Customer Story - Lisa Miceli 0

Lisa Miceli: Diver, Entrepreneur, Conservationist,
and Ocean Debris Artist

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.

Stoked on Salt

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.

“My daughter said it needed to be something cool and catchy… something young kids could get stoked about,” she said. After a few minutes, her daughter came up with – Stoked on Salt. “I loved it!”.

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

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.

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.

What You Can Do to Help

1

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.

2

Donate Money

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.

3

Donate Goods or Services

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.

4

Buy From an Organization the Supports Ocean Conservation

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.

5

Raise Awareness

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.

About YourBagTag

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!

Spooktacular Halloween Travel Destinations 0

Check out These Top 9 Travel Destinations for a Ghostly Good Time This Halloween!

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.

Salem, Massachusetts

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 in Orlando, Florida

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).

New Orleans, LA

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!

Stanley Hotel, Colorado

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.

The Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA

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 9^th 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! 

Oaxaca, Mexico

While the official celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is November 1^st, 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!

The Catacombs of Italy

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!

Transylvania, Romania

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!

Where You Go….Go Prepared

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!

5 Fun Ways to Use Luggage Tags from YourBagTag.com 0

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:

#1:  Commemorate a Special Trip

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.

#2:  Easily Identify Sports Team Luggage

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!

#3:  Make Gifts Extra Special with Personalized Bag Tags

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.

#4:  Give Your Wedding Party Guests Unique and Useful Gifts

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.

#5:  Say Thank You to Your Business Customers

Another great way that you can use YourBagTags is by giving them to your loyal customers. Your customer tags could include your company name and logo as well as a place for customer information. 

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. 

Our friends at DJ’s Scuba Locker give personalized tags to all of their customers who book dive travel with them to commemorate their trip.  And we made these tags for Maui Dreams Dive Co’s recent trip to Fiji.

Why Personalize?

Personalized gifts and tokens of appreciation are special.  They do require a little extra time and effort – but that is a big part of why people enjoy getting these gifts. They recognize that you did take extra time to make them feel appreciated.

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?

A Look Inside DJ’s Scuba Locker 0

Our Featured Dive Shop of the Month 

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!

About DJ’s Scuba Locker

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.

DJ’s Community Outreach

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.

DJ’s Scuba Locker and YourBagTag

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!

Four Fabulous and Affordable Ways to Make Your Next Family Vacation Unforgettable 0

Summer may be over, but it doesn’t mean that fun family vacations have to be. Fall is officially here bringing along with it cooler weather, changing leaves, and plenty of fun adventures to be had.

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.

#1: Custom T-shirts

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.

#2: Personalized Tumblers

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!

#3: Create a Travel Photo Book

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.

#4: Fun Tags for Your Luggage

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.

How Will You Make Your Next Family Vacation Memorable?

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!

6 Clever Ways to Find Your Luggage Quickly at the Airport Baggage Claim 0

Let’s say you’ve set out on an adventure…

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….

#1: Personalized Luggage Tags

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….

#2: Duct Tape Your Travel Bag

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.

#3: Label Luggage with Whimsical Travel Stickers

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…

#4: Tie a Colorful Ribbon on Your Suitcase Handle

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!

#5: Purchase an Outrageous Piece of Luggage

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.

#6: Order a Personalized Luggage Handle Wrap

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.

Spend less time at the Airport…

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.