Top tech and travel uses for Apple AirTags
Apple AirTags are well-known for tracking keys, wallets — just about anything. Slap an AirTag on your most often misplaced items, and voila! You can find them using the Find My app on your iPhone … assuming you didn’t lose your iPhone.
How else do people use Apple AirTags? We asked tech-savvy travel and outdoor experts to share their favorite uses for AirTags — and got some unexpected responses.
Keep tabs on roaming kids
Lots of parents use AirTags for peace of mind while their kids are at school. AirTags are commonly sewn into kids’ backpacks, and parents can track their children’s whereabouts — or at least the whereabouts of the backpacks.
Jen Tsang, a snow sports expert and vacation consultant, lives with her family at a ski resort in the French Alps. Her two kids, ages 5 and 7, are already expert skiers and frequently hit the slopes with their ski clubs.
“My oldest is also starting to head off-piste with his ski club, and the AirTags are brilliant for knowing what areas he is in and when … if we lose track of them on the ski slopes, we have our family safety plans in place, but having an Apple AirTag tucked away in their ski gear means we can see where they are.”
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Jen also offers important advice about signal interference: some ski passes contain RF tags that can interrupt the AirTag’s Bluetooth signal. To keep interference to a minimum, she recommends keeping your Air Tags in an interior pocket since ski passes are worn outside clothing.
Tara Cannon, publisher of travel website The Better Beyond, found extra peace of mind when her teenage daughter agreed to carry an AirTag around during her first solo overseas trip in the south of Spain.
“She’s a good kid, but the country, the city, the language and that much freedom to roam were all new to her. During her time at the language school, we were in a different area of Spain, and would just check in at 12 a.m. to make sure she was back at the language school in time for curfew.”
Locate your kids’ stuff
Beyond keeping track of where your offspring are, Nathan Russo of Florida Panhandle Vacation Rentals suggests using AirTags to keep track of your sprouts’ favorite toys.
“For anyone that has a very young child who enjoys throwing their favorite toy out of the stroller at least 500 times during any outing, attach an AirTag to the toy and you'll never have to deal with the tears.”
Travel agency owner Brandi Taylor uses AirTags to track both her kid and her kid’s accoutrements while traveling. “I use an AirTag on my child when we travel, and on our stroller in the Disney theme parks in case it gets moved around in the stroller parking areas.”
Monitor your pets on a plane
Many people use AirTags to track the location of pets that aren’t beholden to boundaries, like cats or dogs that disdain fences. AirTags also offer peace of mind for people traveling with pets.
Emily Wilson, who publishes the travel blog Pets Around the World, says that AirTags are useful for pet owners who are worried about their fur-baby while flying.
“When the AirTag is secured to the crate or directly on the collar, pet owners can use the app to confirm their dog or cat made it onto the plane. If there is a layover or transfer, they can ensure everything went smoothly.”
“You'll want to make sure the AirTag is securely attached to your pet's collar, and also concealed in some way,” advises Josh Snead, CEO of Rainwalk Pet Insurance. “AirTags are expensive pieces of technology and someone might give it a try.”
Find yourself outside
It’s one thing to lose something in your house, but it’s quite another to lose something on a sandy beach or a hike through the woods.
Even worse, what if you’re the thing that’s misplaced? AirTags can help there, too.
Tech enthusiast/data analyst Justin Chia used an AirTag (which he keeps inside his tent) to guide him back to his campground after losing his way on a hike. As day turned into night, Justin became uneasy but then remembered that his iPhone could guide him to his campground.
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“Using the Find My app, it became my digital compass. The relief of seeing my tent, thanks to this tiny piece of tech, was immense,” says Justin. “Adventures are thrilling, but safety is paramount.”
Secure your provisions
Michael Harlow, travel blogger and founder of The Adventure Travelers, recently traversed the 222-mile John Muir Trail and summited Mt. Whitney with his wife. The couple attached Apple AirTags to the bottom of their bear canister (a secure storage container for food).
“There were a couple of reasons for this,” says Michael. “First, if a bear knocked our bear can off a cliff or rolled it down a hill, and we couldn't find it, we would be without our much-needed food. Second, if some nefarious hiker decided they liked our food better than theirs and walked off with our bear can, we could politely track it and let them know they must've picked up the wrong one by mistake.”
Protect important equipment and tech
If you’ve invested in expensive sports equipment, you probably want to keep a close eye on it. Nick Brennan, CEO of My UK SIM Card, added an AirTag to his golf bag after losing a set of clubs to thieves while traveling in the U.S.
“Two years ago I had my golf bag stolen out of the back of my rental car in Las Vegas ... needless to say I never got them back.” Now, his golf bag contains a concealed AirTag, so his clubs are always searchable.
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Faddy Farkhondeh, a Swedish software engineer and blogger based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, uses AirTags to track high-tech equipment, like drones, which he uses to create hiking videos.
“Since the drone can fly away and crash into a tree out of line of sight, I attach AirTags to it for easy recovery ... most drones do have their own tracking. But when you're flying a drone miles away, it's super easy to forget that the battery only lasts about 15-20 minutes. Once that battery is out, the built-in tracking is no good.”
Faddy also uses AirTags to track rented motorbikes, a popular means of transportation in Southeast Asia. With so many bikes parked in public areas, it can be hard to know which one is yours. Also, says Faddy, “Insurance for motorbike rentals in Thailand is pretty much non-existent. If something happens to the bike, like it gets stolen or you crash, you're basically buying a new one. I usually rent scooters like the Honda PCX or Yamaha NMAX. They've got this roomy compartment under the seat, so I just toss the AirTag in there. Sometimes, I'll stick it in the front water bottle pocket.”
Faddy says that his favorite AirTag feature is the push notifications he receives on his iPhone if someone tries to tamper with the AirTag.
Eric Matechak, outdoor enthusiast and freshwater fishing tour guide, keeps AirTags on each boat in his recreational fishing fleet. “I always know which fishing spot each boat is at. This helps me streamline my operations, ensuring I don’t end up sending two boats to the same crowded spot.
“Once, I remember one of my boats had drifted off due to strong currents while it was anchored. I immediately got a notification on my phone, and guess what? I could locate it swiftly. Saved me a lot of stress and potential repair costs.”
Are you an avid traveler or outdoor enthusiast with an interesting use for Apple AirTags? Sound off in the comments with your suggestions.
