Italy in June

Thank you for your reply while my husband and I intend to check one bag a piece this seemed an option to avoid the chance misdirection of checking it on a flight. Since we were arriving first in Florence I thought perhaps the delivery might be more predictable.

I bet the odds are much higher that the shipped bag would be late than they are of a checked bag being lost. It's actually pretty rare that bags get lost in flight, especially the fewer connections you have. (Yes, it does happen, of course.) Late shipments, however, happen all the time.

The post in Italy isn't very reliable, so I would say that checking your luggage on a plane has a higher rate of getting there with you than shipping your bags to Florence. Plus you would have to make sure the hotel has a safe place to put the bags until you get there, and is willing to do so. Try not to pack too much (wash your clothes in the sink, hang them to dry, you really don't need very much for two weeks in June) and then bring whatever else you have with you. I don't know which airline you are flying over but most will let you check one bag free on international flights, so you should be fine.

Sounds like you plan to send a lot of luggage. If this is the case, you might want to read up on the downside of dragging around unneeded clothes & accessories. To answer more directly, if you think that this will be cheaper- it won't be. If this i intended to make the travel easier- it will be - if your bags get delivered on time. Italy works on, shall we say, a more relaxed timetable then in the USA.

After two 14 day trips to italy and another coming up next month, my advise is the less luggage the better. My children carried backpacks (ala RSteves) and I had one small roller that I checked on the plane. We washed clothes once and could have NEVER done all the train travel and walking we did with any more pieces of luggage.
Read Rick's advise on this website about how to pack. We followed it and were VERY glad we did.

Please check out Rick's packing list for men and women. It really does pay to pack light.

There will be more than ample places that will do your laundry for you, maybe 10-15 euro pp. If you are worried about bags getting lost, just pack carry-on would be my advice.

Shipping luggage is actually getting more common these days. But, it's quite expensive and not for the budget traveler. If I could afford to do it, I would have no problem shipping my bag UPS or Fed-Ex a couple weeks in advance to save myself the hassle. But, only your swankier hotel is going to accommodate holding them for you.

I travel a lot on business, and really cannot recommend shipping anything to a hotel. I've had more stuff "lost" that way than any other method and now tell clients & colleagues not to send anything to me at a hotel. It is just too easy for packages etc. to "disappear". Check your bags -- far better chance of them arriving with you.

Thanks to everyone for your helpful replies and you experience. We are so looking forward to this trip!
gb

May I present one more situation and solicit advice from more experienced travelers? My husband and I will be in Italy for one month and will be checking one suitcase each. Our return trip is my worry and I am wondering if shipping our luggage would be advisable. We are to fly Alitalia from Trieste to Rome and then Alitalia again from Rome to Paris. We have a 10 hour layover in Paris, then fly United for 2 more legs back to US. My worry is that among the 2 Alitalia flights and the long layover in Paris our luggage will be lost. Would you advise that we ship our suitcases home, or just take our chances? Thanks for the info!

ginger, As the others have mentioned, shipping luggage is NOT really a good idea. If you choose to ship by post, you could be back home before the bags get to Italy. If you ship via FedEx (or other Courier) it will be VERY expensive. Plan to check one bag each and be sure that your carry-on has any "essentials" that you might need (in case your luggage is "misplaced" for a day or two). Happy travels!

Ginger, Please take to heart all the guidance regarding taking only one carry on bag for each of you. Read the many attached articles regarding the downfalls involved with schleping 2 bags each as you travel this beautiful country. Have a great trip!