I bought Hubby an AirTag as a joke for his birthday because he’s always losing track of his glasses. I think he thought it was a bit of a waste but then started using it with his glasses case and actually found it really useful. Sometime later I heard a story on the news about a man who had put an AirTag in his luggage and when his bag, with expensive bike gear in it, went missing he used the information and tracking on his phone from the AirTag to help find his gear which was sitting in the baggage handling area at Heathrow Airport. That isn’t the only story I’ve heard about AirTags assisting with finding luggage so Hubby bought me some AirTags for when I travel. Since using them and seeing how good they are, we will be attaching one inside the pocket of Braeden’s wheelchair for any future flights.
AirTags for tracking your luggage and everyday items
We an AirTag in each of our bags when we travelled to the Gold Coast to see how well they work for tracking luggage when we travel. The thought of losing our luggage with all we need for Braeden for a trip is our worst nightmare.
I think these actually make a really great gift. If purchased through Apple direct (no affiliation, we paid for our AirTags) you can choose to have them engraved. There’s a choice of letters and emojis for the AirTags but I was disappointed that there’s no option for a plane emoji. It’s a bit of fun choosing from the available options and is a good way of each family member having their own personalised tag.
So we didn’t lose the AirTags in amongst the clothes in our luggage we purchased key rings to keep the AirTags in place. We bought four for $14.95 on Amazon which was cheaper than the Apple options. I figured they didn’t need to be fancy as they were simply going to be in the luggage attached in a pocket.
I’m no techno whizz so it’s best I share the official word on how the AirTags work.
From the Apple geniuses – your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth® signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the Find My app and see it on a map. The whole process is anonymous and encrypted to protect your privacy. And itʼs efficient, so thereʼs no need to worry about battery life or data usage.
You can play a sound on the built-in speaker by going to the new Items tab in the Find My app, or say “Hey Siri, find my wallet”. If it’s hiding nearby — like under the couch or in the next room — just follow the sound and your search is over.
While we will mostly use the AirTags for travel, I think I’ll be popping one on my house keys and car key. I have a habit of walking Braeden into the house and putting keys down on the nearest surface and then the next time I need to go out I have no idea where they are.
Each AirTag contains a battery which is said to last a year before needing replacing.
For non Apple users there are other options available.
While I originally thought of the AirTag as a bit of a tech gimmick, I’m sold on them. I particularly like the fact that they are just as useful for everyday use as well as travel. Perhaps it’s something to put on your Christmas wish list or it may make a good gift for someone.
Let us know if you’ve given them a go and the useful ways you’ve found to use the technology.
You may also like to read our tips on 5 Items a wheelchair user should pack
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