Budget Travel - How should I deal with extra baggage in Europe?

I am going to Germany for four months in this fall and I have two round tickets.

Houston to London on NWA
and London To Hamburg on LH

I am thinking of most cost effective way to transport my luggages since intra europe flights on LH allows only 20kg of check in baggage and I'll have a lot of stuffs due to my duration of stay.

My current plan is to have a 10kg carry-on, a personal item(Laptop), and two 20kg check-in bags. I shouldn't have problem all the way to London, but I'll go over my allowance between London and Hamburg by a 20kg bag. I am thinking about possibly shipping a 20kg bag from UK to Germany (I wonder how likely it is for LH to wave my fee since my US leg is on a separate reservation) if that comes out cheaper then paying overweight fee. (I couldn't find any carriers who will ship it for significantly less cost then the fee though) I am also considering to buy a light-weight bags to pack more for the weight.

Are there any suggestions on how to transport my luggage to/from europe cost effectively? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

I am going to Germany for four months in this fall and I have two round tickets.

Houston to London on NWA
and London To Hamburg on LH

I am thinking of most cost effective way to transport my luggages since intra europe flights on LH allows only 20kg of check in baggage and I'll have a lot of stuffs due to my duration of stay.

My current plan is to have a 10kg carry-on, a personal item(Laptop), and two 20kg check-in bags. And possibly ship a 20kg checkin bag from UK to Germany (I wonder how likely it is for LH to wave my fee since my US leg is on a seperate reservation) if that comes out cheaper then paying overweight fee. (I couldn't find any carriers who will ship it for significantly less cost then the fee though) I am also considering to buy a light-weight bags to pack more for the weight.

Are there any suggestions on how to transport my luggage to/from europe cost effectively? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.


Wow that's a LOT of luggage. You might want to try a luggage mover. I recall seeing a company recently in the Disabled Travel forum.

I am going to Germany for four months in this fall and I have two round tickets.

Houston to London on NWA
and London To Hamburg on LH

I am thinking of most cost effective way to transport my luggages since intra europe flights on LH allows only 20kg of check in baggage and I'll have a lot of stuffs due to my duration of stay.

My current plan is to have a 10kg carry-on, a personal item(Laptop), and two 20kg check-in bags. I shouldn't have problem all the way to London, but I'll go over my allowance between London and Hamburg by a 20kg bag. I am thinking about possibly shipping a 20kg bag from UK to Germany (I wonder how likely it is for LH to wave my fee since my US leg is on a separate reservation) if that comes out cheaper then paying overweight fee. (I couldn't find any carriers who will ship it for significantly less cost then the fee though) I am also considering to buy a light-weight bags to pack more for the weight.

Are there any suggestions on how to transport my luggage to/from europe cost effectively? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
I don't know what your budget is but there is a large number of parcel carriers operating intra-EU.

Here's one (http://www.ecopost.co.uk/) who charges about Pds sterling 35 for up to 25kg. You can do a Google search 'excess baggage' on www.google.co.uk for others

PM me if you have problems

You need to be aware that LH's carry-on limit is 8k, not 10k.

Also, you should check if LH will allow you to carry on your laptop in addition to your carry-on bag. "One carry-on and one personal item" is very much an American concept. The European definition of what you are allowed to take in addition to your carry-on bag is much narrower - namely (quoted from the LH web site):


* a handbag, wrist bag or small bag with shoulder straps
* a coat, shawl or blanket
* an umbrella or walking stick
* a small camera or a pair of binoculars
* an appropriate amount of reading material for the journey
* a baby basket and baby food for consumption during the flight
* crutches or other orthopaedic aids needed during the journey


Some airlines take a flexible approach to the definition of "handbag, wrist bag or small bag with shoulder straps" and allow you to carry on a laptop. Others insist that the laptop must go in your carry-on bag.

I presume you have already booked your flights? If not then why not look into alternatives such as a through ticket to Hamburg (via AMS, for example), or alternatively a flight to FRA with a train up to Hamburg?

A through ticket is definitely the way to go if you can arrange it.

You'd be amazed how at how inflexible European check in staff can be, ESPECIALLY for flights from London. Last time I flew LH longhaul they insisted on weighing my carry on case and it was something like 9.2 kgs. No go. I then took a couple of things out in front of them and put them in my pockets. Bag weighed 8kgs... problem solved :( :mad: .

The excess baggage charge on LH for a flight between London and Germany is €10/$12.5 a kilo

I had a similar problem to you when I travelled to Japan from the UK once for an indefinite period of time. The weight allowance was the same as travelling to Europe = 20kgs + hand luggage. I could only afford the very cheapest air fare. My travel agent was able to arrange a flight for me that included the Business class allowance = 30kgs plus the 10kgs allowed by KLM for hand luagge. Even the check-in agent was surprised when her computer showed that my ticket allowed this as she had initially refused.


On a more practical level - BA (British Airways) has just changed their luggage guidelines - passengers on European routes are entitled to 23kgs + indefinite weight for cabin allowance - needs to fit within certain size parameters (realistically up to 12/13kgs). The interesting part is their change to a set fee per bag for any bags beyond this threshold. For UK to Germany this is £60 (you can get a further 20% discount if you purchase this in advance online). Potentially allowing you to take an extra 23kgs for less than £50
Detailed info in the link within post 58 in this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=568688)
Summary of BA option:
23kgs in hold
12kgs cabin
23kgs additional £50/$90
Total: 58kgs


Tip: You may wish to take this time to invest in light-weight luggage (better now than later). I instinctively pick up cases to check their weight whenever I'm near a luggage store as I'm always on the lookout for them. I was amazed in the USA at how heavy nearly all the cases where! (I did snap up a great bargain at Century 21 - an ultralight wheeled Samsonite cabin bag that has been my husband's constant companion) Your bags could be way too heavy for European travel.

