Why is luggage wrapping necessary?
Every major airport offers a luggage wrapping service. Why is it needed? And is it worth wrapping your suitcase with film?
Let's say right away – luggage wrapping is definitely necessary, no matter where you fly. And it doesn't matter if your flight has a layover or not.
There are at least 2 reasons for this:
1. This way, you will protect your luggage from minor damage, scratches, and dirt.
This is how we received our suitcases after a short flight from St. Petersburg to Moscow.
Suitcase #1 arrived in Moscow dirty and with a torn handle. Wrapping wouldn't have saved the handle anyway, but at least it would have been clean.
Suitcase #2 was even less lucky. It was covered in scratches and had a huge crack. If it had been wrapped, scratches could have been avoided.
As you can see, your luggage is not handled with much care at the airport; it's thrown onto the conveyor belt and sometimes dropped on the ground.
2. By wrapping your luggage, you reduce the likelihood of your personal belongings being stolen. Don't rely on a good lock; it's unlikely to save you.
Watch this video and you'll understand that your suitcase can be opened with an ordinary pen in a matter of seconds. You won't even notice that something was stolen, as thieves won't leave any damage.
You can do the same at home; such film is sold in construction hypermarkets. As a last resort, ordinary food wrap will do, but you should buy the thickest one you can find.
The second method is heat-shrink film. In this case, your luggage is wrapped with film in a special packaging machine.
Don't be afraid that your suitcase or belongings will be damaged with this wrapping method. The suitcase's temperature will only increase by 0.5 degrees.
The third option for luggage wrapping is a reusable protective cover. It can be bought at some airports, stores that sell suitcases, or ordered online.
Note that if you are traveling to the USA, security services will cut your film or remove the cover. The same applies to locks; in the USA, suitcases are only allowed to be locked with special TSA locks, which security services can open without damage.
In any case, if you wrap your luggage, it will arrive in the USA safe and sound.
Don't repeat our mistakes – always wrap your luggage!
Suitcase #2 was even less lucky. It was covered in scratches and had a huge crack. If it had been wrapped, scratches could have been avoided.
As you can see, your luggage is not handled with much care at the airport; it's thrown onto the conveyor belt and sometimes dropped on the ground.
2. By wrapping your luggage, you reduce the likelihood of your personal belongings being stolen. Don't rely on a good lock; it's unlikely to save you.
Watch this video and you'll understand that your suitcase can be opened with an ordinary pen in a matter of seconds. You won't even notice that something was stolen, as thieves won't leave any damage.
What types of luggage wrapping are there?
The most popular is film, similar to food wrap, but thicker. It's wrapped both by special machines and manually.
You can do the same at home; such film is sold in construction hypermarkets. As a last resort, ordinary food wrap will do, but you should buy the thickest one you can find.
The second method is heat-shrink film. In this case, your luggage is wrapped with film in a special packaging machine.
Don't be afraid that your suitcase or belongings will be damaged with this wrapping method. The suitcase's temperature will only increase by 0.5 degrees.
The third option for luggage wrapping is a reusable protective cover. It can be bought at some airports, stores that sell suitcases, or ordered online.
Note that if you are traveling to the USA, security services will cut your film or remove the cover. The same applies to locks; in the USA, suitcases are only allowed to be locked with special TSA locks, which security services can open without damage.
In any case, if you wrap your luggage, it will arrive in the USA safe and sound.
Don't repeat our mistakes – always wrap your luggage!
