Help, I’m in New York, my carry-on bag is in Philadelphia

As a travel agent and reasonably frequent traveler, I know “the rules.” If you really must have something with you at your destination, don’t check it in your luggage.

And, I’ve learned over time that for flights when you simply have too much stuff to bring it all aboard, it’s always a good idea to pack a change of clothes in your carry-on, along with jewelry and anything of even sentimental value.

On a recent weekend trip to New York City, I didn’t have the time or inclination to worry about waiting for luggage (especially since JFK has one of the worst reputations in the U.S. for luggage delivery). So, I crammed everything, including computer and phone chargers, into a small rolling bag. I also carried a purse-laptop combination.

When I arrived at JFK, I decided to splurge for a cab upon arrival, instead of waiting for the airport bus, which only connected the airport with the city every half hour.

So far, so good. The cabbie put my rolling bag in the trunk and it was an uneventful trip into the city.

Upon arrival at the Sofitel Hotel, the driver popped the trunk and a bellman pulled out my bag and placed it on the curb. I paid the fare and looked for my bag, which had been there less than a minute ago.

Now, personally, I have never felt the need to have a bellman carry a small bag for me, so I was a little annoyed that both of the bags had already taken it into the hotel.

Or at least, I thought they had taken it into the hotel.

I asked the first bellman about my bags. He got a funny look on his face and said something to his coworker. Who apparently replied something like, “I thought they belonged to the other lady.”

In brief, my little bag, along with two other bags,had been loaded into the trunk of a car being used by a departing guest. And that car was gone.

The men had the grace to look sheepish. One of them immediately said, “This won’t be a problem, we know that car service.” He got on his cellphone. I went ahead to check-in, where at least they gave me a welcome drink coupon, and an assistant manager apologized profusely and promised they would find the bag.

To make a long story short, they did find the bag. Although by the time they reached the driver, my bag was well on their way to Philadelphia. So the bag enjoyed a short visit before it was returned a few hours later that evening.

In the grand scheme of things, no real harm done. And the Sofitel did everything they could to get it back as fast as possible once the mistake happened. (My only criticism, there never was an apology note, bottle of wine or other amenity delivered to my room later.)

Although I must admit while I was awaiting news it was hard not to think of the few things I really considered irreplacable in the bag. Plus, since I was carrying on, I had my laptop and phone chargers in the bag, some jewelry, and the clothes I intended to wear for dinner. One necklace, while not valuable, was a favorite, as was a dress.

The lesson, if there is one, is probably that anything can happen while traveling. While there are no guarantees even at home, travel introduces new risks that can result in you being separated from something you care about.

Many of these risks are unlikely. The apologetic doorman told me he had never made that mistake before, and felt incredibly lucky that it was a car service the hotel knew and not a Yellow Cab.

But I have had clients have their carry-on bags or briefcases snatched while they were not paying attention, especially in restaurants. And simply packing and unpacking things increases the chances of them being lost or left behind.

For that matter, think of those who carefully packed carry-on luggage for US Airways 1549, otherwise known as the Miracle on the Hudson.

Of course, things can be lost or stolen at home, so perhaps there is a logic that just says, “Be careful wherever you are and and travel with things that make you happy.”

New York Taxi photo by Adrian8_8/flickr.com/creative commons.