Wow Thanks y'all for great suggestions.

party_boy: I found the service but it didn't seems to cut down much cost. Thanks for the suggestions though.

farci: ecopost looks like a good service. I wonder if they'll be able to provide on the way back. What my budget is basically how much airline will charge me... I am seeking to save some money.

Aviatrix: Yeah I knew carry on limit was 8kg but I thought only 2kg over will be overlooked. I guess according to LapLap's post it may not be the case. Maybe I'll have someone hold on to my carry on while I check in.

LapLap: Thanks for sharing your experience. Maybe I need to call the airline and ask if they'll pre-approve my excess baggage. I wish I had known BA's change. That would been a good option.

I guess another options would be buying another ticket on the same flight? It is still onyl $180 which means pretty reasonable considering how much all the other options cost. What an irony chaper to buy a full passanger ticket then check in excess baggage... Now, does anybody know if it is a valid option?

I guess another options would be buying another ticket on the same flight? It is still onyl $180 which means pretty reasonable considering how much all the other options cost. What an irony chaper to buy a full passanger ticket then check in excess baggage... Now, does anybody know if it is a valid option?

I am fairly certain that you can't just buy a phantom ticket for a phantom passenger... but your suggestion has given me an idea.

Are you going to stop over in England at all (as opposed to just changing planes here)? Do you have friends in the UK?

If the answer to either question is "yes" you could, for example, leave some of your stuff in the UK and come back for it later. Have a look at www.germanwings.com for some good deals between HAM and LGW. Or, alternatively, you could get a UK friend to travel with you as a "baggage carrier".

BTW... it seems we all forgot: Welcome to Flyertalk.

Aviatrix: Yeah I knew carry on limit was 8kg but I thought only 2kg over will be overlooked. I guess according to LapLap's post it may not be the case. Maybe I'll have someone hold on to my carry on while I check in.

As long as you don't ask a stranger to hold on to it :eek: that's a practical idea and something I often do myself. (Usually by weighing my bag somewhere else, taking out the kilo or so to make the case the 'official' weight and handing the excess to my family, and putting the offending kilo back in once I've cleared the check-in area and have my boarding pass).

Farci's suggestion may be the most effective way to get your luggage from London to Hamburg, but do call LH and see what they say - you can ask them about the feasability of buying the extra ticket and see if they'll cut you some slack (seems ridiculous to me that they'd charge you $250 for 20kgs of luggage and sell a full ticket for $180)

So here is that update.
I called LH and ask if they can authorize extra luggage. Of course the answer was no. Then I asked if I can purcharse an extra ticket for myself. The agent reacted as if she was surprised that fare is lower then what they'll charge for extra luggage but again answer was a no.
At this point my plan is to have

Check in
A 25kg box (UPS or Fedex international shipping standard size, would closed box be a problem during check in?)
A 20kg check in bag
To London

Carry on
10 kg bag (In a hope that they'll overlook extra 2kg)
Laptop bag
To London

And ship 25kg box from London to Hamburg via ecopost.co.uk, fedex, or ups.
Well that's the best I can do for now. Hopefully it will work out. I am flying next Tues. Thanks everyone for suggestions!

Oh great now there is another factor playing. UK security allert.. I wonder how this will change things for me.

try travelling lite, I know its a bit native to US residents but it is a lot easier than you think

Are you by any chance carrying stuff that you won't be using for several months.

If so why don't you ship stuff from the US once you arrive or are you the sort of person who believes that when given a 40kg allowance you MUST use all of it.

BTW Germany has invented this wonderful thing called "shops" where you hand over money & they give you things in return

BTW Germany has invented this wonderful thing called "shops" where you hand over money & they give you things in return

hahah. I agree... that's probably the best idea!

Oh no you cant do that, think of those so essential american suitcases designed to carry a mobile home complete with swiming pool that you see being wheeled through so many airports, if you have a case you have to fill it. How long before US airlines start offering discount for less checked in luggage..



Completely OT but I have always wondered about how they can warrant charging the same price for a 32 "`waist pair of underpants as they do for a pair of 60", surely the 32" guys are paying for the extra material of the fat guys

You can live for four months or one week with the same amount of stuff. Besides, it is much more fun to shop around for some inexpensive new things. In four months, you'll probably have to buy a new tube of toothpaste anyway so you may as well just buy it once you get to Hamburg. We have traveled several times to Europe with just a carry-on (though maybe that has now ended) and relish the hunt to find things we need. I was thrilled to find that Europe has clothes detergent in tube - why don't we have that? Yes, I know, small things amuse me I suppose :D

We have traveled several times to Europe with just a carry-on (though maybe that has now ended) and relish the hunt to find things we need.

+1

Unless there is something that absolutely is not available in Europe, and I can't think of anything right now, why not take the opportunity to try new things while there, ship home what you want to keep and stop worrying about luggage.

Cheers

Thanks y'all.
I guess one thing that I had not mentioned is that I am a poor college student. I'll be earning some moeny while I am in Germany but I rather wanted to spend that money to travel around the Europe than to buy new things there.
Anywayz, here is my final report.
I made my way to London last week with my backpack, a 20kg luggage and a 20kg box. I had my 20kg box shipped from London to Hamburg via ecopost.co.uk for 60 USD and everything arrivied in Hamburg safely.
On the way back, hopefully I'll be able to reduce my luggage to my backpack and a 20kg check in luggage (Which doesn't seem to be totally impossible after giving out some gift and throw some worn out shoes and stuffs by end of this journey) But how much stuffs will I accumulate while I am here? I do not know.
Just wanted to say thanks and let you all know I am safely in Germany now.

Thanks for the feedback!

I did wonder how you'd gotten on with all the current security measures.