I’m back in Manila! I am so grateful that I got my birthday wish to fly out in 2022, first since the pandemic, and tick my bucket list, to dive with the ferocious bull sharks of Beqa Lagoon. And this trip was made quite memorable because of the delayed or lost luggage.
On my way to Fiji, I had less than an hour to catch the connecting flight from Singapore. I thought I was off to a good start when the airline agent checked my slightly overweight luggage without charges. I dashed from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1. I made the flight but not my two pieces of luggage.
The flight to Fiji was ten hours long. When I arrived, my baggage was missing. I filed a Property Irregularity Report and was informed to purchase necessities for F$100. One of my luggages arrived at the hotel after three days. I kept calling the Fiji airport ATS personnel three times a day to check the status of my second piece of luggage.
I posted the incident on Facebook to warn travelers that airlines and airports are not ready for the number of travelers post-pandemic. Airlines, ground handlers, and airport personnel have been downsized and now are understaffed. My baggage was one of the casualties.
Here are some tips in case you are traveling soon:
1. Travel light, very light. I purchased a few pieces of clothing and managed to survive with three underwear, two bras, a t-shirt as my sleepwear, one legging, one tank top, three dresses, and one swimsuit. That’s all I had, and all these items could fit in a carry-on.
2. If you have connecting flights, use carry-on luggage that you can put in the overhead compartment, so it’s with you all the time and minimize the risk of delay or loss when connecting.
3. Get a good insurance policy that should compensate you for each day your luggage is delayed or lost.
4. Place an AirTag, which can track your luggage whereabouts using a mobile app. It is now high in demand. I tried buying it in Singapore during my stopover, but it’s already sold out. I ordered online instead.
5. Label your luggage and ensure your name and contact number are inside and on the exterior. Take a photo of your luggage, the brand and dimensions, and the baggage tags. Keep your flight itinerary, boarding pass, and baggage claim stubs.
And here’s where the yoga comes in–
Use sitali breathing to stay calm. It is a cleansing breath and helps to relieve anger and irritability. Curl the tongue into a U, keep your tongue out of the mouth and inhale as if you are sipping through a straw. Inhale deeply and smoothly through the tongue and mouth. Exhale through the nose, and close your mouth.
Back to the lost luggage story…
Since there are only two straight flights a week from Singapore to Fiji, my luggage was routed to Sydney and then from Sydney to Fiji. That’s why my second piece of luggage got left behind in Sydney. I was on my way back home when they found it, so they put it on the flight to Manila. As of today, I still don’t have my luggage. I couldn’t check with the airline since I was put on quarantine and was whisked off straight to the hotel.
And yes, quarantine! Another lesson I learned is always to keep abreast of each country’s entry and exit requirements. For Singapore, travelers are only required to be fully vaccinated, while Fiji requires taking a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) in the hotel where you are booked. In the Philippines, to avoid a 5-day quarantine, arriving passengers must be fully vaccinated with at least one booster or present an RT-PCR (48 hours) or a RAT (24 hours) certificate. Since I had a bad reaction after my second dose of Moderna, I didn’t get boosted. So now I’m in the hotel and will get tested on the 5th day of my stay here.
Whew. What a way to return to the new normal. But back to regular programming, and may the next trip be less adventurous.
Got travel tips of your own to share? I’d love to hear them.
In loving service,
Rosan
