Senior News – Air Travel Without the Baggage

Air travel isn’t much fun anymore, and getting through the airport is the worst of it. Between the crowds, the TSA rules and dragging heavy luggage, some of us just want to stay home and not bother.

There is a way, however, to take care of at least one of the problems with air travel: send your luggage early.

UPS, FedEx and DHL all will pick up your luggage at your home and ship it to your destination for you. UPS, for example, has specially designed boxes to hold your suitcases.
As with anything else, there are both plusses and minuses to using this service.

The benefits:
–No standing in line only to be told that your bag is overweight and will cost even more.
–No lost bags at the airport.
–No chance of thieving airport personal going through your suitcases and stealing things or at least rummaging around.
–Less chance of damage to your bags.
–No wasted time at baggage claim and then pushing through the crowd to pull your luggage off a moving carousel.
–No wrestling with luggage through the airport or onto the hotel bus or into your rental car.

The downside:
–The cost. It can be expensive to use a service to get your luggage to your destination so it’s there when you arrive. But it can be a life (or back) saver if dealing with luggage in crowded airports is a hassle for you.

Hint: Have your bag shipped days in advance. That way you’re not paying overnight shipping costs. Also, don’t bother using a “luggage shipper.” They use the same DHL, FedEx or UPS services, but they add on their own handling fees.

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@gmail.com.

(c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.

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