Luggage Trackers: This is How Not to Lose Your Luggage

We’ve all been there. You just got off a long-haul flight only to wait and wait (and wait) at the baggage carousel, then realize that your bags did not arrive with you. Ugh. Not cool.

We all assume it’s not going to happen to us, but when it does, it’s time to start thinking about how to make sure it doesn’t happen next time, especially if you are a frequent traveler.

No One Wants to Fill Out a Lost Luggage Claim

There are a number of ways to help ensure your luggage makes it to baggage claim, or at the very least, doesn’t walk away from baggage claim with someone else. Yikes. So, a few tips.

Stand out, but not too much. 

Common advice is that your bags should stand out from the rest of the black and khaki bags on the carousel. This is true to a point.

However, don’t go overboard and opt for a fancy (read: expensive looking) bag that invites wandering hands. Even if your Gucci bag is faux, thieves may not know the difference.

Check the latest prices on best-selling luggage.

Make your bag unique. 

Since, yes, everyone else also has a black or khaki bag, make yours unique by adding a colorful ribbon or bag tag so right away other passengers milling about baggage claim too will take one look and say, “nope, that’s not my bag.”

It’s harder for thieves to walk away with bags that don’t blend in with every other piece of luggage in baggage claim. Do what you can to anti theft your bags by making them easy to spot from a distance.

Check the latest prices on colorful handle wraps for your luggage.

Use sturdy luggage tags. 

Don’t rely on the free, paper luggage tags you can get at the airline counter when you check in your bags. Instead, invest in sturdy luggage tags that won’t fall off your bags for peace of mind.

Most importantly, remember to fill out your luggage tags and make sure they are current. Your old cell number is no use to the airline when they find your bag in Geneva.

Check the latest prices on leather luggage tags.

Keep contact info inside your bags.

Sturdy luggage tags are important, but it’s also a good idea to place a business card or index card with your contact details inside your bags.

This way, if the airline loses, then finds, your luggage they can more easily track you down. Also include your flight details, like airline and flight number, to make it even easier to find you.

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Luggage Trackers Can Help Save the Day   

In most cases, if your luggage gets lost, it will be found and returned to you by the airline within a few days. That’s in most cases, not every single time.

However, if you don’t want to wait a few days, and you want to spare yourself the hassle, you do have other options.

Some airlines, like American and Delta, now let travelers like you track your luggage through mobile apps. Using the Fly Delta mobile app, for example, you can see where your luggage was last scanned en route to your final destination thanks to RFID luggage tags.

Photo Credit: Flickr/formulanone

There’s even a map view so you can see at-a-glance where your bag is at any given moment, or at the very least, where your bag was last scanned and at what time.

The RFID luggage tags won’t be able to tell you where your bags went after they reached the last checkpoint. For this reason, you might want to consider better ways to track your luggage. And there are several good ones.

Smart luggage is the name of the game for those who just don’t want to deal with making a lost luggage claim. Especially not after a long flight. Hello, grumpy. Here’s what’s on the market.

Trakdot Luggage Tracker 

The Trakdot Luggage Tracker is a great option for frequent travelers. Simply drop this palm-sized luggage tracking device into your checked bag and make your way to your gate.

Trakdot uses a GSM chip to locate your bag’s position using local cell towers. This smart unit is said to be more accurate than GPS technology in some cases.

This device can locate your luggage at baggage claim within 30 feet. Not bad. Check the latest price now.

LugLoc Luggage Locator

The LugLoc Luggage Locator is another popular luggage tracker device. Simply place the device in your suitcase and the corresponding mobile app will let you know your bag’s location in real time.

Anytime your luggage is on the ground, you’ll know where it is. The luggage tracking device goes into airplane mode while in the air and back on land the device can tell you when your luggage has arrived.

A built-in Bluetooth tracker finds your bag within just a few feet. Check the latest price now.

Tile Mate

The Tile Mate, or just “Tile,” has been popular for some time as a key finder or phone finder. Just attach it to anything you don’t want to lose, like your luggage, even your pet’s collar.

Hook the Tile Mate (or Tile Slim) to your luggage and Bluetooth technology will work as a luggage tracker within a fairly close range. Maybe 100 feet, I’d say.

For longer range, Tile’s global network of users can help find your luggage. That’s a lot of Tile users working to find your lost luggage. Check the latest price now.