The next time you attach a luggage tag to your suitcase before traveling, consider the risks. While the purpose of a luggage tag is to help recover your belongings if they get lost, it may also be putting your personal information at risk. A seemingly innocent practice could expose you to strangers and create security concerns that many travelers overlook.

Luggage tags often display crucial details such as your name, phone number, and home address. This information can be viewed by anyone passing by, whether you’re waiting at an airport or traveling by train. Such exposure makes it easy for unscrupulous individuals to misuse your information for identity theft, stalking, or other malicious purposes.

Travel experts warn that revealing too much personal information on your luggage tag is risky. One common and safer alternative is flipping your information card backward so that personal details aren’t immediately visible. This simple trick ensures that, while your luggage tag still contains the necessary details for recovery, it isn’t easily accessible to strangers.

“Always, always, always flip your information on your luggage card backwards,” suggests travel safety advocate Sarah Williams. “That way, when you’re on the train or on the plane, you’re not just giving your information to everyone. But if your bag is actually lost, someone can flip this over and get your information. You can also write ‘flip over’ or something like that as well.”

When filling out your luggage tag, experts recommend only providing essential information like your name and email address. In most cases, this is enough for the airline or lost-and-found services to contact you. For maximum safety, avoid including your home address or phone number, which could be misused if it falls into the wrong hands.

“Name and email address should be sufficient,” says Williams. “No chance am I going to have my phone number and home address on my luggage tag. It’s just not worth the risk.”

While it’s important to make sure your bags can be identified in case they get lost, taking these small but significant precautions can help protect your privacy while traveling. Stay safe, stay secure, and avoid putting your personal information on display for anyone to see.