If the post office can keep track of your Aunt Frida's finest fruitcake while in transit to your holiday home, it seems logical that checked luggage should enjoy the same courtesy. Oddly though, the bar codes on your bag tags function differently and are more about telling the automated bag conveyors where to direct your bag than how to monitor its location.

The good news is things are about to change with the introduction of the Radio Frequency Identification (RIFD). In the near future, microchips will track your luggage on its journey, allowing airline staff (and you) to know its whereabouts should the need arise.

Lose yourself in more details about this new application.