How NOT to lose your luggage: Apple AirTag Test
Honest review and field test of Apple AirTag, and more news about lost bags in Europe
Welcome to the FREE monthly travel newsletter from Strangers in the Living Room. The September theme is: lost luggage.
In the News: The Summer of Lost Bags
You may have been one of the unfortunate travelers whose bags disappeared into a mountain of lost luggage at various US and European airports in summer of 2022. The hassle of losing a bag can ruin your whole trip!
(No worries about losing my dog Flash because he is small enough to travel with me in the passenger cabin. But yes, you can use AirTags to track your pet.)
Tracking a checked bag with a $29 USD AirTag seemed like an affordable solution. I decided to test Apple AirTags on my trip from Miami through Frankfurt to Barcelona on Lufthansa. Then, onward to Venice on a budget airline, Vueling.
Buying Apple AirTags
Intending to gift AirTags to my family members, I bought the pack of four directly from Apple’s store for $99 — sort of a “buy three, get one almost FREE.” The package included FREE shipping and FREE personalized engraving, which will help us match each AirTag with a specific bag or family member on future trips.
Have I mentioned how much I love publicizing cool, FREE travel stuff on this monthly newsletter? Now you have another reason to sign up, if you haven’t already.
Anyway, Apple has done its usual brilliant job of engineering the AirTag to connect easily with your phone through Bluetooth and the FindMy app. Hat tip to the YouTube creator of this “how-to” video for those who need more specific instructions.
What Can Go Wrong with Apple AirTags
Other people have tested the AirTag by losing it on purpose and then tracking it. But I had questions about how the AirTags would work on an overseas trip in real life. As The Points Guy points out, a lot of things can go wrong. What if your AirTag is stolen and separated from your bag?
AirTags work by pinging off nearby Apple devices to pinpoint the location of your bag. But what if your AirTagged bag ends up somewhere with no iPhones nearby?
Android phones are much more common than iPhones in Europe and other places around the world. And how many iPhone users are just standing around in the baggage handling area of an airport so your AirTag can pinpoint the location of your bag? Probably zero.
Testing the Apple AirTag in Real Life
I bought the Belkin AirTag holder because it seemed like the most secure solution for attaching the AirTag to the outside of my bag. However, most of my cool luggage tags get stolen or broken anyway, and I decided to play it safe by concealing the AirTag inside a pocket of my checked bag. For comparison, I also put one in my carryon.
Watch the video of my real-life AirTag test. And please subscribe for more fun travel videos.
To summarize:
I had one AirTag in my carry-on bag. Another AirTag was in my checked bag, which disappeared into a black hole once I checked it at Miami Airport.
During my layover in Frankfurt, the checked bag showed up as being somewhere on the ground nearby, but not an exact location like the AirTag that was “with me.”
My big worry was whether the checked bag would make a tight connection with my flight to Barcelona. And yes, it did!
The next leg of my trip was on a budget airline with self check-in. I had peace of mind that my bag made it, the moment I landed in Venice and connected to the airport WIFI.
Note that, for AirTags to work, you have to be connected to the internet and have Bluetooth turned on.
Honest Review of Apple AirTags
So far, an enthusiastic thumbs up! Although my checked bag briefly went off the AirTag radar once in a while, I had peace of mind in knowing it was at the right airport in the vicinity of the right plane most of the time.
Ask me again if I ever lose a bag and have to depend on an AirTag to track it down. My husband’s bags went MIA on a recent trip from the USA to Slovenia through Paris. It took Air France three days to locate and deliver the bag to him. He’ll be using an AirTag on the next trip for sure.
Saint Anthony, Patron Saint of Lost Luggage
If you don’t have an AirTag, you might appeal for divine intervention to find your lost bags. My mom has a lifelong devotion to Saint Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost things including luggage. Check out this post for details of a delightful day trip to Padua in Italy. And maybe the BEST pizza I have ever tasted!
More European destinations are combatting over-touristing by requiring online reservations and tickets for popular attractions. But as of now, entrance to the splendid basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua is FREE. It makes a great day trip from Milan or Venice.
Travels with Terry: Spain
Update on my popular post from the last newsletter about a FREE volunteer vacation for native English speakers at Pueblo Ingles in Spain. A friend from the program invited me to see Barcelona “like a local” while speaking English with his family.
Seeing the breathtaking architecture of Sagrada Familia at night, learning the history of the Cathedral of the Sea and a day trip to Costa Brava? Priceless! Thanks to my Pueblo Ingles friend Sergi and his family.
Travel Tip: Brightline Train in Florida
You may have noticed the Brightline train on the AirTag video. This is a travel game-changer because it whisked me from West Palm Beach to Miami International Airport, avoiding an annoying two or three hour drive in traffic. Try this clean, efficient train if you have a chance!
The Brightline ticket was less than I would have spent for gas and much less than a taxi or Uber/Lyft, with a FREE shuttle from the Miami Brightline station to MIA. At $37 USD one-way for the Brightline premium cabin, the lounge and drinks/snacks on board are FREE. Cheers!
What's Next from Strangers in the Living Room
I’ll be spending the rest of this month in clean, green Slovenia before heading to Venice in October to see an opera at La Fenice. It will be hard to beat the splendid performance of Rigoletto I attended in June at Teatro Alla Scala in Milan!
Welcome to all subscribers for this FREE monthly newsletter! I’d love to know where you’re from and how I can answer your travel questions here. Please let me know in the comments. See you in October!