My daughter has been studying in Vienna for three months and has a large bag , a carry on bag and backpack, along with a few things she's purchased there. I'm meeting her for three weeks of travel through France & Italy and would like to travel light. Is there a cost effective way to ship some of her things home?
I was able to ship a large box to her for & 50 via boat that took 4-6 weeks. We wouldn't mind waiting that length of time as these would be her winter wear but I have no idea how to locate a company in Vienna that ships over the sea.
Any Ideas?
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA, USA
419 posts
UPS is international. Check to see if there is an office convenient for you.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9099 posts
Mailboxes Etc. has multiple locations throughout Vienna. They can do the dirty work before handing it off to UPS, FEDEX or DHL:
Posted by
2081 posts
ahroeser,
I ship stuff home from just about every country i visit.
I do some homework up front to see what the local "postal service" charges and so far they have been the best deal. There arent alot of international carriers around and if you look at their prices, too expensive.
So far, all of the "post offices" i have used have their version of the "USPS priority mail" and that includes shipping boxes. Some charge for them, some dont. But what i do is to google for each countries "postal service" and look up the shipping rates tables. Some are in table form, some are shipping rate "calculators" - input weight (kg) and ouput charges in the local currency. Just so you know. 1kg is approximately 2.2 Lbs. and 2 kg is approx 4.4 lbs. use your bathroom scale to get an idea on how much 4 Lbs is.
Also, some of the "post offices" offer "express" services and some offer slower - less expensive services too.
since im going to Vienna in Sept, i have some of the shipping charges on my spreadsheet.
2 kg is approx 50 Euros to ship "standard" to the USA. note that this is the most expensive shipping i will encounter on my trip this year.
happy trails.
Posted by
1 posts
Try excess-baggage.com who provide worldwide baggage shipping services, as well as baggage storage, bag wrap, and other services at airports and rail stations.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23262 posts
The excess baggage could be also be labeled excessively expensive baggage. Check their rates. You can easily check the rate for any of the international carries - UPS, FedEx, etc., by going to their web site and getting a quote. None will be particularly cheap so it depends on how you define "cost effective." For me, traveling three weeks without excessive luggage could easily be worth $100 to $150. Carry the valuables, ship the junk.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I shipped a box of books from Vienna last year through the local post office. It wasn't cheap but I don't think it was overpriced, either. Mailboxes Etc uses several different shippers (FedEx, UPS, DHL) and you can compare rates. Sorry, I don't know anything about sending packages by sea.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
We have already replied on the duplicate thread.