It's a common problem for the modern traveller - spotting your luggage among all the identical cases on the carousel.

One solution is to make your own, unique luggage tags.

My eldest son was going to Berlin for a few days with friends, and there was a strong possibility that the evenings could involved the consumption of beer, so I made this tag for his luggage that was designed to match the trip, whilst containing just enough information to help him get lost luggage back.

Step 1: Materials

You'll need a fairly tough sheet material, and a length of cord. The tag had two parts - the picture layer and the information layer, so your materials need to be twice as big as the size you want the tag.

I used 3mm ply and paracord, but you could use acrylic, Corex (the corrugated plastic used in For Sale signs), maybe even ordinary corrugated card if you only need the tag for a single trip.

You'll need a lighter or other small flame to fuse the ends of the paracord, and glue to lock the knots.

Step 2: Files

I've added all the versions of the file you could possibly need to run your laser cutter.

The file will need editing, or your lost luggage will be sent to my son...

On my laser cutter, the green lines are cut at 20% speed, 20% power

The blue and black are cut through, at 15% speed and 65% power (running at lower power extends the life of your laser tube).

I'm using a laser cutter, purely because I can, but this project is entirely possible with hand and power tools.

Step 3: Cutting and Assembly

Once you've cut the pieces out, assembly is simple.

You need a length of paracord, long enough to thread through the holes and around whichever piece of your luggage you want to fasten it to. Use a small flame (such as a lighter) to melt and seal the ends of the cord to prevent fraying.

Stack the two pieces of plywood so that the themed image is visible, but the contact details are hidden between the layers.

Tie a simple overhand knot in one end of the cord, then thread it down one of the bottom corners, up the top corner, through a fixed part of the luggage, such as a handle or strap, then back through the two remaining holes of the tag and tie another overhand knot to finish off.

Lock the knots with a couple of drops of superglue, and you're done.

Now all you need to do is keep an eye out for the tag as all that identical luggage trundles round and around the baggage reclaim conveyor belt...