First: breathe. This is fixable more often than you think.
FlixBus lost luggage feels hopeless because the form looks like it goes into a black hole, but a lot of bags do get recovered. The key is speed and being specific.
A few realistic steps:
Don’t rely on just one form.
Submit the official lost item form (which you probably did), but also:
Call FlixBus support again and ask specifically which depot handles the N781 arrival in Barcelona.
Ask if luggage from that route is stored at Barcelona Nord station or a central warehouse.
Contact Barcelona station directly.
Try to find a direct phone number or email for Estació del Nord (Barcelona bus station). Sometimes items are held locally before being transferred elsewhere.
Be extremely detailed.
Color, brand, size, hard/soft shell, stickers, anything unique. The more specific, the better.
About intercepting the bus tonight:
It’s very unlikely the same driver will still have it. Most drivers are required to hand over found luggage at the final stop or depot. Once logged, they can’t just carry it back unofficially.
The good news:
Since you got off in Lille and the bus continued long distance, it’s unlikely another passenger grabbed it by mistake. It probably stayed in the luggage hold until Barcelona.
Worst case scenario if they find it:
You usually have to pay shipping to get it sent back. That will still be much cheaper than traveling to Barcelona.
Right now, the most important thing is to:
Follow up daily, politely but persistently
Try to identify the Barcelona depot contact
You’re still very early in the timeline. 24–72 hours is normal for it to even get logged.
You didn’t lose your passport or money. That’s huge. The sentimental stuff is hard, but there is still a very real chance you get this back.
Don’t lose sleep yet. Give the system a few days to work.
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