{"id":8713,"date":"2026-02-02T15:12:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T15:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/?p=8713"},"modified":"2026-02-02T15:12:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T15:12:33","slug":"the-surprising-reason-you-should-think-twice-before-tying-a-ribbon-on-your-bag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/the-surprising-reason-you-should-think-twice-before-tying-a-ribbon-on-your-bag\/","title":{"rendered":"The Surprising Reason You Should Think Twice Before Tying a Ribbon on Your Bag"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019ve ever stared at a conveyor belt of near-identical suitcases, you know the stress of spotting your own luggage. Many travelers tie colorful ribbons or use stickers to make their bags stand out\u2014but according to an airport worker, those simple tricks can actually backfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ribbons Aren\u2019t Always Helpful<\/strong><br>John, a Dublin Airport baggage handler, warns that ribbons, old stickers, or other personal markers can interfere with the automated scanning system. Bags that can\u2019t be read properly may get flagged for manual processing\u2014meaning your luggage could miss the flight entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRibbons and old travel stickers can confuse scanners,\u201d John explained. \u201cIf the bag can\u2019t be scanned automatically, it might not make it onto the plane.\u201d His advice: remove old stickers and check in your luggage without any dangling decorations that might cause delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Avoid Packing Certain Foods<\/strong><br>John also cautions travelers against packing marzipan or other dense sweets. Why? Security systems sometimes mistake these treats for explosives due to their density. Your bag could be pulled aside for a thorough inspection, delaying your travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Continue reading on next page&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--nextpage-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Protect Your Luggage<\/strong><br>Before handing your bag off, make sure it\u2019s wheels-down to prevent damage. And while black, navy, and brown remain popular, bright or patterned luggage can make spotting your bag easier\u2014without risking scanning issues. Fabric paint or permanent stickers on the suitcase itself are safer alternatives to tied-on ribbons.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-5-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8714\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.499330655957162;width:780px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-5-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-5-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-5-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-5-1536x1024.png 1536w, https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-5.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sub><sup>Credit \/ Shutterstock<\/sup><\/sub><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Skip ribbons and old stickers for faster scanning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remove any dense sweets like marzipan to avoid security delays.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep your luggage wheels-down when checking in.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bright, patterned, or personalized suitcases help you identify your bag safely.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following these tips could save you from unnecessary stress\u2014and help your luggage arrive with you, not on its own adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Your turn:<\/strong> What\u2019s your top airport luggage hack? Share your tips below and pass this story along to help other travelers skip the headaches!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve ever stared at a conveyor belt of near-identical suitcases, you know the stress of spotting your own luggage.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8713"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8716,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8713\/revisions\/8716"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}