Extra Suitcase/Bubble Wrap
 

Have you ever taken an extra suitcase filled with bubble wrap to bring home your treasures from your trips? Pottery, wine, delicacies?

Hi G,

No.

I unroll the bubble wrap and pack it flat in the suitcase.

I bring along a duffle bag to put dirty clothes in, and use the suitcase for the souvenirs.

((I))

What ira said....

Hi galestrom, I don't know about other European countries but in Italy you can buy bubble wrap.

I take an extra bag that zips to a small size and unzips to 20x20 or so. Or I've purchased duffle bags in the weekly markets.

If I need it I purchase the bubblewrap at the hardware store in Italy. Or if purchasing wine, many of the shops have the styrophome inserts and may places will pack up a box for you to check as luggage.

no.

If something is so fragile it requires bubble wrap, I'll usually have the merchant ship it home for me. The VAT deduction pays for most of the shipping/ins costs and I don't have to worry about extra luggage and toting around extra stuff.

Departing NYC, I use bubble wrap to protect everything, including my clothes. It's the only way to go with lightweight luggage, especially if you travel with camera equipment.

I use a professional method of folding my delicate garments with the use of bubble wrap that eliminates any need to press the garments once I arrive in Europe. I've been packing this way for many, many years. It works beautifully.

I take an extra bag, usually an easy-folding duffle bag with lots of pockets, and simply fold and incorporate it into another bag on the outgoing leg. If I buy things abroad (which I usually do), I use the bubble wrap from my clothing (now used and ready for laundry) and the extra bag to wrap and carry any purchases home. The duffle bag becomes a carry-on for the return flight.

Depending on how you fly, additional bags and their weight can pose problems. You need to check the rules of your airline and analyze the potential costs. It may be less expensive and/or safer to ship these days. If you plan on flying from one destination to another within Europe, the rules get even stricter.

No.

I wrap things in my own clothes for protection in the suitcase on the trip home. Extra fragile something small, I make room for in my carry-on.

IF I end up buying more than expected I purchase a souvenier tote from the city I'm in.

I like to pack light and to me an entire extra suitcase with bubble wrap is WAY more trouble than it'd be worth.

We do carry on only, so for small, lightweight purchases, they just go in our bag. But anything else we just ship. It is easy, and so far we have not had any problems doing that. Items arrive in about a week and it is sort of like Christmas when they arrive:D

What suze said.

I've done it. I took a duffel bag filled with bubble wrap and checked that, taking my bag filled with personal belongings onboard with me. I planned to do a lot of shopping in Hong Kong and the extra bag and bubble wrap came in very handy as I bought some porcelain items.

My metod-
Since I pack light and just carry on a rollerboard when flying to Europe from the US, like suze I don't want to check an extra suitcase or take bubble wrap.

I have a collapsable Hartman duffle which magically zips up to the size of a small, flat seat cushion and weighs nothing, which I throw in the bottom of my rollerboard.

I go to the local post office in France/Spain and buy a special wine container with inserts. I can either ship this back as checked luggage or put the postal wine container in my rollerboard and throw my clothes in the duffle, which goes as checked luggage.

For other breakable items, I buy bubble wrap in France/Spain.

I always bring bubble wrap, which I lay at the bottom of my suitcase. Whenever I buy ceramics, the shops usually wrap in 1 layer of bubble wrap, sometimes just newspaper, so back at my hotel, I'll add my own. I bring an empty duffle bag to use for my shopping goodies.

Monica ((F))

Never bring bubble wrap. For something like pottery, I will usually just ask for it to be wrapped at the store.

When going to wine country on a shopping trip, I bring a folding luggage rack and just buy a shipping box from one of the wineries. If only a couple of bottles, I just wrap it in clothes.

When traveling to the US, I always bring an extra suitcase or two, since most items are 25-50% less than Europe. Ditto for when traveling to a place like Thailand, Hong Kong, or Singapore, if I am planning on buying some custom clothing.

Yes, I almost always lay bubble wrap flat in the bottom of my suitcase. It weights nothing. Sometimes merchants don't wrap as properly as I would like. If you find that you don't need it, just toss it.

Wow! A lot of great tips and good advice for my question. Ira & StCirq the extra duffle and swapping out your dirty clothes sounds good. jnjfraz - I'll probably purchase the bubble wrap here and take it along flattened as it is probably cheaper here in the US. I'm on the search and destroy for a good collapsible duffle like the one Maribel has. It seems that wine carriers are available so I will check that out but my son shipped back wine from Italy last year and it was quite expensive.
Thank you all for your tips and advice!

We generally take a medium-sized hard-sized piece of luggage, filled with bubble wrap and some of our shoes. On our trip home the suitcase gets packed with our purchases, and the shoes go into our regular luggage after we've thrown away clothes saved for just one more use.

Lately we've included a package of Windex wipes to use on car windows, along with a roll of paper towels for the same purpose--saves a trip to the market.

I forgot to say that along with the bubble wrap we take scotch tape and a small pair of sissors. If you're planning to pack wine, thick socks make a good outer wrapping around the bubble stuff.

Can someone explain why packing things in bubble wrap is better than in your own dirty clothes?

I think the bubble wrap has a better cushion than clothing because of the air pockets.

