Traveling light vs souvenirs

There are so many costs and restrictions involved in shipping wine that often the best method is simply to bring home that special bottle or two yourself, in your checked luggage.

Mike, The Italian postal system is not known for being "reliable" and there's no way I'd ever ship anything from there unless using FedEx or UPS (which wouldn't be cheap). There have been a few posts here in the past from people that mailed items from Italy, which NEVER arrived. I've found that even mailing from the U.K. is not a exactly "speedy". One box of souvenirs that I mailed from the Cotswolds took about three months to get here. If you're thinking of buying lots of souvenirs, you might consider using checked luggage. As the others have said, it's possible to buy many Italian products on this side of the pond. The local liquor stores here carry a fairly good seleçtion of Italian wines, and the Italian Deli's have all the meats, cheeses, pastas and other items (including Trofie and Cannoli). I don't really need to bring anything back, as everything I need is available here. Happy travels!

Given the easy availability of so many Italian wines here in the US, I would only arrange to have really special bottles shipped back - ones that I could confirm are NOT available in the US. It's a myth that Italian wines are so much cheaper in Italy that it's worth shipping a bunch home.

Well wine aside, still there are other gifts and trinkets. But again I didnt know that there were some of the same stuff here in the US. I know when I was stationed in Germany, and did a lot of traveling, I dont recall seeing or hearing about any of the small vineyards or wines let alone any of the cellos's being here either.

Mike, we travel a lot and usually bring carry-on going over. We also bring a Rick Steves' nylon bag for purchases. We then check a carry-on coming back. Some of your purchases will be small so won't matter anyway. Another thing we have done is left clothes at our last hotel (slightly faded, small stain, some worn jeans or pants, etc) ....to make extra room. We ask these to be donated. Wear your heaviest clothes home. It's expensive to ship things home so we hardly never do it. Except, rug in Turkey that included shipping. You'll love traveling light.

Small items can be collected along the way and either stuffed into luggage (especially if you wear and dispose of old clothes you no longer need at home) or into an empty bag and just pay the extra luggage fee to the airline on your way home. This option means you'll have more weight to lug around by the end of your trip. For larger/more expensive/heavy items, always have the merchant ship if that is an option. They can get decent shipping rates and usually not charge you the VAT (making the shipping a wash cost-wise). Pay with credit card for protection that it will be shipped. If you buy clothes, bring them in extra luggage or even wear them home (like a new coat - even in summer). Shipping items yourself can get very expensive, in the $200 plus range. Alcohol cannot be shipped by yourself. Some wineries can ship for you, but many cannot. You also must check with your own state laws, as some states do not allow it. Best is to bring wine sleeves to put a few choice bottles in your checked bags (NEVER carryon). For more than a couple bottles, you'll need to declare it, but often US customs just waives you through duty-free for a small amount.

I always travel with 1 small carry on suitcase and 1 small daybag. I also pack a small foldup bag in my suitcase. As I aquire more things I have an extra bag for souvenirs plus I can "pop open" my suitcase for a little more room. On the way home I check the suitcase with my wine & such (since you can't carry it on) and carry on my 2 small bags.

Here's a few tips. Consider the combination of a carry-on (rolling luggage) and a Rick Steve eurotote. The tote snaps over the pull-handle of the carry-on for easy toting. Or, just a day-type backpack rather than a eurotote. You can bring both on the plane. The rolling-luggage fits in overhead bin and the backpack or eurotote fits under the plane seat in front of you. Also, I like packing cubes from ebags.com and eagle creek. Measure the INSIDE of your suitcase first. Then, figure out a combination of packing cubes. For my 22 X 14 X 9 bag, I use 2 medium ebags + 1 slimline ebag + 1 eagle creek full tube cube. You can buy a combination ebag set. Pencil Pouches with zippers can help save space also. Ziplock bags.

Mike I like to either pack an empty duffle in my carrry-on outbound, or buy a cheap duffle or other larger piece of luggage at some point during the trip my destination. I check that bag on the return, full of my dirty clothes, books, and anything else expendable. Any souvenirs of value I bring back in my carryon. There is usually,no charge for checked bags checked through on the return, (on major airlines anyway) so there is no reason not to check a bag on return. Wine and other liquids I pack carefully in the checked bag. Haven't lost one yet. I am all for traveling light as in not taking too much stuff with you. But once you are there, the extra bag makes it easier to travel, light.

Wow GREAT answers and suggestions! Thank you everyone.

I use all the methods mentioned. I ship books via Fedex. I pack wines, liquors, etc. in my carryon and then check it as baggage, and use a smaller bag to carry on non-liquid purchases. I also leave clothes behind to make room for gifts ( for myself and others).