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Getting the goodies home from Italy: Pack 'em or ship 'em?

Getting the goodies home from Italy: Pack 'em or ship 'em?

Old Sep 16th, 2005, 12:44 PM
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Getting the goodies home from Italy: Pack 'em or ship 'em?

I've been vacillating about one component of our upcoming Italy tour and that is, how to get the souvenirs, trinkets and treasures home?

We'll be in Italy for 8 days (2 nights in Rome, Florence and Venice and then back to Rome for one final night) with all that hotel hopping, my initial plan for the trip was pack very lightly , and buy just the very essential gifts and keepsakes to take home.

As our departure day draws closer though, I keep thinking to myself: "Self, this IS a tour, people are picking you up at the airport in Rome, they'll be bussing you to all the other locations and handling everything that needs handled. While it's all well and good to plan to go back to Italy to see the things you missed and buy what you didn't..."someday" has a nasty habit of not showing up."

So, now I'm thinking of bringing the giant green rollaround I have.

I'd love to hear from the more experienced Fodorites. Take the big luggage and pack mule the goodies home? Or ship them from Italy and hope for the best?

Or, is there and alternative I'm missing?

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Old Sep 16th, 2005, 01:20 PM
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Shipping is expensive and unreliable. Pack a tote to fill with the goodies and be a pack mule.
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Old Sep 16th, 2005, 01:41 PM
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If you do decide to ship, ship home your clothes and bring the goodies with you. I'd be less ticked off if my dirty clothes got lost than my goodies from my trip. That being said, we've had things shipped directly from vendors in Italy (wine, pottery) and never had a problem but it's not cheap.
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Old Sep 16th, 2005, 03:07 PM
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swalter beat me to it!! carry the goodies and ship your dirty clothes home (that's what i do anyway, i travel w/ a 22-24" roller only) if you need to ship anything.
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Old Sep 16th, 2005, 03:12 PM
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Hello DesertDave, I concur, ship the dirty clothes home and bring the shopping items with you on the plane. I have had some problems having gifts shipped back to the states. They have arrived broken. The only saving grace each time was having an one or another Italian/American friend going to Italy and returning the items and getting replacements. But then they had to bring them home on the plane which made me feel guilty, LOL. Have a beautiful time in Italy!
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Old Sep 16th, 2005, 04:22 PM
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I hardly ever ship unless I've bought a quantity of things from a shop. Everything breakable goes in our carry-ons. Everything else goes in the checked luggage. But I do throw away leftover cometics, underwear..my DH's..

But then I must confess , I don't buy "souveniors for friends and family..none of our group does that!I do buy lots of "smalls" to sell on ebay if I've gone to a good antique show. But most stuff you bring home to someone ends up in a closet and is never used.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 09:44 AM
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We shipped. There are many Mail Boxes Etc. type places, but shipping is expensive. An example, a large platter cost $100 and $100 to ship it via Fed Ex or UPS.

The Post Office in Rome was "easy" to use, but not in Venice. However, the cost was inexpensive compared to MB Etc. They have flimsy boxes to sell, so we had MB ETc. box everything. All Italians laughed and said that customs/Postal people would take out what they wanted, especially if we listed what was in the box (leather jackets). However, within 3 weeks everything arrived in great condition and all there. I made up my mind early that I wouldn't be a pack horse unless I bought something irreplacable and added the expense into the trip upfront.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 01:22 PM
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I priced a 20 lb. package from Rome to Ohio, personal items only, and the price was $267.80, plus other fees they could not specify. Buy carefully.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 02:08 PM
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Be very careful to carry all breakables on board with you. I bought alot of ceramics for sale in my shop a few years ago. First the cartons got lost somewhere between Rome and Paris, then it was delivered by taxi to our door 2 days after we arrived home-- and by the time the TSA (Transportation Safety Admin) got through playing frisbee with it, everything was smashed. Shipping is expensive, but for something special it's worth the extra cost. Try to get your shop to adjust the shipping cost and do it for you. Otherwise, carry it on! (And some stuff is just as easy to buy here at home!)
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 03:00 PM
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Amart, which post office did you use -- a central one, or what happened to be closest?

Also I had heard that the Vatican Post Office is more efficient. Does anyone know if it's true, and also is it more expensive?
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 03:20 PM
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I had the actual shops take care of the shipping...and items were broken. The shops said it was the shipping company problem, the shipping company said it was the shop's problem. We went round and round with the companies we had purchasd the shipping insurance through.

Saving grace both times was that friends here in CA that were going to Italy (their native country) took the broken pieces back to Italy with them, went to the shops, got replacements and returned to CA with the new items.

I have never had anything shipped from Italy since then that is breakable since these two incidents. Always take anything I buy in my carryon coming home.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 03:29 PM
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We shipped stuff home from Rome several years ago and it arrived home about 6 weeks after we did. The post office is not very efficent and they don't sell boxes and packing materials like we are used to in the USA. Also they have size/weight restrictions so we actually ended up sending one small box and two large envelopes. Everything had been gone through and the packaging was trashed though nothing broken as it was all tourist books, postcards, and unbreakable souvenirs etc. We shipped stuff home from London recently and it arrived promptly and in good shape. I would carry anything breakable or sentimental. Don't ship anything you will be upset over if it is lost or damaged.
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Old Sep 19th, 2005, 06:33 AM
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Thanks for all the replies folks!
Given the examples of shipping prices; looks like I'll be lugging it.

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Old Sep 19th, 2005, 07:39 AM
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We always leave with carry-on bags only. Even if 3 its a three week trip!
We ,also, always come back with more bags. We pack nylon type bags that can be filled for the return. Last year we needed to buy an additional bag (duffle) in Rome.
The 12 pairs of shoes my wife bought created this need.
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