My wife is studying art abroad in Italy, near Perugia, for 8 weeks; I join her at the end for some recreational travel(we meet in Rome where I fly in). She will have one suitcase filled with art tools, supplies, etc. that we will definitely not want to drag around the country with us. What are the best options (safest, least expensive) for getting this stuff safely home (to our adult son)? UPS/DHL equivalent? The airlines themselves?
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23267 posts
Your choices are limited. If items don't have a lot of value, trust the Italian postal service and ship it by slow boat. Maybe break it into three or four small boxes. If you use one of the delivery services it will be expensive. Go to any of their web sites and you can obtain an estimate of the shipping cost. The airlines do not accept unaccompanied luggage but if someone in the class is returning and is willing to take the suitcase as one their checked luggage that would probably be the cheapest way.
Posted by
shen, ca, usa
111 posts
Thru experience, I learned the cheapest and most trust-worthy is airline baggage. An extra bag is under $100 on most route, much faster and reliable than post and delivery services of many countries. It goes thru custom with the rest of your luggages. For example, DHL in China charges over $250 for a suitcase and oftentimes you have to clear US custom yourself. I also found this true when getting an Oriental rug back from Egypt last year.
Can you store at the hotel in Rome till you're coming back.
Posted by
San Francisco, CA, USA
14 posts
I have been researching this recently, and the best I came up with is to use a luggage forwarding service, like luggageforward.com. It's pretty expensive, especially for one bag, though it gets a little cheaper the more you ship. Just did a quick search and looks like it costs $175 for a small bag (25#) and $240 for a regular bag (50#). There are several other luggage forwarding services, so shop around and you might find a better price.
Posted by
OP
El Cerrito, CA, United States
58 posts
To Julie in Calif... we're actually not returning via Rome. Once I meet my wife, we'll make our way up north, stopping here and there, and eventually fly out of Milan (stopping in London for a couple days). I vaguely recall some airlines offering delivery services for travelers who want to go light ("have your luggage waiting for you at your destination-- even your hotel or home")-- but I don't remember which ones and whether or not they might be prohibitively expensive.
Posted by
shen, ca, usa
111 posts
JW, many airlines offer this service, United, Delta etc. It's more expensive than excess baggage. Call them for rate. Also, if you're frequent flyer some offers a discount.
Posted by
Vidalia
113 posts
I found this amazingly difficult to impossible last summer! I ended up shipping the largest box the PO would allow and dumping stuff from my pre-trip along the way! Good luck - I don't know why it's such a problem; I was in a small town, perhaps in a city it would be easier?
Posted by
Rome
212 posts
The last time I asked to the Posta to ship something "on the slow boat" I was told it no longer exists. Has anyone used that method of shipping lately, or been told that it is now via aereo or via aereo?