My total number of flights is well below most people on this forum, so it is not surprising I have been lucky and never lost a bag.
For work commutes I was mostly HBO but not always. For leisure I have tended to travel with just the single personal item which I’m happy to put below the seat in front and then everything else is in hold luggage split between 2 bags and mixed and matched so that we both have a chance of some clothing arriving if one goes missing.
I think that before being a frequent visitor here I would have expected a better lost bag tracing system than generally exists and I don’t blame OP for expecting that either. It sadly is not the case (pun may have been intended).
I absolutely hate shopping and my idea of a holiday ruined would be buying piecemeal day by day as my luggage failed to show.That’s assuming there is a decent choice of outlets nearby which won’t always be the case.
I’ve also learnt from here quite recently that if I ever fly again, I should put contact details inside each bag and photograph the contents. I think that advice has been around for a while but I wasn’t paying attention. Thanks CWS, as always a source of valuable information.