Travel tips: What are digital bag trackers and are they worth using?

If you’re heading to an exotic beach destination around the world, you’ll want to make sure your togs make it to your destination too. But how do you avoid the stress of lost luggage? Ewan
McDonald finds out.

Q. We hear a lot about missing bags, baggage handling chaos and the benefits of personal luggage trackers. How do they work, are they worth buying or is Big Tech trying to sell us more toys we don’t really need?

A. You’ll only be able to answer that question for yourself – when you disembark in Hong Kong to find your bags containing everything you’ve packed for the next couple of weeks have flown to Peoria, Illinois!

Bluetooth trackers are small gadgets that let you monitor the location of whatever it’s attached to – could be your suitcases when you’re overseas, could be your car or house keys when you’re not travelling – through your phone, tablet or computer.

You put the chip inside or tag outside the luggage and the tracker communicates its whereabouts through GPS, Bluetooth technology or cell data, usually via a smartphone app. The trackers themselves are not very expensive; they usually require a subscription service but most of those are quite reasonably priced.

Most trackers use a combination of technologies to ensure the chip is always in service. They can be set to ping a message every few seconds or hours.

In a simpler and more trusting world – y’know, before 2019 – use of trackers wasn’t so widespread since airlines and airports were pretty darned efficient at getting both bags and their accompanying passengers to the right destination.

But we know about staff shortages, last-minute schedule changes and all the other problems plaguing the industry now.

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And, as you say, Big Tech has found a ready market in anxious travellers. So what you’re really buying is peace of mind – to a point.

When you’ve carefully planned your beach holiday wardrobe, you want to do all you can to make sure your luggage arrives at your destination with you. Photo / Getty Images

If your bag does get lost or delayed, you can track it and maybe have it returned faster. You can see how far from the baggage carousel your luggage is. Or, if it is even moving – handy when you’re time-challenged. Some trackers will store your itinerary so staff may be able to get lost bags on to a connecting flight.

Bear in mind, though, that a tracker will only tell you where your bag is. That’s likely to be in a secure area with up to 222,258 other misplaced black wheelie-bags, and staff are doing their best to reunite each and every one of those with their owners.

Your choice of tracker will largely be determined by your smartphone or similar devices.

For iPhone, iPad and iPod users, Apple’s AirTag has a one-tap setup that syncs it with the Find My app.

When set in Lost mode, the bag tag tunes into other devices when set in Lost mode, so if someone in the Find My network detects your luggage, you’ll automatically get a notification. Apple insists its privacy features ensure only you can see where your AirTag is, and that any devices relaying its location stay anonymous.

The four-pack is a good investment – one in your case, one on your keyring, one in your wallet and one with a trusted family member.

Tile launched its first tracker over a decade ago and many rate its products as some of the best. Easy to use, the Tile Pro is ideal for locating luggage as it can track items well over 100m away. It can also help find your smartphone; double-press the Tile button to make your phone ring, even if it’s in silent mode.

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Users can add contact information in settings to be notified if someone in the Tile network finds their tag and scans its QR code. It’s compatible with Android, iOS and all operating systems as well as Amazon Alexa, Siri, Hey Google and Smart Home.

The credit-card sized Tile Slim, ideal for wallets and passport holders, is another travel option.

Designed to work with Samsung Galaxy smartphones, the SmartTag+ syncs with the SmartThings app to locate misplaced luggage, keys and more. Reviewers say the device works well, typically tracking items within 120m even when Wi-Fi is unavailable. The bag tag’s AR Finding feature directs users to their lost item step by step, with a green sensor light appearing as they near the location.

Prefer a less tech-savvy option? QR code luggage tags are a more manual process. If the tag is scanned, you receive a notification with the tag’s location.

The person scanning also has access to the information you have chosen to store on the tag, such as your contact details.

It doesn’t rely on batteries, GPS or cellphone reception to track the tag – just the good nature of your fellow human beings.

The First-timer’s Guide is a fortnightly column where we’ll answer your travel-related questions— anything from roaming around Rome to reining in roaming charges. Send your queries and travel tips to travel@nzherald.co.nz with “First-timer” in the subject line.