Taxi driver
Loads your suitcase into the boot and sees the label close up. They also know you are leaving or returning.
Privacy while travelling
An address on your suitcase
can tell strangers
your home is empty.
Anyone standing beside your luggage can read the name, street, house number and city on its label. A suitcase on the move suggests you are away. A whostravel.ing QR tag shows only what you choose to share.
Only a QR code on your luggage
Hotel, phone or just a contact form
Update online without printing again
Who sees your suitcase
One journey.
Dozens of pairs of eyes.
Between your front door and your hotel, your luggage passes many people. They may read its label without any intention of doing so, by chance or deliberately.
Someone at the bus stop
Stands beside you for several minutes. The label is within easy reading distance.
Bus passenger
Your bag sits in the aisle or on a rack. Its address label can be read or photographed without you noticing.
Train staff and passengers
Staff walk past your luggage and fellow passengers may sit near it for the whole journey.
Ferry and ship staff
Luggage may be collected on boarding and delivered to a cabin, passing through several hands.
Hotel reception
Before check-in or after check-out, your suitcase may wait in storage with its label on display.
Hotel porter
Carries your luggage to and from your room, with the label close at hand.
Repair garage
Your car and luggage stay at a garage during a breakdown or a service before departure. The suitcase may be in the boot.
Car wash
The boot is opened during interior cleaning. A bag with an address label may be lying on top.
Your travel photo
A photo beside the baggage carousel goes online, sometimes with a readable label visible to hundreds of strangers.
This is not an accusation against any profession
The vast majority of taxi drivers, receptionists, train staff and car wash employees are honest people doing their jobs. The issue is how widely an address is exposed during a journey. Many people may see your bag, and one person with bad intentions is enough. The label we attach to our luggage is what puts the address on display.
A simple connection
Address + suitcase = empty home
Address on the label
street, house number, postcode, city
Luggage on the move
a visible sign that you are travelling
An empty home?
a stranger may draw that conclusion
No one needs to follow you or look anything up. Reading a label in the taxi queue can be enough. If the whole family is travelling, your flat, apartment or house may be empty.
Personal safety
An address is more than a home.
It is where you live.
An address label also reveals where to find you to people you did not choose to tell. A fellow passenger who was too persistent, or someone on a platform who would not accept a refusal, only needs a glance at your suitcase to learn your street, house number and city.
This can affect anyone. Women travelling alone may be particularly familiar with the concern: you do not tell strangers where you live. An address label can do it for you.
- A stranger should not learn your address just by standing beside you in a queue.
- After your trip, someone you happened to meet should not know which door to come to.
- You do not need to explain yourself. Simply leave your home address off your luggage.
You decide who knows your address. Your luggage label should not decide for you.
How it works
One code instead of an address.
Attach it your way.
Print the QR code on an ordinary printer. Your luggage carries the code instead of personal details. Copies of the same code can label several items and lead to one contact page.
Attach it
A tag on the handle
Place the printout in a plastic sleeve or laminate it, then attach it to the handle of a suitcase, backpack or bag.
Stick it on
A sticker for luggage and equipment
Print on adhesive paper or film for your suitcase, laptop, helmet or ski bag. Check that the code scans after attaching it.
Insert it
A card in your existing tag
Already have a tag with a window? Replace the address card with the QR code. Keep a second copy inside your luggage.
- Create an account and download your code
- Print it and attach it to your luggage
- Choose what the finder can see
The account and QR download are free. Sharing details and enabling finder contact require a paid subscription.
You choose what is visible
One code on your suitcase.
Six ways to share less.
Choose an example to see what appears on the finder's phone. Update your details in the panel without printing a new label.
✈️ Travel mode
Hotel and reception phone number
The finder can arrange a return through your hotel reception. If you change hotels, update the details while keeping the same code on your suitcase.
The finder sees
- Accommodation name and type
- Reception phone number
- Hotel address, if enabled
They do not see
- Home address
- Your phone number, if hidden
✈️ Travel mode
The public address of your destination
A business trip, conference, camp or health resort? Show the venue's public address and reception number instead of your private address.
The finder sees
- Venue name and address
- Reception or organiser's phone number
They do not see
- Home address
- Your name, if hidden
🏠 Home mode
A trusted person's number
Enter the phone number of someone staying at home, such as a parent, sibling or partner. Add a short note for the finder.
