While the rate of mishandled bags has decreased 70% since 2007, lessening your risk of falling victim to lost luggage to less than 1%, the fear of losing your luggage is still real.

Understandable, considering the effect it has on the remainder of your travels.

Flying the band to Florida for the @etheridgecruise ... southwest mistakenly routed a gear bag to San Jose. Says they can’t get it here till 6pm, after the ship sails. 😡😡😡

— Rev Dr Juli Crockett (@julicrockett) March 31, 2019

@SpiritAirlines who in the world keeps receipts for clothing, accessories and shoes they love and wear all of the time? #lostluggage #terriblecustomerservice #robbed

— angela barkley (@angelabarkley11) March 27, 2019

Thanks for your help, everyone. This poor little guy flew 14 hours from Hong Kong to Newark, then got separated from me & took an additional 36 hours to make what was supposed to be a 25-minute @united flight to DC. It was in #LostLuggage hell. My entire trip is only 96 hours! pic.twitter.com/EzElsLkeov

— Keith Richburg (@keithrichburg) March 17, 2019

Now imagine if there had been expensive jewelry packed in any of these bags. It could have been lost, stolen or damaged by the elements.

Keeping Jewelry Safe in the Airport

Take heed and follow these guidelines next time you're traveling with jewelry:

Never pack your jewelry inside any luggage you plan to check. If your luggage gets mishandled or lost, your jewelry won't suffer the same fate.

Wear any jewelry that reasonably suits your traveling attire, taking care to not draw unwanted attention with layers of fine jewelry.

Any valuables that cannot be kept on your person should be stored in a carry-on bag. Ensure you choose an appropriately-sized carry-on bag to avoid plane-side check.

Ask the TSA officer to screen you and your valuables in private to maintain your security. Or, at the very least, hold onto your carry-on until just before you step through the body scanner, and collect it immediately on the other side.

Don't forget that, for international flights, you must report to Customs the transport of goods valued at $10,000 USD or more.

Have you had any troubles while traveling with jewelry?

Tell us in the comments and we'll share your story with our Loss Prevention experts and get their advice to avoid or mitigate similar situations in the future. 

Editor's Note: This post was originally published July 7, 2016 and has been updated for accuracy.