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Step 1
Ship your items to your destination. They will often arrive before you, they will be handled more appropriately, they are guaranteed to arrive safely and they can be insured if you need to ship valuables. The airplane will charge $25 or more for over-sized or over-weight luggage anyway.
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Step 2
Pack well and appropriately. Save yourself the public travel frustration by researching the size and weight restrictions for your airline before you fly. What are the carry-on regulations? Follow all the rules and you should have a smooth luggage check.
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Step 3
Sometimes a bribe works at the curbside baggage check. Tip the skycap $10 if your suitcase runs a few pounds over and he will usually move your bags through.
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Step 4
Hide or don't reveal items that you know won't slide (I don't mean to be deceiving, and please don't smuggle unsafe or inappropriate items on a plane). Things that used to be OK--surfboards, golf clubs, wine, all liquids--are difficult to check now. Carry-on have even more strict regulations. Don't risk bringing expensive makeups or anything you wouldn't want to throw out if security rejects it.
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Step 5
Buy secure, sturdy, splurge-worthy luggage. This is not something to cheap-out on; it's worth the money to know that your belongings are safe. The last thing you need to worry about while traveling is if your baggage can survive being thrown around and moved from plane to plane without the zipper breaking open.
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Step 6
Be aware of your luggage for security purposes. Keep an eye on your bags, keep money and your purse on your person at all times. Make items identifiable to you and don't forget luggage tags with your name and phone number on them. When you are traveling with thousands of people with bags and luggage, you can never be too careful or too prepared.
