To check or not to check?

In 2022, U.S. airlines lost or delayed more than two million bags. Next year (and the rest of this one), make sure yours isn't one of 'em.

I would be lying if I said I've never been a victim of a lost or delayed bag, but the truth is I have. And it was terrible.

It almost ruined a trip and my now husband Jeff's proposal to me. Yes, it was that type of drama.

Overall, we learned two things: (1) we don't just love each, we actually like each other, and (2) don't check a bag.

Before we get started, this story is true. It sounds exaggerated, but I promise it's not.

Here's what happened.

In 2017, my then-boyfriend and I planned a trip to Barbados -- a beautiful place. Without getting too into-the-unnecessary-weeds-of-the-story, we were young and broke and decided to fly from a city six hours driving distance away to save around $400 per ticket on our flights.

And back then, we loved road trips, so six hours was no big deal. At the time, I drove a Honda -- arguably, the holy grail of great gas mileage vehicles -- and he drove a Mustang. Most folks would say "let's take the Honda," but men will be men, and my man was set on driving his Mustang. So we did.

We left with plenty of time to get between our house and the airport in the city we were flying from -- like three hours cushion -- but luck wasn't on our side. There was an accident halfway through the trip that slowed traffic down to a crawl for hours. Before we knew it, we were an hour away and had less than 90 minutes before boarding.

We would be cutting it close, but Mr. Mustang was up for the challenge. He stopped at a gas station and instead of pulling up to the pump, he parked in a spot. I asked, "should we go ahead and get some gas?" He quickly said "nah, I'ma just get some coffee and I'll fill it up once we get closer."

But I know him. He was getting annoyed and even though I totally disagreed, I didn't want to start an argument. So I sat back.

Not long later, we were finally nearing the airport. I saw the sign "airport next exit" and thought to myself, "yes, we're actually going to make this flight. "

As soon as I had the thought, I heard Jeff -- who is very rarely upset in any way -- roughly say "I need some f*cking gas." Naturally, I responded, "we'll just have to get some when we get back. How low is it?"

"Empty," he said in a loud, angry voice.

Immediately after that, I felt a "lurch-lurch" and the Mustang slowed down to a stop. I was in disbelief.

To make it even worse, we ran out of gas, just a few from the airport exit we were heading to.

To make a long -- and honestly unbelievable story -- even longer, we called a Lyft to get to the closest gas station and bring a can back.

And by the Grace of God, we actually made it into the airport before boarding. We had to valet the car -- at $40/day -- to make it inside quickly, and we sprinted to security.

Surprisingly, the line was moving pretty fast. We were almost at the front when one of the TSA agents put his arm out in front of me -- yes, me of all the people in line -- and said, "Stop here. We're about to bring out the dogs."

The hope faded, and the exhaustion of the gas debacle set in. We missed the flight.

Here's where the checked bag issue comes in.

When they booked us on to the next flight to Barbados -- with a layover in Miami -- the gate agent told me the place overhead space was full and that she had to check our bags. "They'll go all the way through to Barbados," she told us.

Although I didn't want to, I didn't have a choice. So they checked our bags.

Everything else went smoothly. We made it to Miami, had some drinks on our layover and made it to Barbados without further incident.

You know that excited feeling you get when you land in your destination? We had it. And after the very long day we'd had, it was about to be a great time. My sister and a friend were meeting us there and they'd already landed. We ended up laughing about the running-out-of-gas thing and went over to grab our bags.

Jeff's bag came out, no issues. We waited for about forty minutes, until everyone from our flight had their stuff, before we started to feel that similar panic from earlier in the day.

We learned that my bag had been left behind in Miami -- the exact thing the gate agent said would not happen.

And it wouldn't arrive until the next flight landed in Barbados -- the following afternoon.

The cruise we had planned -- and, unbeknownst to me, where Jeff had planned to pop the question -- was no longer an option. The 24 hours was ruined.

Up until that point, I'd held it together. I didn't get upset when we ran out of gas. I didn't say a word when the Lyft driver dropped us off on the wrong side of the highway and we had to run across eight lanes of traffic and through a disgusting low marsh in the middle of the highway to get back to the car. I didn't even complain when we missed the flight.

But the "we won't have your bag with everything in it for another day" was it. I lost it.

I'm pretty sure I boohoo cried and declared it as the "worst trip ever."

(Knowing what I know now, I would have simply purchased another outfit and gotten reimbursed from the airline, but I didn't know it was an option then. And of course, they didn't offer the information to me.)

When I did finally get my bag -- and it took alot -- it was the following day, evening time. We went to a local fish fry at Oistin's Beach to celebrate. The weekly function is a must-do in Barbados; there's live music, fresh catch, dancing and just a good time -- and that's where he did it.

Jeff proposed to me in front on sandy, rocky ground, in front of a few dusty picnic tables -- and it was absolutely perfect.

Despite a pretty rough start to the trip, it ended up going exactly how it was supposed to, and I wouldn't change a thing.

This probably wasn't the best argument against checking a bag, but not every lost luggage story ends in a marriage proposal.

If you can, avoid the potential stress and get a carry-on plus packing cubes. Because once your bag is delayed, or lost, trust me, you won't check one again unless you have to.