Lost Luggage? Have It Find You in 5 Seconds

Five Second Lost Item Locating System: $19.95 for the starter pack; Membership: Included the first year, $4.70 each year after
Is 25,000,000 a big number? That's how many airline passenger bags were lost in 2009. It seems like a lot; but at the time, it was actually an improvement over previous years. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement offers some tips on avoiding baggage problems. Just the same, you may want a back-up plan.

NEWS: What Happens If You Get Sucked Out of a Plane?
The way the five-second luggage tag works is that a person...somewhere...finds your suitcase, notices the bright yellow and black tag, goes to the Back2You website and enters the serial number on your bag's tag. About, oh say, five seconds later, you're notified of its location by some combination of email, phone, fax and text. These anonymous and sturdy stainless steel tags are lightyears better than the flimsy old paper and elastic ones. If those tags fell off, your bags might've wound up in Scottsboro, Alabama, where its contents (your former belongings) would be sold off. Or potentially worse, while you're still away, either your bag could be returned or someone could see your personal information and decide to visit your home themselves... The same system can help you find pets, electronics or other items. Your membership, which covers multiple items registered to your account, is free for the first year and about five bucks each additional year.