Traveling with Young Kids - Part II

We had our luggage stolen off a baggage claim.

We were at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on our way home after family vacation in Greenville, SC. Greenville is an amazing place for a getaway with young kids (4.5 and 21 months) – tons of parks and outdoors activities, great weather in spring, the Greenville Drive the lovely Children’s Museum of the Upstate, delicious food, and much more!

Jana knew immediately the bag was stolen when it was the only one not to emerge on the conveyor. Despair turned to relief when we realized we had an Apple AirTag in the bag and checked the location. 

It turned back to despair as we watched it drive off the airport grounds. 

Was it an accident? A personalized blue duffel? No way. Was this really how our vacation was going to end?

American Airlines was not especially helpful.

Luckily, Jana and I lived in Queens for years and know the area intimately. 

Punch line – we got the bag back without major incident. For those who know us, are you surprised? 😜

Traveling with young kids is an incredible experience and we recommend it to anyone who asks.

At the same time, families in transit, especially those with young children, are vulnerable:

🧳 You can’t move as quickly

🧳 You may be distracted 

🧳 Your hands are literally full

Situational awareness is half the battle. This story highlighted a few key #ModernParentJuggle learnings for us:

✈️ AirTags are an incredible tool. Place one in every bag. Test them before you leave your house.

Bags get mishandled and misplaced in airports. The AirTag puts you in control instead of relying on the airline or airport. 

✈️ There are no security measures at most airports to prevent this from happening on domestic flights. At LaGuardia Airport (LGA), baggage claim is outside the secure zone. Anyone can park at short-term parking and walk into the baggage claim area.

Consider this when you think about packing valuables or critical medications or devices.

✈️ Travel with plenty of snacks. Our snack selection kept our kids calm while we worked through this.

✈️ Marry the Honey Badger aka Jana 🦡

Here’s to the next trip!

Dan, Jana, Brooks and Hudson at Falls Park on the Reedy