Usually when a passenger and their luggage are in different cities someone has screwed up. I haven’t had to make any phone calls, I still have underwear, I haven’t shouted and I haven’t taken any flights. So how and why on earth are my bags in London already? Luggage forwarding! If you hate “lugging” heavy or extra luggage, have a complex itinerary or can’t risk your bags not being “there” on time, it just might be your new favorite travel tip and it’s not much more expensive than paying to check a bag anyway…

a group of luggage at an airport

Occasionally I have a brain flash and think hmm… people may not even consider or know about some of these less common travel services. With that thought I decided it would be cool to test out a top luggage sender, Luggage Forward. The concept is that you pack your bags early, get them ready to go, the company picks your bags up from your doorstep and they arrive at your destination hotel, house, whatever, wherever ready to go before you even depart on your journey. No lifting, ho hassle. I would never recommend something without experiencing it first hand so I gave it a go. In retrospect, it’s really quite neat and seamless.

The Steps:

1) I filled in an online request detailing how many bags, how large and where to. 

a screenshot of a logistic

2) I paid for said bags, filled out online customs declaration and destination information.

a sign with white text and arrows

3) I received a fedex package with my LuggageForward tags with all customs declarations, shipping info and confirmations in a pouch and ready to go. 

a paper with instructions on it

4) A shipping truck came to pick up my bags.

luggage with a tag and a tag on top of it

5) I received tracking info and tracked them all the way!

a screenshot of a travel login

5) My bags arrived in London before I got on my flight. No tight connection woes, no worries because I had five days of lead time.

a man holding a tennis racket

As some of you may know, I’m getting married next Saturday and flying from New York to London with a connection in Paris because of the outrageous $1106 round trip business class deal earlier this year. It’s not that I don’t trust french baggage handlers or bags making their way from one airline to another but…. I don’t. We have things that simply cannot be delayed and knowing that we don’t have to carry them or worry about their arrival (not to mention lift a finger) is priceless for this particular journey. I personally think that any multi city trip, quick turn around or instance when you have more bags than hands could make a lot of sense for this type of service. There are many luggage forwarding providers and rates can become very competitive. Do some comparison shopping and see what makes sense for you. I can recommend this one for sure, but it’s the concept that really gets me going. Oh and of course I am working on a unique discount for you. More on that soon….

As Always, Get in Touch: GodSaveThePoints@gmail.com

Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...

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