If you’re planning an overseas trip in the near future, it will pay to think about what kind of suitcase you want to bring with you.

While it can be tempting to opt for a brightly coloured suitcase, experts say a plain black suitcase might not be the choice to go for.

Travel expert Johnny Jet claimed on his travel blog that a plain black suitcase is more easily lost.

A luggage executive told Johnny that a hard-sided black suitcase with wheels is “the most common type of suitcase in the world,” and therefore the most likely to get lost and the hardest to find or identify.

“It’s almost regarded as the default bag type. If your bag is missing, you don’t want to be the black hard one, you want to be the green one,” he said.

As well as this, a German airport recently advised tourists to opt for colourful luggage to avoid airport delays: “Many people travel with black suitcases on wheels which makes identifying them very time-intensive.”

The spokesperson added: “No matter which company you buy your luggage from, just make sure it’s not a black hard-sided suitcase because you want your luggage to be easy to identify.”

However, security expert and CEO of Get Licensed, Shahzad Ali, said that in terms of staying safe and avoiding getting robbed on holiday, dark luggage is the best option.

He explained: “Although a new and colourful suitcase may look more fashionable, it won’t only be attractive to you. It’s best to choose a more common-looking suitcase, and if possible, a worn-out one – as to not stand out from the crowd – and with it, a high-quality padlock.”

Whichever colour suitcase you choose, airport baggage handlers have confirmed that the best kind of suitcase to travel with is a hardshell one with four wheels.

One person who claimed they were a baggage handler posted to Reddit, saying that the best suitcases have “four good wheels, with soft lining on the inside and a hard outer shell.”

The hardshell will protect your luggage from being dropped or thrown, and having four wheels means it can be rolled into the hold without needing to be thrown – keeping your belongings safer.

When it comes to identifying which bag is yours they added: “One good way I’ve seen is to put your own tag on the bag with your name and address so that you can read this and make sure it’s yours. Other ways include using unique straps that wrap around the bags.”

To keep your belongings safe, experts recommend using Airtags so that if your bag is lost you can track where it’s gone. You should also keep a list of how many items you’re travelling with so you will immediately realise if a bag has been left behind or lost.