Travel Tip Tuesday | Tracking Your Luggage
How to Track Your Luggage On Your Next Flight
This summer in addition too delayed or canceled flights claims of lost luggage are dramatically increasing. There is a straightforward and easy thing that you can do to keep this from happening to you - place a tracker inside your suitcase.
How to Track Your Luggage
Losing your luggage can put a dent in the fun of your vacation. Bluetooth trackers like Tile or Apple AirTags help you locate your luggage quickly. These devices are designed to be thin and unobtrusive and won’t take up any room or add weight to your luggage. You can slide them into your luggage, stick them to the surface of an object or even attach them to something you must have. Using your phone and Bluetooth connectivity, trackers will show you on the screen of your phone how close you are to your luggage and play a sound to guide you in the right direction.
Instead of relying on a cell signal and GPS, this type of tracker connects to your phone via Bluetooth. Once paired with your phone the device interacts with it via the app guiding you to the lost object.
Tile
Tile launched the first Bluetooth tracker in 2014. Tile Pro offers the most versatility out of all the trackers and comes with a 3M adhesive that cements to nearly every surface. It comes with a lithium battery that is replaceable. The trackers’ remote finder and item locator has a range of up to 400 feet and is water resistant. It works with iPhones and Androids as well as with Amazon Alexa, Hey Google, and Siri. Attach TilePro to backpacks, luggage, keys, your phone, or anything else you need to keep track of regularly. Use the free app on IOS or Android to find them. When out of range you can use Tile’s app to view your Tile’s most recent location. You can also enlist Tile’s secure and anonymous network to help you find lost things. If you want more advanced features there is an option to purchase the Premium Service which is about $30 a year. This service includes proactive finding features, smart alerts, and free battery replacement. Tile Pro has the best range and sound out of all the trackers according to Popular Mechanics.
Apple AirTag
Apple’s AirTags are easy to use, and with one tap they pair instantly with an iPhone 11 or 12 or iPad. The only drawback is that they do not work with Androids. Apple AirTags are integrated into the world’s huge network of IOS devices that enables users to find items further away with the help of hundreds of millions of Apple devices in the Find My Network. The Precision Finding features provides accurate directions using audio and an arrow that guides users within an inch of the lost object. If you put AirTag into Lost Mode, you will be automatically notified when your lost object is detected in the Find My Network. There is no need to worry about security because all communication with the Find My Network is anonymous and encrypted for privacy. Location data and history are never stored on AirTag. This device is splash, water, and dust resistant and has a replaceable battery. Apple’s AirTag comes with smarter features and a much larger network than all other trackers according to Popular Mechanics.
Whether you decide to use Tile or an Apple AirTag, this might be one of the best travel decisions that you can make this year for peace of mind when traveling on your next guided tour.