I’ve been living in India for over a year now. Friends and family have sent multiple postcards and packages, but there is a low success rate for the delivery. Two packages have been sent, both have arrived and of the eight postcards, only two have arrived.
In May, I read the blog post of Kirk McElhearn who sent an AirTag within the UK and could easily track most of its progress. And then there is the video of MegaLag sending AirTags internationally. I wanted to do the same, but then from The Netherlands to India and back. And so I did.
The Netherlands
It started on the 5th of June, by dropping the package at a local PostNL drop off point in Almere.
Three hours later it arrived in a local collecting place at PostNL - Depot Almere where it stayed for at least one, maybe two night.
On the 7th of June it arrived at the PostNL Sorteercentrum IMEC in The Hague.
To my surprise, it stayed at that sorting centre for four whole days until the 11th of June when it moved to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
It moved a bit around during the 12th of June, visiting different locations at the airport, and then it went international.
Abu Dhabi
It arrived at the Abu Dhabi airport on the 13th of June, which is eight days after sending the package.
During its stay in Abu Dhabi it didn’t go very far, it moved a couple of times around the airport, and left in the night from the 16th to the 17th of June. Next destination: India.
India
Finally, after twelve days on the road (and in the air), it arrived at the Indira Ghandi International Airport in New Delhi. It shouldn’t take too long from here, as it’s less than an hour drive from my home.
However, instead of going towards Gurgaon, where I live, it went in the opposite direction for some sightseeing around New Delhi. On the 18th of June it arrived at the Indian Postal Department Foreign Post Office. Here it would stay for another two nights.
On the 20th of June, it started moving again, this time towards the Delhi Junction train station.
One day later, on the 21st of June, it finally arrived in Gurgaon. I think it took a train to the Gurgaon Railway station and then ended up at India Post (RMS) Gurgaon.
On the 22nd of June, it made one last trip to the local Post Office of Bhadshapur and finally arrived at my home the same day.
Conclusion
It took a total of 17 days door-to-door. Other postcards and packages took around 15 to 20 days, so this seems to be average. It took multiple car rides, two flights, and a train ride to arrive. The biggest surprise is the seven days it took before it left The Netherlands. In most places the AirTag’s location is continuously updated, even in India. This means that the penetration of iPhone users is high enough to track a package, even in India.
One tip: don’t send any chocolate, as the chocolate arrived in liquid form instead of the normal bar shape that we are all used to. To see if the way back is the same, the AirTag will be sent back to The Netherlands soon. Stay tuned!