Not Losing Your Keys Forever

Five stars. (★★★★★)

On the way home from my epic summer road trip, I realized my house keys were missing. The immediate crisis of a lockout was averted because I have a lockbox on the property with a spare key. (Yay me!)

Once I emerged from the post-vacation fog, I got ready to contact all the hotels and VRBOs where I might have left the keys. I was not feeling hopeful. Then I remembered: I put a Tile on the keyring. (High-five me!)

I popped open the app, and within 24 hours the Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab, Utah had located and shipped my keys.

So, here are my pro tips:

1) Get Tiles for everything. I have them for all of my keyrings, my office security fob, my wallet. (I can't vouch for Apple AirTags; Tile has been great for me.)

2) Take photos of your keys. Because I had a photo, the hotel was able to identify my keys amidst the other orphaned keys.

3) Get an engraved ID tag for your keyring. I'm experimenting with a couple of cheapos (under $10) from Amazon, they seem fine. I put them on my house and car rings.

4) Stash a spare key. Because I live alone and don't have a roommate or partner to rescue me, I have a lockbox on the property with a spare apartment key.

Incidentally, I blame the whole rigamarole on a ridiculous design flaw with the Patagonia Black Hole Tote: You have to flip the accessory pocket upside down to get at the laptop pocket. So of course my keys fell out. I will have to deduct some stars.

Anyway, I have my keys back and present-Barb is extremely pleased with past-Barb.