Monica ((F))

galelstorm: I wasn't suggesting that you ship the wine back, I was suggesting buying the shipping boxes and just checking the boxes as luggage. They end up weighing just under 50 lb, so are right under the limit. Be sure to double-check with the airline, though, as a few don't let you check boxes as luggage.

I also take bubble wrap sheets (small bubbles type) and a collapsible bag in my suitcase.

I bring my own packing materials as merchants tend to over-package items resulting in too much space taken out of my precious suitcase.

Since stores often use (too) large boxes, I bring a sheet of adhesive tape to modify boxes to be just large enough to put most fragile items - again to save space.

I learned to do this after encountering stores who would not ship items to the U.S.

Bubble wrap, extra suitcase and a variety of (2 gal down to a tsp.) zip lock baggies! They are so handy.
While we are at it, I will say that I am a forensic nurse and in our state the rape kits are provided for by the state. They have all the items we need, but may not use every time. In that kit is a huge paper towel for the victim to stand on and disrobe. We only use it if the victim of sexual assault has not changed her clothing &/or bathed. SO, it has served as a picnic blanket, towel at a unexpected beach, one never knows, I even carry a couple in my car in case I happen on an accident and need something. So now you know if you see a person picnicking on a huge paper towel, it is me! :)

If you plan to wrap delicate things, do not forget to bring tape, along with bubble wrap. (You can borrow a pair of scissors from the hotel)

Since I often bring food home with me, I also pack the zip loc bags and folded sheets of aluminum foil to wrap items such as cheese.

Another good item to pack in your suitcase is a mailing tube in case you want to buy any prints or other paper artwork. It doesn't take up much space and helps to avoid any damage to the prints.

Monica ((F))

I do the same as most people have posted - bubble wrap flat on the bottom of my suitcase and a duffle bag that collapses down to virtually nothing. I put my dirty clothes in the duffle bag and check it on the way home, leaving room in my suitcase for wine & souvenirs. I also bring some ziplock bags in various sizes, some tape and rubber bands. On my last trip I brought one of those neoprene wine totes and it worked really well to bring home extra bottles of wine.

I like eks's idea of bringing along some aluminum foil. I'll have to do that on my next trip! I never leave home without a corkscrew and paring knife (in a sheath). They are great to have for impromptu picnics!

suze-I think I agree with Monicapileggi on the ubble wrap vs the dirty clothes. If I'm going to Italy and bringing wine or pottery home, I really want to make sure they arrive in one piece.
travelgourmet-Obviously I didn't read your post correctly! I will check with the airline to see if they allow boxes. Just curious...with your screen name, are there special items you like to bring home from Italy?
eks-Tape is light and easy and it's going on my list now. I, too, bring zip locks in varying sizes. They always come in handy. Couldn't cheese go in one of these? I'm curious about the foil. What special delicacies do you like to bring home from Italy since I know you are a foodie? ;)
sherhatfield-rubber bands are another good idea for my list!
monicapileggi-I didn't think of some type of picture tube. It also is going on my list!
Thanks again everyone!

Sorry. I don't travel to Italy much. Only been to Milan on business and also passed through the airport a couple of times. It is on my "to see" list.

Off the top of my head though, in addition to wine, I know that my wife has gotten some good deals on the Italian designers (i.e. Gucci, etc) there. For housewares, Allessi (sp?) has some really interesting things. Wine is always a good choice- Barolo is a favorite of mine.

I usually buy bubblewrap when I'm away, but it's not always easy to come by. I remember being in Rothenburg, Germany trying to ask the post office if they sold bubblewrap. I didn't know the word for it and all I could translate it to in German was "plastic with air in it".

Last trip I took some flat packed in my suitcase. I invariably buy stuff which really shouldn't be packed in a suitcase. And so far, I've managed to get it home safely.

No. The only things I bring back are beer coasters.

travelgourmet-thanks for your input. We have an Alessi store here in SF so I probably wouldn't buy anything in Italy considering the dollar vs euro.
I was thinking more along the line of delicacies! Mmmm!

<i>I was thinking more along the line of delicacies!</i>

Be careful. A lot of foodstuffs can't be brought back to the US. Plenty of people do it, but I have had enough stuff confiscated that I just don't see the point.

That being said, maybe some nice olive oil or balsamic vinegar. Really great parmesan is a revelation, and should pass muster with customs. So, too, should some charcuterie (though I have had proscuitto confiscated before). Proscuitto is pretty easy to find in the US, but maybe you could smuggle in some speck?

That being said, if you live in SF, I'd be surprised if you came across too much stuff that isn't available to you already - I find that folks in the Bay Area take food as seriously as anyone.

I've started finding clingfil useful, although so far I've bought it on hol rather than take it with me. With bottles of liquids / honey / etc we wrap them in clingfilm before rolling them up in laundry - used beach towels, t shirts, etc - before packing them in the centre of our bags. At least if they break (which they haven't yet) it will contain the broken glass. Also found it useful for getting a Felix Gonzalez Torres poster back intact (as hand luggage) - stopped it getting dogeared etc.

Galelstorm, among Mollie Stone's, Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and A.G. Ferrari (and that's only the big ones!), surely you can find almost anything you want in SF!

I have shipped pottery home (which cost a mint). I didn't have to worry about breakage as they would cover it. They used some kind of spray foam that really protected it but was &quot;interesting&quot; to remove. It showed up as basically a foam brick'o'pottery which I took apart on my deck...