Senior Spotlight: Lost Luggage Top Tip

Travel is supposed to be fun, right? And it usually is – unless you are facing a canceled flight or lost baggage (two of the issues that are rampant in travel today!). We are going to talk about the former this week and share a tip we recently learned on how to track your bag better than the airline can.
 

Did you know that post-COVID demand for travel resulted in unrivaled disruption in lost luggage? In 2022 alone, rates of mishandled baggage doubled with 26 million pieces of luggage lost, delayed or damaged (Guardian, May 2023). If you do a quick Google search on the topic of lost luggage, you will see countless stories of travelers who had to make an extra trip to track down their bags (one airline lost a family’s irreplaceable heirlooms on a trip to Italy). You’ll also see that one tracking trick is commonly noted as a way to find your own luggage when the airlines can’t – the Apple AirTag.

On a humorous note, Apple Insider reports that “…sometimes AirTags have given us funny stories about lost luggage going on a better holiday than its owners.” The same article reports the common phenomena that occurs when “an AirTag has rescued luggage that wasn't where it should be and wasn't even where the airline insisted it was.”

We experienced this for ourselves when a fellow passenger experienced a missing suitcase. The airline was unable to locate the bag, but the passenger was due to his Apple AirTag and saw that his bag made it home to his doorstep before he returned from his 10 days of travel. While it was inconvenient to do without his bag on his trip, it gave him piece of mind to know the bag was on his doorstep and that a neighbor had brought it in safely. Otherwise, he would have spent 10 days waiting for the airport to track it down and worry what items had been damaged or compromised.

While we are not endorsing and do NOT benefit from your decision to purchase an Apple AirTag, we do want you to know we wish we had them on our bags during a recent excursion. If you decide to buy them, the cost is $29 for one or a 4-pack for $99. Support in connecting the AirTags can be found here. A good read on Android alternatives to the AirTag can be found from ScreenRant and the Android Authority.

We hope that our experience can save you some stress! Wishing you safe, healthy and happy travels where you make many memories (that do not involve lost luggage!).

All our best,

Bobbi & Buddy 

Bobbi Decker
DRE#00607999

Broker Associate
650.346.5352 cell
650.577.3127 efax
www.bobbidecker.com


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