Luggage Forward
I have been doing a little research on shipping suitcases and it seems like a pretty appealing possibility. Especially given all of the horror stories about Toronto Pearson. I called the first hotel on our tour and the woman I spoke with said they will absolutely hold your luggage as long as the name on the bag matches a name on a reservation. I then spoke to someone at Luggage Forward, it sounds like they send you the customs paperwork needed to get your luggage through. They provide you with a tracking number so you can follow its progress. I'd bring a couple of days clothes and essentials in a carry-on. It's not cheap (sounds like about $250 50lb bag each way), but it may be worth it for peace of mind. I'd love to hear more feedback from anyone who has used them or another company.
Comments
$250 you are kidding! What tour is this for! If it is Canada or Alaska, few clothing changes are needed. Despite Tauck talking about dress up clothes, a good number are wearing jeans and plaid shirts at dinners on the ship here in Alaska and for lodges no dress up. There are laundry facilities in a lodge and on ship. Other tours may be more tricky.
It's the Capital Cities small group (land) tour. And you don't know my wife. It's taken me several years to get her to not bring an extra suitcase just for shoes!
Canada's Capital Cities is a great tour. Enjoy. The welcome reception and dinner at the Royal Ontario Museum remains one of our favorites. I hope you have Felix as your tour director.
I loved that tour and Felix was charming, wonderful, enthusiastic and you will have a great time. We did that pre-Covid. Tell your wife there is a wonderful clothing store in Quebec City. La Maison Darlington which is walking distance from the hotel. I saw quite a few items I liked that was unlike anything I owned. Plus, you get more bang for the buck purchasing in Canada. There really wasn't much to purchase in Canada except maple syrup. There is a brand of sweaters that are quite pretty also Dale of Norway. Lucky me because they were having a sale on those. One just needs comfortable walking shoes on this tour and flats for dinner at some of the nicer places. Heels are just so unnecessary and what's the point anyway. No one is looking at your feet.
I have set up shipping my suitcase with Luggage Forward. I did a good deal of research and also had recommendations from other Tauck travelers and my Travel Agent. Yes, it's not cheap, but sure better than having my suitcase lost at Heathrow as I travel to Edinburgh. Certainly not a good way to start a trip. I think this year it's worth the money. I will receive all the paperwork tomorrow and have a week to put everything together before they pick up. One less thing to think about. Now just hope my flight isn't cancelled!!!!
After my recent experience of having our delayed luggage in Toronto, I may be following your footsteps. Maybe. Like you said, why not. It’s not a good feeling experiencing luggage delay for a few days. When that happens, you scurry to find clothes that you don’t really like. That is hard to do on a Sunday when everything is closed in a foreign city.
Additional shopping opportunities in Quebec City -
Around the corner from the Fairmont Frontenac and past the little church/chapel, there are local artisans selling a variety of handmade products. I believe it occurs on weekends only. One of the booths had beautiful and reasonably priced jewelry. On my second visit, I had the pleasure of meeting the woman who makes the jewelry. I am not a shopper, but her work was so lovely that I just had to purchase some items for gifts and, of course, for me.
I’d still be hesitant. If you get randomly chosen for covid testing on arrival in Canada and test positive or you tour is cancelled, it is just as much of a hassle to get the luggage to the right hotel.
I used Luggage Forward to send a standard carryon size bag from Edinburgh to Rhode Island, USA after my Week in Scotland tour. They send you a large tag to put on the luggage, a letter to put inside for customs, tracking number etc. DHL picked up the bag and it was delivered to RI in about 8 days. I would use them again. 50 pounds is huge, Do yourself a favor, pack lighter.
it would have been more than $1300 for us to ship 2 bags from AZ to Capetown...too much for me
We'll look into Luggage Forward also for November J&E: Petra to the Pyramids. We'll be stopping off in England for 5 days to see friends and expect it to be a little chilly. Thinking of sending a small suitcase home from there with heavier jackets which we shouldn't need in Egypt. Not sure how cool it will be at Petra. Considering all our options.
Ye, Lisa, it's definitely not cheap. And it's weird having our luggage picked up more than a week before we leave. But hearing the terrifying stories about Toronto Pearson Airport, it's just worth the peace of mind. I traded emails this morning with the concierge at the Fairmont where we will be staying, and they seem very used to people doing this.
OBXana I was in JE December 2021. The weather was perfect. Layers are key but you will not need a heavy jacket. The Petra tour started early and it was cool in the morning; however, by the time I hiked to the Monastery, all layers had been peeled away. AWESOME trip!
You will not need heavy jackets for England in November. Two layers maybe a shirt and sweater and a regular jacket should suffice unless you are going to be wondering around at night. Another solution is to pack a nylon raincoat that folds into its own pouch. That is a perfect lightweight extra layer which is also windproof. Mine has rescued me for rain, wind and cold in the past without taking up any room in a suitcase. On tours, I usually have it in my day bag. I stopped taking my black one. I now have a leopard skin print one and a colorful one on black so my hubby can easily spot me when I wonder and no one picks mine up by mistake.
Yep, here I am in Alaska, colorful mask too, I’m like the local clown when you travel with me.
it would have been more than $1300 for us to ship 2 bags from AZ to Capetown... NON SENSE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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That's a plane ticket. or and I know British will love this...
$1300 a pair of lovely Christian Louboutin boots!
Yikes! That’s crazy to pay for boots! When does one wear boots in Arizona! On another note, I am expecting a check from our Air Canada debacle in July when luggage was delayed 3 days. I did do significant shopping on a Sunday when most shops were closed and honestly wasn’t expected to get reimbursed from what we bought.
That's crazy! I bought a piece of furniture in Italy several years ago. Shipping was about $300 via DHL.
That was so years ago. Shipping has really gone up. I still don’t get shipping luggage ahead.
Does this help?
Aside from this year's fiasco, I can see it if you're taking back to back tours with very different needs - weather, activities, etc.
British, I love your poetry...wondering around at night. Remember to take your passport with you. 😁
Delayed and lost baggage is becoming an acute issue. We recently flew to CT to get our grandson for Bridges: Alaska. We had a non-stop from Newark and it was cancelled after we boarded. Best flight the next day was thru SF with a 6 hour layover. We were told our bags would be on these flights however our Apple AirTags told a different story. Mine arrived in four days and spouses in five days. Since we had insurance, we went shopping in Anchorage after 24 hours. Grandson was the smart one as he did a carryon. There were hundreds and hundreds of unclaimed bags in Anchorage and it was a mess. We're going to rethink what we do before our next trip. Safe and fun travels to all.
That is exactly what happened in Toronto airport. It’s literally a 50% chance that you’re bags will either make it to your destination or they will not. It’s that simple.
Recently returned from Rocky Mountineer trip. Our original flights were completely thrown out the window 6 hours before we were to leave. We had to scramble to find another flight out of Bush International instead of Hobby. We booked another flight connecting through O'Hare with only 43 minutes connect time, We ran through O'Hare like crazy people and were last ones to board. Felt relived but then we thought about our luggage and how it would never make it.. We asked flight attendant to check to see if our bags made it and sure enough they were on the plane. So while we complained about the flights being screwed up at least our bags made it to our destination.
I can't imagine traveling with a 50pound bag anywhere. Pack light. Luggage Forward sent a bag home for me from the Scotland tour as I was traveling on to Greece on my own. My bag was a carryon size and it arrived fine. They use DHL.