There is something that almost everybody does with their luggage, but it seems as if it may not be the best idea out there. I’m talking about people who tie a bow around their luggage. When most people tie a ribbon to their luggage, it is so they can find the luggage as it is coming down the carrier. It does make it easier, especially if you have luggage that looks like many others out there.

Then again, there are some people, including the baggage handler that says this is something that you should never do. In fact, there is a danger in doing so that you may not have ever considered.

This particular advice comes from a man named John who works at the Dublin airport. He is a baggage handler, so he knows a thing or two about luggage. When John was speaking on RSVP live, he said that it is common for people to tie ribbons so they could identify the luggage. In reality, however, having ribbons on all your luggage could cause delays and your belongings may not make it on the flight.

He said: “Ribbons that people tie onto their suitcases to help identify them can cause issues with the bag being scanned in the baggage hall. If the bag can’t be scanned automatically it can end up in manual processing, which could mean your bag doesn’t make it to the flight.”

If you check your baggage without the additional ribbons or old travel stickers, it is more likely to arrive at its destination on time. John said that you should just take the old stickers off the bag to avoid confusion while scanning. Something else that you should avoid is putting marzipan in the luggage. It’s a sugary sweet that people enjoy on vacation, but he gives the warning: “Don’t ever pack marzipan in your luggage. It has the same density as some explosives, so your bag will be removed and you’ll be called from the plane for a bag search.”

Finally, make sure that the wheels are up when they are put on the small conveyor belt to avoid damage. These are good suggestions because we all want to get through the airport without delay and to make sure that our luggage arrives with us on time.