send gifts home
 

Hi,
We are traveling light through South Africa. If we buy small gifts and mail them home to the US, is it expensive and will they arrive?

KSC

Yes, and maybe not. Carry them with you or buy them at the end of your journey. If you can get a "fold out" bag such as those from Totes or Bagallini, you can fill it as you go. Some are sturdy enough to be checked as baggage on your return flight.

international mail has gotten very expensive....

As ShayTay, I too pack a folding bag for souvenirs or whatever, along with some bubble wrap. Whatever I can't fit in my main duffle (wrapped between/in cloths), goes in this and I send it as my 2nd checked bag which is allowed on international flights (as long as weight is less than 50/lbs.

I usually throw in some bubble-wrap as Sandi suggests and also some packing tape. If you don't want to pack a whole roll, then wind some around a short unsharpened pencil or something similar, enough to keep the bubble-wrap from coming off your purchases.