| Last Updated: Aug 30, 2008 - 12:59:02 PM |
Frustrated with airlines’ recent checked luggage fees, security hassles, and your now-too-heavy carry-on? How would you like to get your bags from Point A to Point B by bypassing the airlines all together?
I’ve got a list of airline-free, luggage-transfer alternatives for you, with cost quotes for each. Unfortunately, most of these options cost even more than the airlines, but if paying to avoid airport luggage hassles is worth it to you, consider one of these services:
(Note: All prices listed are cheapest-option, one-way quotes based on sending one jam-packed, upright, carry-on bag from LA to Chicago; costs increase if shipping either more stuff, further, or faster.)
OVERNIGHT SHIPPING CARRIERS
: I.e., Fed Ex, UPS, DHL, the U.S. Post Office. Throw your belongings in a box, slap on a shipping label, and order a pick-up. (Pack an extra label so you can ship back the same way when your trip ends.)
Cost
: Of the four carriers, the cheapest option was 4-day shipping via Fed Ex: $22.03 for a 25-lb., 47 linear inch (L+W+H) bag.
LUGGAGE SHIPPERS
: These specialty shipping companies focus only on luggage
—
experts, if you will, on shipping everything from your duffel bag to a surfboard or car seat. And, unlike a generic UPS operator, they know you and your package, and take charge should anything go wrong/change along the way. The companies, and the quotes I received, include:
•
BaggageQuest.com
: $51.22
•
TheLuggageClub.com
: $76.34
•
LuggageForward.com
: $84
•
LuggageConcierge.com
: $108.01
•
LuggageFree.com
: $121.90
•
VirtualBellhop.com
: $133.35
The companies’ services vary in the details. On average, shipping takes 3-6 business days; LuggageForward and LuggageFree guarantee 5. “Small” (i.e., upright, carry-on size) baggage options varied from 46-58 linear inches and 25-45 lbs, with LuggageConcierge offering the most weight for the size option. Only BaggageQuest will honor your request for an exact pick-up time; the rest give you a window. They all need notice of your order anywhere from 24-72 hours. And only BaggageQuest, LuggageFree, and LuggageClub offer 24-hour customer service.
BAGS TO GO
: This is a company that’s like an off-site skycap, checking your bag(s) for you, so you can head to the airport with just your boarding pass and claim ticket(s) in-hand. The catch? The service is only available on select airlines and in Las Vegas and Ft. Lauderdale.
Cost: $20 + any checked luggage fees your airline requires.
FLYLITE
: They not only ship your stuff, they’ll pack it for you! Before your trip, send them everything you might ever want to pack in a suitcase. They’ll catalog it and post a list online for you. Then, at least 48 hours before you travel, use your online account to create a packing list; they’ll pull your stuff from storage, and ship everything on that list so it’s waiting for you at your destination. They even dry clean everything afterward.
Cost: $500 one-time registration fee + $100 (RT!) shipping, if sending to someplace within their “zone” (25 miles from any major U.S. city) + dry cleaning fees.
About the Author:
A former Hollywood producer and now 2nd-generation travel professional, Susan Michelle travels the planet as the “face” of the fashion-forward Compass travel lifestyle brand.
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