LoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storySummer is right around the corner. We’re headed out on adventures and bringing our stuff with us. Here are all the tech and tips that WIRED Reviews recommends for your travels.
It can happen to even the most seasoned traveler. When my family took a recent flight, I did not check the airplane model and only found out at the airport that we were flying on a tiny propeller plane with very limited overhead space. All of our carry-on suitcases had to be gate-checked, which made me nervous as we were traveling to a family event and had everyone's suits and dresses neatly packed away.
Luckily, I had grabbed a handful of Bluetooth trackers and put them in my pocket before we left the house. I was able to stick these into our suitcases at the last minute, so that I could check at each layover that they were traveling with us.
Traveling is stressful enough without wondering if your precious swimsuit or hair dryer even made it to your destination with you. I try to avoid checking bags whenever possible—I prefer to get off the plane and from there, sprint out of the airport as fast as possible, never looking back. However, if there’s no way around it, here are a few tips to make sure you know where your bag is. Don't forget to check out the rest of our travel coverage, including the Best Carry-On Suitcases, the Best Travel Totes, and the Best Laptop Backpacks.
A Trackable SuitcaseBest for iPhone UsersBest for Android UsersTips and TricksA Trackable SuitcasePhotograph: Adrienne SoPhotograph: Adrienne SoPhotograph: Adrienne SoChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlistJuly
With or without an in-case tracker, July's carry-on is the only suitcase that was small enough to fit in the overhead bin on a DHC-8-400, if you're the kind of person who obsessively checks airplane models before you leave for a flight. (The external dimensions are 21.5 x 15 x 8.5 inches, which is a half-inch slimmer than any other carry-on I've tested.)
When July debuted CaseSafe last year, I wondered why anyone would want this when you could just stick an AirTag in your suitcase. As I recently discovered, sometimes circumstances intervene. Not everyone has a pile of spare Bluetooth trackers sitting on their desk, so it's convenient to have one built into your suitcase when you get to the gate and realize you're about to board a tiny propeller plane with room to hold one handkerchief inside the cabin.
CaseSafe is basically an AirTag that lives inside the top of the suitcase; pull the tab out of the tracker, turn it on, and add it to your respective app (CaseSafe works with both Apple Find My and Google Find Hub). The tracker uses a replaceable, standard CR2032 coin battery. After a year, the battery still has nearly full power. There's a button on the exterior of the suitcase that you can push to enter pairing mode or to stop the suitcase from ringing if you're looking for it.
There are a couple of reasons to prefer July's suitcases to those made by Away. The price includes not only CaseSafe but also an ejectable power bank. I also like its compact size; you can use it for both international and domestic travel, and the pebbled surface and bumpers mean that it looks completely damage-free after a year. CaseSafe itself, however, is a little annoying. The plastic case is flimsy, and I needed to pry it open with a quarter and a butter knife to replace the battery. All things considered, as an iPhone user, I'd much prefer to use an AirTag.
Courtesy of AppleSave to wishlistSave to wishlistApple
Ever since Apple debuted the AirTag in 2021, it has become the de facto Bluetooth tracker (for iPhones) and upended older companies like Tile. The second-gen version still costs the same as the original, but it now comes with a new Ultra Wideband chip (U2) that lets you precisely pinpoint the AirTag's location with Precision Finding mode on your iPhone. It's also 50 percent louder than the first-gen AirTag.
If you've never used Precision Finding, it's a treat. You open Find My → Find (Nearby), and your phone will point in the direction where your item is located. This is less helpful when it comes to luggage. Our luggage traveled with us, so when I tested it, Find My just pointed to the baggage carousel door.
Apple also says that the second-gen AirTag has a greater range. AirTags (and every other Bluetooth tracker) work by pinging devices that are on their respective networks. (Most Bluetooth trackers have a range of about 30 feet.) Airports are places that are generally well-stocked with people carrying lots of different phones and devices. I did not notice a lag between when our CaseSafe- and Pebblebee-tracked suitcases made it to baggage claim as compared to our AirTag-tracked suitcase.
I like AirTags because they're easy to use with an iPhone, their batteries are replaceable, and there are a ton of affordable accessories so you can clip them to your suitcase without losing them in your pocket or on the bottom.
Photograph: Adrienne SoPhotograph: Adrienne SoChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlistPebblebee
Pebblebee's latest-gen Clip 5 has a few significant differences from the 2024 Clip Universal that I have. (Sadly, Pebblebee has discontinued my beloved Tag Universal, which had a slightly different form factor.) The Clip 5 is louder, has a more robust IP66 rating. and offers better battery life. Even the older Clip Universal is louder than an AirTag. If I had an Android phone instead of an iPhone, I would use Pebblebee.
Pebblebee has a few features that I really love. First, it's rechargeable via USB-C, so you're not breaking your nails replacing those tiny coin batteries. The battery life is still comparable to AirTags and lasts over 12 months. The second is that Pebblebee trackers are made from 30 percent recycled plastic. Finally, Pebblebee recently introduced a new, free SOS feature. If you press the clip over six times, it triggers a siren, flashes its LED lights, and sends a text notification to one “Safety Circle” contact that you’ve designated in the Pebblebee app.
This is really useful if you, like me, tend to swap out your Bluetooth trackers between items as you're using them. If you've attached a Pebblebee Clip to your luggage, you can pop it out and put it in your pocket for when you grab dinner by yourself while you're traveling. Pebblebee works with both Apple Find My and Google Find Hub. If you're nervous about triggering the siren, you can also grab the Pebblebee Card 5 ($35), which is the same price and doesn't have the siren.
Photograph: Adrienne SoI have been losing my luggage since I was four years old, getting sent on planes halfway around the world. Here are a few ways I've learned to keep track of my luggage (and how to deal with the disappointment when I inevitably don't).
Zip your tracker into an interior pocket. You don't want to just place it loose in your belongings. Maybe it will slide into the middle of your clothes, where the Bluetooth signal will get blocked, or you or a careless TSA employee might accidentally shake it out onto the floor. Some of my favorite carry-on suitcases, like the Peak Design Roller Pro ($600), have AirTag pockets built into the bag, so you don't have to worry about them falling out.
Label your individual trackers. It's pretty easy to change the name and emoji of your trackers in Find My or Find Hub, and you should! It's hard to keep track of which item you've lost when you have six AirTags, all labeled “Adrienne's Luggage.”
Check the battery before you leave. If you're not traveling often, it's easy to let your luggage Bluetooth trackers sit unused for months.
What about GPS trackers? GPS trackers use satellites, whereas AirTags and other similar trackers use Bluetooth and a crowdsourced network of compatible devices they can communicate with, such as phones. While you may experience small gaps in coverage with Bluetooth trackers when you're locating your luggage—for example, your suitcase got loaded onto the cart and isn't within 30 feet of an iPhone while it's making its way to baggage claim—you're pretty much guaranteed to have a lot of devices on the Find My or Find Hub network at an airport to help establish the tracker's position. GPS trackers usually require a subscription, so I don't recommend them for luggage tracking if you'll only use them a few times a year.
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