mendota98

Thanks to all who make this forum so informative.

I will be traveling to Austria for one year and would like to take as much as possible.

How could I take three suitcases? Would the extra fee for the luggage be prohibitive?

Thank you

nanabee

You might check with the airline you will be flying on. Different airlines have different restrictions and costs.

I have a friend who ships her luggage (for a family of 4) to their destination via FedEx. She said it is more convenient and not that expensive. I have not done this we try to travel light.

StCirq

Luggage fees could be awful. Look into overseas courier services like DHL, but they will likely be expensive, too. Or check into overseas container shipping companies - you can purchase small parts of a container for not a whole lot. When we moved to Europe we bought 1/4 of a container for all our household goods ., and though it took some time it was not terribly expensive. Might notbe worth it for a year's visit, though. Good luck.

marvelousmouse

I think it depends a lot on what you’re taking with you and what kind of plane ticket you’re flying under.

I mean for example if you book a discount carrier (Norwegian) it’s going to cost what I’d consider a bloody fortune. If you fly economy Delta, one 50 lb bag is free. If you already were planning to fly first class Delta, you’d get two free 70 lb checked bags.

what I’m wondering is what do you want to take. If it’s just clothing, you can probably easily fit that into 2 suitcases. If it’s books, or household stuff, it would be very heavy, and you’re better off shipping it.

(basically, I’d try to get it down to 2 50 lb bags or ship it all. They nail you on oversize or the third bag.)

Melnq8

Yes, I've done it many times, as we've lived in several countries and were routinely maxed out on luggage arriving/departing an international assignment. Three 70 lb bags per person was the norm for us when we moved from place to place on Star Alliance participating airlines.

It really depends on which airline you'll be flying. If you have status with a frequent flyer program you might be entitled to an extra bag, subject to weight limits. If not, it may be worth the extra $$ to check on an extra bag.

Otherwise, you might look into an air shipment - this is how we shipped our basic household items (E-box). No idea how much that costs though as it was a company perk.

jilliane

Hi,
I'd defenitely check for dhl or something similar! you are going to get everything there way cheaper.
good luck and have a great experience!
Jilli

Cowboy1968

I would also check airfare in business class which IME includes at least two free bags.
It will obviously be more expensive than economy, but sometimes you get lucky and find deals which narrow the gap compared with flying in eco plus fee for three bags. But in my personal experience these low fares in biz are not hard to find for flights between Europe and Asia, but rarely between Europe and North America. But it can't hurt to make a quick search with Kayak or similar, I guess

Traveler_Nick

Can you handle three pieces of large heavy luggage plus your carry on?

If not and you need a porter or other help you need to factor that cost into things.

The other question is do you need that much stuff? It might make more sense to buy some clothing in Austria.

ticino

Most airlines have an extra baggage calculator where you can calculate the cost of extra bags on your particular route. You'll probably have to pay around 400 USD (online) for two extra bags if you are flying in Economy with one free bag. The first extra bag would only be some 80-120 USD. At the airport it's always more expensive.

If you fly Business the extra bag will be more expensive, as you are allowed more free bags. My husband and I travel with 6 pieces of luggage when we fly (long haul) to our summer house. We buy business class tickets and we have status so our total baggage allowance is 3 pieces each (2x32kg+23kg). The cost of checking in an extra 23 kg bag is 160 USD.

Consider booking a large taxi in advance, as many airport taxis may not be able/want to take you with three large bags + carry-on.
You should also check carry-on rules as some airlines are more generous that others. And if you'll be skiing in Austria, check with Swiss as they may take your skiing equipment for free.

xcountry

Long Shot of the Day - We buy an extra ticket (or two) and use that ticket's luggage allotment. The second/third person flies carryon only. It's more expensive but someone would get to visit Austria.

nanabee

I think i missed something. So to get free luggage you buy two additional passenger plane tickets? Wouldn't it be cheaper to just pay the $50/$100 x 2 for the extra suitcases?

xcountry

My last sentence says it is more expensive. It also says long shot of the day. It partly depends on the price of the tickets and the price of the extra luggage.

starrs

This.

HappyTrvlr

I have a friend who takes a lot of luggage as she splits her year between the US and Europe, more time in Europe, and usually takes three flights each way. She also buys and takes a lot of US products, including clothing, for her family over there. It certainly is cheaper than using a shipping service.

Cowboy1968

Good point.
In Europe, baggage claim is still airside, and there will be no porters (or anyone else from outside like friends or family) to help you.
At least the distance from the baggage carousels through Customs you need to manage on your own. It's not a super long walk in Vienna, though. And there are, of course, baggage carts.

Odin

There are porters available airside at European airports, some have to be prebooked and prepaid & not every European airport will have them but the main ones should.

Vienna Airport Porters incoming flights