Travel has changed… And it seems like every other day, we are hearing stories about travellers having lost their luggage for one reason or another. It has even happened to me.
However, while airlines and other travel providers struggle with staff shortages and tight turnaround etc., leading to large amounts of luggage being stranded around the world, there is something you can do to give yourself peace of mind to know exactly where your bags are located.
Enter the Apple AirTag.
My Experience Using Apple AirTag
With all the news around the issues with luggage and my frequent travel schedule, I took the proactive step to purchase Apple AirTags for all of my luggage a couple of months ago… And it didn’t take long for me to work out how useful they could be.
On a recent trip… I was waiting, probably somewhat impatiently, for my luggage to make its way around the carousel as the baggage claim area became increasingly quiet as everyone else grabbed their bags and left.
Then the baggage carousel stopped, and that dreaded feeling that my bags hadn’t made it kicked in.
Myself and a handful of other people from the same flight were still there without luggage wondering where our bags were.
Luckily, with an Apple AirTag in each of my bags, I was able to open the Find My app on my iPhone and work out that my luggage had indeed made it. It was 600m away!
What seemed like an eternity later, but was probably only a few minutes (why do these things only ever happen when you’re in a rush?), airport staff finally approached to work out what was going on.
I advised them that we were still waiting on luggage and showed them that the luggage was there. Someone was sent to fetch it.
A great result, but if it wasn’t for the tracking, myself and the other passengers would have probably had a much more stressful time.
How Does Apple’s AirTag Work
The Apple AirTag small round device, not much bigger than a coin, can be easily tucked away in your luggage. It uses the combined power of Apple’s Find My network, which is integrated into all iOS devices to help track down its location.
The AirTag itself doesn’t have GPS or require a Sim Card. Instead, it relies on the network of Apple devices to securely relay its location back to you. So, obviously, if you are using Android, this might not be the solution for you.
Once you’ve placed the AirTag into your luggage, all you need to do is attach it to your Apple ID in the Find My app, assign it a label in the app, and you’re good to go.
You can also ask Siri to find a specific item for you, and it will show you the location on a map.
If your AirTag is out of range of any Apple devices, don’t worry, as it will show the last known location when it was in range. That said, given how many people turn their phones back on the instance the plane lands, airports are one of the better places to use the AirTag system.
An added advantage of the AirTag system, is that if your luggage gets lost and someone finds it before you do, all they need to do is tap their iPhone or iPad against the AirTag and they will be taken to a website that will show them your contact details so they can get in touch and return it to you.
Do I Recommend The Apple AirTag?
Short answer, Yes! In the few short months of owning them, they have already proven themselves as a useful tool.
Overall, I think Apple’s AirTag is a great little device and well worth the investment if you travel frequently. Especially at the moment while airlines ramp back up.
It is just something to give yourself that extra peace of mind knowing that you can track down your luggage if/when it does go missing.
If you’d like to get more information to help plan your trip to and around Australia… Check out the rest of my blog posts.
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