Whether you’re a solo traveler or a family of 8+, you always want to know where your stuff is. Apple’s AirTags are fantastic at keeping track of where your devices are, specifically if you’re carrying an iPhone or iPad.
I use AirTags in my kids’ backpacks/video game cases – both to track them and the bags themselves when the kids inevitably lose them, as well as our checked luggage.
So many pieces of luggage are lost by airlines every single year. in 2021 alone, more than 1.9 million bags were mishandled by US-based airlines, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Having an AirTag (or an Android-friendly alternative like Tile devices) inside your baggage can be a lifesaver
AirTags allow me to track my checked baggage and know almost immediately when we land at our destination if my bags made it with us, and when it does, where to find it if it doesn’t make it to the conveyor belt. If the bag was not at the same airport as I was in, I would make a beeline straight to the airline’s baggage counter to file a report.
The tracking capability through the Find My app is fantastic. I am also far from the only one writing about this phenomenon of how to best track your luggage.
Back in 2018, less than 48 hours before Pesach, we landed in Mexico, only to find out that 2/4 of our checked bags didn’t even get on the plane with us. While the airline eventually delivered our luggage over 24 hours later, I had no clothes or toiletries for over a day with no guarantee that I would see my holiday clothing before sundown. Thankfully, after filing a report with the airline, the credit card I used to book my flight gave me added protection with their baggage delay insurance, reimbursing me for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing for baggage delays over 6 hours by the airline up to $100 a day for 5 days. This allowed me to visit the closest mall to my hotel, pick up some clothing for the next 1-2 days, and be reimbursed by the credit card upon my return home.
If you don’t have a card that gives you Baggage Delay or Lost Baggage coverage, THIS is 100% the card to get in my opinion. It is absolutely worth the $95 annual fee, no questions asked.
MORE TIPS TO PREPARE FOR LOST BAGGAGE BEFORE IT HAPPENS
- Sign up for Blue Ribbon Bags to both track and insure your luggage for as little as $5 per bag.
- Put all of your valuables and irreplaceable items like jewelry, medicines, tefillin, keys, laptops, etc. in your carry-on bags.
- Know your rights. Airlines are required to reimburse you for lost baggage. Take pics of its contents before zipping it up. The Department of Transportation’s aviation consumer protection website has detailed information on travelers’ rights when it comes to lost baggage.
- Pick up a 4-pack of AirTags or a 3-pack of Tile Mate trackers, and drop one in each bag after syncing them to your phone.
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