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Apple AirTags for Travel and Cruises: Track Your Luggage
AirTags have become one of our must-pack travel accessories. We use them on our travel backpacks, carry-ons and checked bags, and we wouldn’t want to go back to traveling without them.
Being able to open Apple’s Find My app and see where a bag was last detected adds some reassurance when you’re flying, transferring between destinations or handing luggage over at a cruise terminal. They won’t prevent luggage from getting lost, and they’re not true GPS trackers, but we’ve found them extremely useful throughout the travel process.
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Why We Travel With AirTags
We use AirTags on our travel backpacks, carry-ons and checked bags and love them. It’s really nice to be able to check where a bag was last detected and get some reassurance that it made it onto the plane, arrived at the airport or made it onto the ship with you.
Checked luggage is probably where we appreciate them most. Once you hand over a suitcase at the airport, you normally have very little visibility into what’s happening to it until it appears at baggage claim. An AirTag gives you another source of information along the way.
They’re also useful on more complicated trips. A cruise vacation, for example, might involve a flight, hotel stay, ground transportation and finally the cruise itself. Your luggage can pass through several different sets of hands before you ever unpack it.
AirTags Are Particularly Useful for Cruise Travel
Cruises are one of the reasons we’ve become such big fans of traveling with AirTags.
For many people, the trip starts well before they reach the ship. You may check luggage for a flight, retrieve it at your destination, take it to a hotel and then hand it over again to porters at the cruise terminal.
We like being able to check our bags throughout that process.
One of the most useful times is embarkation day. Larger suitcases are typically handed over before you board and delivered to your cabin later. An AirTag can provide some extra reassurance while you’re waiting for your luggage to show up.
That said, AirTags behave a little differently once the ship leaves port.
Do AirTags Work on Cruise Ships?
Yes, but don’t expect perfect real-time tracking while you’re at sea.
We’ve used AirTags on cruises and consider them well worth packing. They’re especially useful while traveling to the ship and while luggage is making its way onboard.
Once the ship is underway, Find My locations may not update normally. We’ve actually seen our bags appear to be about 20 miles behind us in the middle of the ocean.
If that happens, don’t panic. Your suitcase is probably still sitting in your cabin.
The location shown in Find My can simply be older than the ship’s current position. As the ship continues moving, that old location can quickly end up miles behind you.
For much more about our experience using them onboard, see Do AirTags Work on Cruise Ships?.
Where We Use AirTags When Traveling
Checked suitcases may be the most obvious place to use an AirTag, but we use them with several types of travel bags.
Good candidates include:
- Checked luggage
- Carry-on bags
- Travel backpacks
- Camera bags
- Laptop bags
- Other valuable travel gear
We especially like having them in bags that may be separated from us at some point during a trip.
Where Should You Put an AirTag in Your Luggage?
We generally prefer putting an AirTag somewhere inside the bag rather than hanging it prominently on the outside.
An exterior holder can work, but luggage goes through a lot of handling. Keeping the tracker inside the suitcase or backpack helps protect it and makes it less likely that it will be accidentally knocked off.
You don’t need to leave the AirTag exposed for it to work.
A zippered interior pocket is an easy option. The goal is simply to put it somewhere secure where you’re unlikely to forget it.
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1st Generation vs 2nd Generation AirTag
The current 2nd generation AirTag improves on the original, but the differences are secondary to the main reason we use AirTags for travel. Both generations work with Apple’s Find My network and both remain useful luggage trackers.
| Feature | 1st Generation AirTag | 2nd Generation AirTag |
|---|---|---|
| Precision Finding | Original Precision Finding range | Up to 50% farther range with compatible devices |
| Bluetooth | Original Bluetooth range | Expanded Bluetooth range |
| Speaker | Original speaker | 50% louder |
| Battery | Replaceable CR2032 | Replaceable CR2032 |
| Find My Network | Yes | Yes |
| Existing AirTag Accessories | Yes | Compatible with 2nd generation AirTag |
If you already own 1st generation AirTags and they’re working well, we wouldn’t consider them obsolete. We’d continue using them for our luggage.
If you’re buying AirTags today, the newer 2nd generation adds improved nearby finding range and a louder speaker while keeping the same basic travel usefulness we liked about the originals.
Bottom Line
AirTags have become a must-pack travel accessory for us. We use them in our checked luggage, carry-ons and backpacks because being able to see where a bag was last detected gives us some extra reassurance throughout a trip.
We find them especially useful for cruises because cruise vacations often involve multiple stages of travel and multiple times when luggage is out of your hands. They’re helpful while flying to the cruise, after arriving at your destination and while waiting for checked luggage to make its way onto the ship.
For more about using AirTags specifically while cruising, see Do AirTags Work on Cruise Ships?.
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Apple AirTag (2nd Generation) – 4 Pack: Tracker for Keychain, Wallet, and More; Locator with Sound; Simple One-Tap Setup with iPhone or iPad; Key Finder with up to 1.5X Precision Finding Range* – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link
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This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!
Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.