my souvenirs vanished from my checked bag—what now?

Last week, I flew home with a suitcase full of souvenirs for my family—cute toy figures for my grandson, a mug for my daughter, and a few other little trinkets. I was so excited to see their faces when I handed them out. But when I unpacked, half the stuff was gone. I double-checked every pocket, every zipper—no luck. It’s not like I left my bag unattended; it went straight from the check-in counter to the baggage claim. I’m still baffled how things just disappeared. I even had receipts, so I filed a claim with the airline, expecting they’d at least cover what I lost. Instead, they closed my case and tossed me a $50 voucher—like that’s supposed to make up for $150 worth of memories and gifts. Honestly, I’m frustrated. I get that sometimes things go wrong, but shouldn’t airlines be responsible for what happens to our stuff? Has anyone managed to get proper compensation after something like this? I’m not looking for a free flight, just to replace what was taken. I feel like locking my bag shouldn’t even be necessary, but here we are. Has anyone actually gotten the airline to pay up, or is this just how it goes now? I’d love to hear if anyone’s fought this and won, or if I’m just out of luck. #travelwoes #lostluggage #airlinestories #Travel