The finder sees
- First name
- A trusted person's phone number
- Your short message
They do not see
- Home address
- Your own phone number
🏠 Home mode
Just a phone number
A simple option: the finder calls or messages you on WhatsApp. No surname, city or address.
The finder sees
- Phone number
They do not see
- Home address
- Full name
- Email and city
🏠 Home mode
Just an email address
Prefer not to take calls from strangers? Show only an email address, ideally one you use for travel.
The finder sees
- Email address
They do not see
- Home address
- Phone number
- Full name
🏠 Home mode
A form with your contact details hidden
Hide all personal fields. The finder sees no name, phone number, email or address. Their message goes to your panel. They can leave contact details so you can arrange the return.
The finder sees
- Message form
They do not see
- Home address
- Full name
- Phone number
None of these examples includes a home address. The whostravel.ing contact page has no dedicated home address field. Set each field's visibility separately for Home and Travel modes, then switch manually or using departure and return dates.
Address label or QR tag
The same suitcase.
Very different information.
| Traditional address label | whostravel.ing QR tag | |
|---|---|---|
| What someone beside your bag sees | Name, street and house number | Only a QR code |
| Does it suggest you are away from home? | It can: an address on travelling luggage | No home address on the luggage |
| Changing details during a trip | A new card and a pen | Online, with the same code |
| Contact without revealing personal details | Not with a handwritten address label | A message form for the finder |
| After you return home | The address may stay on the bag for years | Switch to Home mode |
| Who controls what is visible? | The written details are always visible | You, separately for Home and Travel |
Before your next trip
Five minutes to
keep your address private
- Remove old address labelsCheck suitcases, backpacks, laptop bags and hand luggage. Remove address cards from tag windows too.
- Leave your home address off your luggageAvoid writing it on the bag or a sticker under a flap. Other people may also see inside your luggage.
- Check your travel photosBefore posting an airport or station photo, check that no personal details on a label are readable.
- Choose what the code showsA hotel in Travel mode, a phone number or just a form. Choose what suits this trip.
- Scan before leavingUse your phone to check that the printout scans and the contact page shows only what you intend.
Questions
Common questions
about addresses on luggage
Do people really misuse addresses on luggage?
This page is not intended to frighten you and makes no statistical claim about such incidents. Anyone beside your bag can read an address label, and luggage on the move suggests you are travelling. Leaving your home address off the label removes that exposure.
Do I have to give whostravel.ing my home address?
No. The contact page has no dedicated home address field. You can show your country and city, but you do not have to. In Travel mode, enter a place such as a hotel and choose whether its address is visible.
What does the finder see with the form-only option?
A contact page with no name, phone number or email, but with a message form. You read their message in your panel. The finder can leave contact details so you can arrange the return.
Can I change what the code shows during a trip?
Yes. With an active subscription, edit your details and field visibility in the panel, including on your phone. The printed code stays the same.
How much does it cost?
Creating an account and downloading the QR code are free. Sharing details and enabling finder contact require a subscription for the main code at 9,99 € per year.
Does the finder need an app?
No whostravel.ing app is needed. A phone camera or QR reader and internet access are enough to open the contact page in a browser.
Does whostravel.ing track where I am?
We do not continuously track your location. A QR tag is not a GPS tracker, and changing a contact address does not confirm your presence there. You choose the details to show. A reception address can be used to return luggage without meaning you are there at that moment.
Are my addresses and trips used for advertising or statistics?
We do not sell your data or use it for marketing. We do not use external analytics or advertising systems. We do keep our own visit statistics and technical logs for service operation and security, including scan times and IP addresses. An IP address may indicate an approximate scan location, but does not confirm the luggage owner's location.
Do changes to my tag create a travel history for authorities?
We do not create a history of your travels for authorities. Editing your tag updates contact details for the finder. The service does store account information, current contact page details and technical logs. Disclosure to authorised bodies may be required by law.
Guides: Private luggage label · How to label luggage · How to recover lost luggage
Take your address off your suitcase.
Keep a way to get in touch.
Create an account, download your code and choose what the finder sees. Your home address can stay at home.
The account and QR download are free. Sharing details and enabling finder contact require a paid subscription.