Ship Your Luggage to Save Travel Costs

[lhbrown]

Hi,

Ship your Luggage as an alternative to save on Travel Cost.

Now that most airlines are charging passengers to check extra bags, it turns out if you're hauling a lot of luggage on your trip, you can save a few clams by shipping it instead. Here is the math:

Check two bags and you're out $40. That's what you'll pay to have FedEx throw your luggage around, but you'll pay $35 using UPS and $34 to let the post office deal with it. The savings really kick in if you're a clothes' horse or you bought every souvenir you laid eyes on. Airlines will nail you for up to $140 if you've got three pieces of luggage, but the post office will charge you $55. FedEx will get it there (or back) for $60.

Shipping your luggage does not work out in your favor if you're just bringing one piece of luggage. Also, timing your shipment and packing days beforehand to mail bags first is an inconvenience, so only use this one when you're planning to haul a whole lot of stuff.
Save A Buck (and Stick it to the Airlines) by Shipping Your Luggage

[betsyv]

This is a great idea but another couple of factors should be pointed out to get the whole picture.



If you are flying internationally, most airlines allow a second bag and in some cases a third bag. Also if you are a frequent flyer member of the airline, some airlines waive the extra baggage charge and have different weight allowances. For Example, I am a Platinum Medallion Member with Delta. They allow me 70 lbs per bag and allow me multiple bags.

[lhbrown]

Hi betsyv,
You are correct. This idea works best for domestic travel. I too am a AA Million Miles Gold member and the baggage allowance there is still two bags with higher weight limits (50 lbs I believe). It looks like most international travel still has the two bag allowance in place. I also found an interesting difference in the cheap European airlines baggage allowance. Air Berlin (airberlin.com) usually allows 1 bag with a 20 kg allowance. Since this past May, our travel with Air Berlin exceeded 30 days, our baggage allowance was 30 kg. This was a nice touch I thought.