What’s the safest way to take a kilt to a wedding?

Simon Calder tackles your questions about hand luggage, Eurostar changes, when to book a trip to the Canary Islands, and taking a ‘gap month’ to travel the world

If you check in baggage on a plane, assume you will never see it again... so hand luggage is the way to go (Getty/iStock)

Q I’m flying to a wedding and taking a kilt with me. I wouldn’t want to lose the kilt, so I’m trying to ensure I take it as hand luggage. It’s bulky but fits in a standard roll-along cabin case. The journey involves connecting flights with British Airways and Swiss. However, with flights being so busy, I’m concerned that they’ll take the trolley case off me at the gate and put it in the hold at some point. With connecting flights, is that riskier than just checking it in properly at the beginning?

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A Whenever you check in baggage, assume you will never see it again. While it is highly likely your checked luggage will reach your destination on the same flight as you, cabin baggage offers more certainty. Connecting flights, where you are relying on the luggage system to move your bag from one hold to another, are particularly prone to misrouted baggage. So hand luggage is definitely the way to go.