Image for article titled Maybe You Should Just Ship Your Luggage

Air travel is both a triumph and an example of modern life's difficulties. On the other hand, an enormous metal tube lifts into the air and transports you at a very fast pace. You have to use hacks to make the experience more enjoyable.

One of the main causes of misery is luggage. Aside from the hassle of hauling around lots of heavy bags, who hasn't arrived for their flight a few minutes late only to discover that all the overhead bins are empty? Someone tried to jam a large bag into a bin. You have to wait for your luggage to show up at the baggage claim.

If you don't deal with bags, you'll have a better air travel experience.

Save yourself a ton of hassle

There are many advantages to shipping your baggage.

  • Less to carry: You don’t have to drag two hundred pounds of stuff with you through the airport—instead you can glide through carrying just your personal item.
  • Save time: You don’t have to head for the counter to check your bags and have them weighed. You don’t have to stand around the baggage claim after the flight and wait for your bags to be vomited up by the airport’s guts. And you don’t have to take your bags to the post office—many luggage shipping services will come to your house and pick them up.
  • Save money: Maybe. Shipping your luggage can save you a bit of cash, but it’s not guaranteed.
  • Save headaches. When you check your baggage with the airline, you’re acting on faith. And when your luggage winds up a thousand miles away—or lost altogether—you usually have no recourse. Shipping services offer tracking and guarantees against loss.

Ship to save

Most airlines allow one personal item and one piece of luggage for each passenger. Unless you are a member of a program that gives you free baggage as a perk, you have to check your luggage after that. Depending on the airline, the first checked bag fee can be as much as $50. There is a fee for a second bag. A fourth bag on a domestic United flight will set you back $150, while Southwest checks your first two bags for free and charges $75 for each additional bag.

You can save money by knowing that airlines charge more for additional checked bags. The fees charged by most luggage shipping services are higher than the airlines, but they are the same. If you ship four bags or more, you will probably do better than if you send one bag.

It's possible to ship your bags on your own, but it can be a bit labor intensive, as you have to do everything yourself. Insurance, guarantees, and limited storage options are some of the advantages that come with going through a service.

How much does it cost to ship luggage?

Depending on weight and distance, shipGo rates can be as high as $65/bag. If you want to go from New Jersey to Texas, you'll have to pay $55 for a bag that's 25 lbs. You'll pay $370 if you check those bags. If you fly Southwest from New York to Austin, you will only pay $150 for four checked bags, so shipping might not be your best option. If you want to save money, you need to keep in mind that the costs increase at the airport and for a shipping service if you have more than one bag.

If you want to send four bags to Austin at the lowest level of service, you can do it for just $13.

If you need more services, such as pick up and handling all paperwork, upscale slayers like Luggage Free can be used.

You have to be prepared to ship your bags out before you leave for your trip so they are at your destination when you get there.

If it's not on cost, shipping your luggage will always win. If it makes sense for you, you will be rewarded with a serene experience moving through the airport while everyone else sweats it out.