Ship or store luggage
 

Hello all,

My family of 5 has a safari trip coming up in June departing from the US. We are looking to do a 4-5 day stopover in London on the way to Africa. Because of luggage restrictions on Safari we will need to do something with at least one full sized suitcase. I figured out options were a luggage storage service in London, or we could ship it back home and not have to worry about picking it up on our layover on the way home. Can anyone provide any insight or suggestions on either of those processes?

Thank you!

What are the costs for each? I would say ship. It reduces the risk that if something goes wrong (eg delay) you don't have the risk of bypassing your luggage in London.

Shopping looks to be $160-250 depending on company, if appreciate insights into who to use. 12 Days storage is $80 through bounce.

I haven't used either option so I can't vouch for any.
It all depends on your risk tolerance then, regarding how much extra time you have returning from your safari to the airport plus layover in London. Is the $80+ worth the risk of missing grabbing the luggage, and can/do you pay to have it shipped then or do you forfeit your belongings?

check with the safari tour agency first. e.g. they maybe able to store in their offices and you can pick your luggages up after your safari tour.

i wonder about the logistics of storing luggages in london. do you have a layover or stopover for your return flight? how long is the layover/stopover?

Good idea but we are starting in Victoria Falls and leaving from Harare so that won't work. We will have about a 6-7 hour layover in a London on the return.

shipping may require someone to receive your luggage or the shipping company has secure pickup storage that you to pick up upon return. i would prefer shipping, if the logistics is not a problem for the same reason S80 stated. also consider using a parcel box instead of a luggage. less conspicuous and will be lighter in weight. otherwise, 6-7 hours should be sufficient time and storage is a viable option. not sure about bounce, but there is one service at the heathrow airport and it seemed to be accessible 24/7

i will choice shpping