High profile cases, this year involved Lewis Hamilton, who had luggage items, stolen from his vehicle, as he arrived at a hotel in Spain. Earlier incidents involved, Supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell; where items of their luggage went missing in terminal 5 of Heathrow airport. This case along with the problems that the terminal faced, when it opened earlier in Spring this year, are bringing a cause for concern for holidaymakers, that need to use airports for their travels.

In a recent survey, brought out this week, by the insurance provider, The Co-Operative Insurance, 1,000 men and women were questioned on which items they would miss the most, in the event of their luggage being lost. Thirty-two per cent of women said they would miss their bikinis, while twenty-five per cent of those involved said that the item they would miss was their underwear. The next, most prized item of luggage was their favourite item of clothing, with 18 per cent stating that they would miss it. Sixteen per cent stated cosmetics and nine per cent said their sunglasses were the items they would miss the most; coming in fourth and fifth places respectively.

Twenty-nine per cent of male holiday goers said that they would miss their sunglasses and 27 per cent said they would miss their swimming trunks. Twenty-one per cent of the respondents said that they would miss a favourite item of clothing and 16 per cent said that they would miss their mobile phones. Only seven per cent of the men asked, said that they would miss their boxers.

In most cases, holiday goers have been reunited with their luggage within one to three days. Alarmingly, this would also be the entire holiday period for some people going away on weekend breaks. In the worst case scenarios, travellers have had to buy all new items, when they reached their destinations, as their luggage had never been returned to them.

Holiday makers have been informed that taking out travel insurance before they go away, can help with financial support, in the case of their luggage going missing. They have also been advised to make sure their insurance policies cover their luggage and the event of them being lost, as policies, which don’t cover such cases, would be of no help in the event of luggage being lost.

The Co-Operative Insurance has advised travellers to ensure that their suitcases and hand luggage have all been properly labelled and have clear contact details on them. Also putting padlocks on luggage to discourage would-be robbers and rouge staff at airports was a recommendation they were given. Moreover packing less items and taking fewer suitcases away on holiday are said to be productive measures that can help to deter the loss of personal luggage.

David Neave, Director of General Insurance at The Co-operative Insurance said: "It goes without saying that the more luggage you take with you the more likely it is that some or all of it will either get lost or stolen. The temptation is to pack everything just in case you might need it, but ask yourself if you really do. The most sensible thing to do is reduce the amount of luggage you take and share out expensive items across your luggage rather than putting it all into one suitcase.

He added: "Losing your luggage before you even get to your holiday destination is a practical and expensive nightmare especially if you're only away for a few days because that could mean you have no luggage for the entire duration of your holiday. If you have adequate travel insurance and receipts for electrical goods and other such items you will be able to claim for any loss. But if you don't it could turn out to be the most expensive bank holiday you've ever had."