Putting Your Name on a Suitcase: Luggage Tags, Engraving and What to Write Where

Most people write their name on a luggage tag once, at the airport, in a hurry, with whatever pen is on the counter. Then the tag goes on the handle, the airline adds its own barcode tag, and the case disappears into the baggage system. The tag you wrote is the only thing that tells a stranger whose bag it is, and most of them say very little that helps. This post is about what to put on a suitcase, where to put it, and what to leave off.

We sell luggage, so one section covers how engraving works on a VOX case. Every VOX fact in it comes from our own published terms. The rest applies to any suitcase from any shop.

The short answer

• Outside tag: your name, a mobile number you will answer while travelling, and an email. Not your home address.
• Inside the case: a second copy of the same details, on a card at the very top of the contents, plus a line saying where you are staying. This is the copy that survives when the outside tag does not.
• Airline tag: it is not your identification. It is the airline's routing label. Read it at check-in, photograph it, and take it off when you get home.
• Engraving: a good idea only when you are certain of the model and the colour, because an engraved VOX case cannot be returned for a change of mind.

Why the outside tag is the weakest label on the bag

A luggage tag hangs from a strap or a handle. That is exactly the part of a case that gets caught on conveyor edges, other bags and the lips of loading equipment, and a tag with a long loop or a thin strap is easy to tear off. The tag still does a job at the belt, when you or a stranger glance at it, but you cannot rely on it surviving the trip. We cover what the hold does to loose ends in what actually happens to your suitcase in the hold.

The airline's own barcode tag is attached at check-in, and that is the one baggage staff scan. It carries a bag tag number. That number, not a description of your case, is what staff and the Changi Baggage Tracker work from, as set out in tracking your checked bag. Your own tag is a second line of identification and nothing more.

What to write on the outside tag

Treat the outside tag as something any stranger in a baggage hall can read, because it is.

1. Your name. First name and surname, as it appears on your booking. When two people reach for lookalike cases at the belt, a name is the quickest way to settle it.
2. A mobile number that works abroad. If your phone is on a local SIM or switched to aeroplane mode for the whole trip, the number on the tag is no use. Put a number someone can actually reach, and include the country code.
3. An email address. Cheaper to read than a number, and it does not depend on time zones.
4. Not your home address. An address on the outside tells everyone who sees the bag, in every airport and lobby, where your home is, and that nobody is in it for the next two weeks. The airline does not need it: they have your booking. If you want an address on the bag, it belongs on the inside card.

Many tags have a flap or a window that hides the writing from casual view. Use it. A tag with a cover is a better habit than a bare card, because you can tuck the details away and still show them to a member of staff.

What to put inside the case

If the outside tag is lost, a card inside the case is the only thing left that identifies it. Staff who cannot match a bag to a tag number may have to open it to find out whose it is. Make that quick and uneventful.

• A card at the very top of the contents, where it is the first thing seen when the lid opens. Name, mobile number and email.
• Where you are staying. The name of the hotel or the address of the place you are heading to, with the dates. If your bag is delayed, this is where it will be sent, and it is the same detail you will be asked for when you file a report. We walk through that in what to do in the first 24 hours when your bag does not arrive.
• A copy of your itinerary, printed or as a photo, tucked in the same place. Only your flight details, not your passport.
• Nothing you would not want a stranger to read. The card is for identification, not for documents.

When the case is a lookalike of someone else's, the same card is also what lets the other traveller's airline work out who has your bag. That is the prevention habit in someone took your suitcase by mistake: what to do before you leave the belt.

The airline tag: read it, photograph it, remove it

1. Read it at check-in. The three-letter code is your destination. The name should be yours. If either looks wrong, say so before the bag goes. At a self-service machine you print the tag yourself and the checks matter even more, as described in self-service bag drop at Changi.
2. Photograph the tag and the receipt slip, and keep the slip somewhere other than the checked bag.
3. Take every old tag off when you get home. Old tags are confusing. A bag arriving with two or three old tags and the right one makes it harder for staff to read the destination at a glance.

How engraving works on a VOX case

Engraving is an identification method that stays with the case. The tag can fall off. Initials engraved on the case do not.

What we publish:

• The VOX Magnesium Aluminium Voyage Box is the engravable case. The Founders Heritage units include free engraving of your initials on the interior tag, entered as a field at checkout.
• The VOX RPET Voyage Box is not engravable.
• An engraved case cannot be resold, so it cannot be returned for a change of mind. A genuine fault on an engraved case is still handled as a warranty matter, under the 5-year warranty on the shell and wheels.

Two points that follow from that, and that we would rather say plainly. First, the engraving is on the interior tag, so it is an inside identifier. It does not make the outside of the case look different at the belt, and it does not replace a name and number on the tag. Second, because it cannot be undone, engrave only when you are sure about the model and the colour. If you are buying for someone else, we recommend leaving engraving off, which is explained in giving a suitcase as a gift: what to find out before you buy.

The Magnesium Aluminium case is S$590 at the founders' price (S$690 retail), and the RPET case is S$290 at the founders' price (S$390 retail). Both come with a luggage tag in the box.

One habit for the first week

If you have just bought a case, do not put the tag on it yet. A tagged case looks used, and the return window assumes the case, the box and everything in it are as they arrived. Keep the tag in its bag until you are sure the case is staying. The full list of first-week checks is in your new suitcase has arrived: what to check before its first trip.

A two-minute routine before every trip

1. Outside tag: name, mobile with country code, email. Cover closed.
2. Inside card: same details, plus where you are staying and the dates.
3. A photo of the closed case and a photo of the open case, taken before you hand it over.
4. At check-in: read the airline tag, photograph it and the slip, and keep the slip with you.
5. At home: remove the old tags.

Choosing between the two cases, or unsure whether engraving is right for you? Message us on WhatsApp and we will tell you how engraving works for the case you have in mind. You can also see the VOX Magnesium Aluminium Voyage Box and the VOX RPET Voyage Box, and the questions we are asked most often are on our FAQ page.