From your passport to tickets, cameras and other valuables, there are a number of items to keep track of when taking an overseas holiday.
An item that can be rather easy to misplace (or accidentally lock in your suitcase) is the key for the suitcase lock.
Should you find yourself in this situation, your first course of action could be to try locating the nearest locksmith. If you are in a country where you do not speak the language, you could try asking the receptionist at your hotel for assistance.
When you find yourself in a position where a locksmith is not available (for example if you have checked into a hotel late at night only to find you cannot access your luggage), you can gently open your suitcase using a pen. To do this, nudge the pen into a gap in the zipper and slide it along the zip line. Once the zipper has been opened using the pen, it can be closed by gently running the slider along the zipper. Watch a video demonstration of this here.
One way to avoid this happening is to purchase combination locks that do not require the use of a key.
After travelling overseas for a couple of months, I can sincerely say that combination locks are the way to go. They may be expensive to buy but one is never in doubt about a)where the locks are, if they are left locked on the case, and b)how to open the case. Just choose a combination that you are not likely to forget!
Of course this is the reason that just locking your suitcase won’t stop anyone getting into your bag. To make your bag more secure secure the zipper fastenings to a fixed point on your bag with a cable tie so the slider cannot be moved to lock the case again.