Too much baggage? How to ship your luggage

Door-to-door luggage services, from new apps to veteran websites, allow travellers to breeze through airports and cities baggage-free

FAMILY VACATIONS, especially multi-generational trips, can involve a lot of baggage, if only literally. Last year, airlines in the United States made more than $3 billion in fees for checked luggage. But it’s not just the cost that can dampen a family trip; it’s hauling all those bags. Is there an easier way to get clothes, baby food, golf clubs and hiking boots to and from your destination?

Perhaps it’s time to consider a door-to-door luggage shipping service. Such companies allow you to track your bags and travel with little more than a wallet and a mobile device.

Tempted by a package service like UPS? It’s not necessarily convenient. Will UPS pick up at your off-the-beaten path rental? And, honestly, do you want to be boxing up suitcases on vacation? Here’s a guide to the latest in luggage transport: Geared towards business travellers, DUFL doesn’t just ship clothes: it stores, packs and dry-cleans them for you, too. After signing up through the app or website, you’re sent a suitcase. You fill it with your usual gear—clothes, accessories and full-size toiletries if you like—and then use the app to schedule the bag to be picked up. You need not do this for every trip. DUFL stores your clothes and suitcase in a warehouse year-round.

The first time you send the company your packed suitcase, it photographs your items and creates a virtual online closet so you can see everything or read a description. Whenever you’re about to travel, use the app to select which items you’d like and when you would like the bag to arrive. Then DUFL packs and sends the bag to your hotel. When it’s time to leave, you schedule a pick-up online, and DUFL takes the bag back to a warehouse, dry-cleans dirty clothes, and stores everything until the next time. If you ever want to add clothes by, say, buying something online on Amazon or Saks, you can have the items sent directly to DUFL where they will be photographed and added to your virtual closet. You can also pay to have your bag sent home to change the clothes inside, or just swap them out when you are on the road. Families are most likely to benefit from the DUFL Sports service, which allows members to store and ship items like surf boards, ski equipment, golf clubs and bikes—particularly handy for those with small homes. The service is best for business travellers, people who regularly travel with sports gear, and those who can be without certain wardrobe items.

Then there’s Luggage Forward. The company, which has acquired a number of experienced competitors, has been shipping clothes and sports gear like skis for more than 10 years. It’s also one of the more far-reaching players, shipping among hundreds of countries and territories worldwide, as well as to and from cruise ships and golf courses. Pack your clothes in bags the same way you would for air travel and then have Luggage Forward pick them up from you. And the company will complete and submit all customs documentation. Certain times of day and weekends cost more. You can price your bag at App.luggageforward.com/trips/new. This service is especially appealing for cruise lovers, golfers and those travelling internationally. Allinclusive pricing, including customs documentation, makes it easy to ship and stick to a budget. And the guarantee offers peace of mind.

Last summer, Send My Bag, a popular Britain-based luggage service, introduced shipping within the United States. Its pick-ups typically take place on weekdays between 9 am and 6 pm. If you ship your bag and it doesn’t arrive on time, the company credits your account with half the transit costs (if the delay is two or more working days, those costs are refunded).

If you’re checking only a bag or two and you’re on a budget, go with the airline. Airlines’ fees for the first bag are typically affordable. And there are several ways around those fees. For instance, if you have an airline credit card, your first checked bag is usually free. But that doesn’t save you from having to carry your luggage to the airport, to your lodgings and back again. If you plan to check more than two bags, or very heavy or oversize bags, use a shipping service. It’s likely to cost the same or less. If you do ship, be aware of any potentialpit falls like a last-minute trip change, which could mean that your luggage arrives in one place while you’re in another. Then again, that’s been known to happen on airlines too.