Figuring out what to put on a luggage tag sounds simple until you're standing over a blank card with a pen. Put too little and nobody can reach you when your bag goes missing. Put too much and you've handed a stranger your home address and travel dates. This guide covers what belongs on a luggage tag, what to leave off, how that changes between a removable address card and a permanently engraved or embroidered tag, and how to pick a tag size that fits your bag.
Two kinds of luggage tag info: the card and the tag itself
Most people don't realize a luggage tag can carry two different sets of information, and they do different jobs.
The temporary card. Our fabric luggage tags include a pocket that holds a business-card-sized address card (a blank one comes with the tag). This card is meant to change. Write your hotel for this trip, swap in your office address for the flight home, or slide in a real business card. Because it's hidden inside the pocket, it's the right place for details you don't want on display.
The permanent tag. The name or initials embroidered on a fabric tag, or the lines laser-engraved on a metal or plastic tag, don't change. That text is visible to everyone who walks past your bag, and it has to stay useful for years. So it should only carry information that is stable and safe to show.
Keep that split in mind and the rest of the advice falls into place: trip-specific details go on the card, long-term contact details go on the tag.
What to put on a luggage tag
An airline or a helpful stranger needs three things to get your bag back to you: who it belongs to, how to reach you right now, and where the bag should go.
Your name. Use the name on your ticket so the airline can match the bag to its records. If you'd rather keep a lower profile on a permanent tag, a first initial and full last name is enough for a match.
A mobile number with the country code. This is the single most important line. Lost bags get found by people who are not at your home, and a home landline won't reach you in another city. Add the country code (+1 for the US) so the number works if your bag ends up abroad.
An email address. Phones die and voicemail fills up. Email gives the airline a second channel, and it's easy to check from a hotel computer.
Where to send the bag. This is the detail that changes trip to trip, which is exactly why it belongs on the removable card rather than the engraving. On the way out, write the hotel or rental address and its phone number. On the way back, a work address is a safe choice. Many travelers skip the address entirely and let the airline call or email, which is fine, because the phone number does the real work.
What to leave off a luggage tag
Your home address. A tag that says where you live, attached to a suitcase that says you're away, is an invitation. If you want an address on the tag at all, use a work address or your destination.
Travel dates and flight details. Same problem. Anyone reading the tag now knows how long your house is empty.
Anything you'd mind a stranger reading. The outside of a tag is public. If a detail only matters to the airline, it goes inside the card pocket, not on the face of the tag.
Too much of everything. Crowded tags get skipped. A name, a mobile number and an email, in large clear text, beat eight lines nobody reads.
What to engrave on a metal or plastic tag
Engraved tags trade flexibility for durability: the text can't smudge, tear or wash off, but it also can't be edited. Our aluminum and stainless tags take up to four or five lines per side depending on the size, and our laser-engraved plastic tags take up to five lines. That's plenty if you use it well.
A layout that works for most travelers: line one, your name; line two, your mobile number with country code; line three, your email. If the tag is two-sided, the back is a good spot for a second phone number or a short "If found, please call" line. Skip the home address for the reasons above.
Ordering tags for a team, a dive shop or a company? Put the organization name and office phone on the front and leave the personal details to the traveler's own card. Logo engraving and quantity pricing are available through our custom logo and bulk luggage tag page.
Make it legible
Whoever finds your bag will give it about two seconds. Help them.
If you're filling in a card by hand, print in block capitals with a pen that won't run, and write the phone number larger than anything else. If your handwriting is questionable, have someone else fill it in or print a small label. An engraved or embroidered tag solves this permanently, which is one of the main reasons people switch from the paper tags handed out at the check-in counter.
Color matters too. A bright tag on a black suitcase is easier to spot on the carousel and easier for a baggage agent to find in a room full of bags.
Luggage tag size guide
There's no official standard size for a luggage tag, but most fall between about 3 and 5 inches long. The right size depends on the bag and on how much you want to say.
Standard luggage tags (roughly 4 to 5 inches long). Best for checked suitcases and large duffels, where you want the tag visible from across the carousel. Our standard plastic tag is about 4" by 2.25"; our fabric tags are about 5" by 2.25" and include the address-card pocket; our 2" wide aluminum tag is 3.85" by 2" and takes up to five engraved lines per side.
Small and carry-on tags (roughly 3 inches long). Better for carry-ons, backpacks, laptop bags, gear bags and golf bags, where a full-size tag flaps around or gets in the way. Our 3" x 1.25" aluminum tag fits four lines per side and is about the thickness of a quarter, so it holds up to daily use without adding bulk.
Thickness. For checked bags, thickness matters as much as length. Thin tags crack in baggage handling. Our metal tags are .068" thick and our plastic tags are 1/16" textured two-ply, both attached with a 6" stainless steel wire loop rather than a strap that can tear.
If you're not sure, go bigger on checked bags and smaller on anything you carry yourself. A matched set, one of each, covers most trips.
Frequently asked questions
What information should be on a luggage tag?
Your name, a mobile phone number with country code, and an email address. Add a destination or work address if you want the airline to be able to deliver the bag without calling first. Leave off your home address.
Should I put my home address on my luggage tag?
No. It tells anyone who reads it that your house is empty. Use your destination on the way out and a work address on the way home, or skip the address and rely on your phone number and email.
Is it safe to put my full name on a luggage tag?
It's generally fine, and it helps the airline match the bag to your booking. If you'd prefer less on display, a first initial and last name is enough.
What should I engrave on a metal luggage tag?
Only details that won't change: your name, mobile number and email. Trip-specific details like a hotel address belong on a removable card, not on the engraving.
How big is a luggage tag?
Most are between 3 and 5 inches long. Standard tags around 4 to 5 inches suit checked bags; smaller 3-inch tags suit carry-ons, backpacks and gear bags.
Shop related tags
- Engraved metal luggage tags
- Laser-engraved plastic luggage tags
- Personalized fabric luggage tags with address-card pocket
Ordering for a team, dive shop or company? Logo engraving and quantity pricing are available — request a bulk quote.
