When traveling by plane, one of the most stressful parts of the journey isn’t the turbulence or the delays.

It’s the waiting.

The silent, anxious wait at the baggage carousel.

Everyone stands there pretending to be calm, but their eyes are scanning frantically, searching for something familiar among dozens of nearly identical suitcases. Black. Navy. Brown. Over and over again, the same shapes, the same sizes, circling endlessly like secrets no one wants to claim.

You watch closely, hoping yours appears quickly.

Because deep down, every traveler knows the truth: once your suitcase disappears behind that rubber curtain, you have no control over what happens to it.

And that’s exactly why so many people tie ribbons on their luggage.

Bright red ribbons. Neon green strips. Colorful scarves wrapped tightly around handles. It feels like a smart move — a simple way to make your suitcase stand out. A personal signature in a sea of sameness.

But according to John, a baggage handler at Dublin Airport, that innocent ribbon could be the very thing that causes your suitcase to vanish.

Not metaphorically.

Literally.

John has spent years behind the scenes, watching thousands of bags pass through the airport’s vast and complex baggage handling system — a hidden maze of conveyor belts, scanners, and automated sorting machines most travelers never see.

“It only takes one small thing to cause a problem,” he said quietly in an interview with RSVP Live.

Something as small as a ribbon.

Modern airports rely heavily on automated scanners that read the barcode tags attached to every piece of luggage. These scanners are designed for speed and precision. Within seconds, they identify your bag and send it exactly where it needs to go.

But ribbons can interfere.

If the ribbon covers part of the tag…

If it twists around and blocks the barcode…

Or worse, if it gets caught inside the scanner itself…

The system can’t read the bag.

And when the system can’t read it, your suitcase is suddenly no longer part of the smooth, automated flow.

It becomes a problem.

And problems get pulled aside.

Manually.

Sometimes, that delay lasts minutes.

Sometimes, hours.

And sometimes…

Your suitcase misses the flight entirely.

John recalled watching passengers board planes, completely unaware that their luggage was sitting alone in a holding area, flagged by the system, waiting for human intervention that wouldn’t come in time.

“They don’t know,” he said. “They’re already in the air when it happens.”

Imagine arriving at your destination, exhausted, stepping up to the carousel with quiet anticipation — only to watch it stop spinning without ever seeing your bag.

No ribbon.

No suitcase.

Nothing.

But ribbons aren’t the only hidden danger.

John revealed something even more unsettling.

Old travel stickers — the faded labels many people leave on their suitcases as souvenirs of past adventures — can confuse the scanners just as easily. The system might read an outdated barcode instead of the current one, sending your luggage somewhere it hasn’t been in years.

A different city.

A different country.

A different continent.

And by the time anyone realizes the mistake, your suitcase could be thousands of miles away from you.

But the strangest warning John shared was about something far more unexpected.

Marzipan.

Yes, marzipan — the sweet almond treat many travelers pack without thinking twice.

What most people don’t realize is that marzipan has a density similar to certain explosive materials when scanned by airport security systems.

On the screen, it can look suspicious.

Dangerous.

Enough to trigger alarms.

Your suitcase could be pulled aside immediately.

Security may open it.

And in some cases, your name could be called over the airport speakers while you’re already seated on the plane, your heart pounding as you’re escorted off to explain something you never imagined could cause a problem.

All because of a harmless dessert.

Even the way you place your suitcase on the conveyor belt matters more than people realize.

John advised travelers to place their luggage wheels-side up — a simple step that protects the suitcase from damage as it moves through the violent, mechanical world behind the scenes. Conveyor belts shift suddenly. Bags collide. Handles snap. Wheels break.

The system isn’t gentle.

It isn’t careful.

It’s efficient.

And efficiency doesn’t care about your belongings.

Perhaps the most surprising truth, though, is this: the safest way to make your luggage stand out is not by adding something to it — but by choosing something already unique.

Bright colors.

Bold patterns.

Suitcases that scanners can read clearly without interference.

Suitcases that don’t need ribbons to be recognized.

Because sometimes, the very thing you add to protect your suitcase…

Is the thing that puts it at risk.

So the next time you stand at the baggage carousel, watching and waiting, remember this:

Behind that wall, beyond your sight, your suitcase is moving through a world of machines that don’t forgive mistakes.

And one small ribbon…

Could be all it takes for it to disappear.