When you travel by air, what kind of luggage do you pick? 

I’m not talking about the brand, but rather the color. In my case, I worry about color and identification more than style. I avoid basic black. 

Instead, I pick bags in bright colors—ugly dayglo orange and even uglier green. 

They may look ugly, and I do take my share of style-police ridicule, but they’re much easier to find when the airline loses them.

What about putting an equally colorful ribbon on your bag, no matter the color, to help identify it? 

A growing number of travelers do this. 

And while it might sound like a good idea, ribbons can often block the electronic bag scanning process, which might delay your bag.