highlighted custom embroidered scuba mask strap covers in our blog before but I thought this was really a fun example of a unique wedding gift for a couple who may be going to a dive resort or liveaboard dive boat for their honeymoon. In the past, we have made matching mask straps with some of these quotes:
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Many of you have been asking us for a custom equipment ID tag that can be engraved on both sides. We have secured an american manufacturer of high quality anodized aluminum tags in two sizes, 2 inch diameter circles and 1.5 inch diameter circles. We are able to laser engrave on both sides of these tags or we can also print full color on both sides.
If you are trying to decide between our plastic equipment ID tags and these aluminum tags, here are a few things to consider:
When we first designed the full color SCUBA BC Name Tag, we had a desire to add an option that would feature an emergency contact tab - one containing important medical and "In case of emergency" (ICE) contact information. Now that option is available for you.
The SCUBA BC Name Tag features a plastic tab that can be engraved with up to 9 lines (20 characters each) of emergency medical and contact information. Our example includes:
Other ideas might include the Divers Alert Network - DAN emergency number, medical insurance info,
The tab slides down and fits snugly behind the name plate so data is not visible but is easily accessed by pulling up on the tab. The only visible line is "Emergency Info" that serves to visibly alert others to the location of the information.
Every SCUBA diver should have one of these on their BCD.
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