There’s a lot to love and hate about airline travel. On the one hand, it is the fastest way of getting from A to B and it allows you to travel across the world with ease. In just a few hours, you can go from one continent to another – it’s seriously one of the best inventions we’ve ever seen.
On the other hand, there are plenty of things that make you scratch your head and sigh in disbelief. Most notably, the excessive cost of everything. Plane tickets themselves can sometimes look affordable. If you book early on, you can get an excellent deal. Unfortunately, you then have to account for the added costs. It can cost an arm and a leg to book your own seats or risk being assigned awful ones. If you want more legroom, that costs extra. If you want to bring a bag in the cabin that’s larger than a rucksack, it will cost extra.
In fact, luggage itself is one of the most expensive add-ons when flying. You have to pay per suitcase you put in the hold, and then the price goes up depending on how heavy it is. If you’re bringing a lot of stuff on your trip, it can sometimes cost more to book your luggage on the plane than it does to buy the tickets.
Is there any way of getting around this? Well…there is one possible solution: shipping your luggage separately.
How does it work?
Basically, you contact a shipping company and send your luggage overseas to your chosen destination. You can get it shipped directly to where you’re staying, allowing you to bypass the luggage collection when you land. You also benefit from not needing to queue at the airport as you can usually check in online if you’re flying without any luggage. Simply arrive at your accommodation, and your bags should be there.
Is shipping your luggage cheaper?
This is the real question, and the answer is…yes, sometimes.
To be honest, it depends on how much luggage you’re bringing and how heavy it is. You can use tools like the Unishippers freight shipping calculator to see how much it costs to ship all of your luggage to your chosen destination. Then, head to the airline’s website and compare the prices. For luggage that’s over 30kg or contains things like special sports equipment (skis or surfing gear), it can often be far cheaper to ship it ahead of time.
The lighter your luggage is, and the fewer items you have, the more affordable it is to take it on the plane with you. But, if you have heavy stuff, it can almost certainly be cheaper and more convenient to ship it.
So, keep all of this in mind the next time you’re planning a trip. If you have multiple items of heavy or large luggage, consider shipping them rather than bringing them on the plane with you. Compare prices and fees before you go, and you will see which option saves the most money.
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