Here are the USPS rates from US to UK. Cheaper than UPS or FedEx (for 6-10day shipment), but still quite pricey.

http://pe.usps.com/text/Imm/fh_014.htm#ep3576772

Thanks J62. I'd be shipping from Canada but I'm sure I can find those rates somewhere on your link.

When I first read this thread I read it as sending stAff ahead. I thought wow gtg never mentioned a butler before now.
Maybe he can take your stuff with him :)

hetismij have you forgotten m-kingdom? he or she had a butler for packing, remember? :))

sashh,

Not insulted at all--it's just a fact that I can't fit in French clothes, with very few exceptions.

I have had good luck with Land's End and Marks and Spencer, out of th UK. Both have reasonable shipping costs to France and are great for basics, about all I wear these days.

Will check out Evans--I remember it from when I lived in the UK and was size-challenged for tights i.e. pantyhose.

I was thinking about having my sister send me a few things ordered from Eileen Fisher--I want a top she can probably put in a jiffy bag. But beyond that, it gets too costly.

Nope, the butler is traveling with us so he can whisk off the red carpet on the tarmac when we arrive. His butling duties are absolutely necessary when we travel. After all, who would open the champagne and pre-warm the toilet seats?

I did a thread a few years ago with lists of all the companies that ship, but most are quite expensive. I think you will find it much cheaper to take an extra suitcase. When I sent my daughter off for 6 months in Spain, we used 2 cheap 30" duffels (KMart/Walmart - $30). She had to take winter clothes/summer clothes, about 10 textbooks, laptop, etc. I only mailed one tiny box to her in the six months as it was just too expensive. Duffels weigh less than other luggage so you can pack more in them and still stay under the airline regs. This was when you could still take two bags without a fee. A 2nd bag in $50 and you can cram 50 lbs in it. Mailing 50 lbs would be pricey.

Delta lets you check up to 10 bags, but it will cost. Check your airline for their baggage rules. Try to keep under the 50lbs as the excess weight charges sometimes run more than an extra bag charge.

Can you not dress in multi multi layers as you fly? That's a really easy way to transport extra clothes (and there are no extra fees!). Of course, I've never figured out how to wear two pair of shoes at once....

Well, it's a long flight, Ig, and I need to be comfortable. Plus the extra sweater I could wear isn't going to go a very long way in stretching my wardrobe over 4 months.

Right now, the plan is that as soon as I book airline tickets, I'll check out their baggage fees. (That may be part of the ticket shopping.) We'll buy or borrow a couple of big lightweight duffel bags and take all our stuff with us.

You've all been terrific. Really!

Yesterday I saw an interview with someone from AirFareWatchDog about sending stuff ahead. He said it really only works domestically, and only for somewhat short hauls. So if you fly from Los Angeles to Seattle and the check bag cost is $25, you can FedEx your stuff in a box for $26. He says it's safer and he does it all the time now.

OK, GTG--- what did I miss???? I've gone back through your threads and cannot find anywhere where you inform us you are going to London for an extended stay!

A) I'm terribly happy for you, if that is true.

B) How? Why? Who? What? Details, please! :) (Just point me to the thread, as I'm sure it is in here somewhere!)

C) I agree with those who say extra bag and buy a cheap duffle. Most airlines have weight limitation. Somewhere between 40-50 lbs. I see that AA will let you take up to 70 lbs, but you pay a hefty surcharge for the extra over 50.

I am SO excited for you! But I need the details! hahahaha

Paula

Hi sarge,
Yes, it's true! I guess most of my posts have been on the Europe board while we were looking for an apartment.

My SO is on sabbatical this year (Jan to Dec) so we've decided that this is probably our last chance to go and live somewhere for a while. We started talking about this a couple of years ago when we found ourselves in Aix-en-Provence more or less by accident and loving it. That got the "you know, we should..." conversation started. We considered lots of places but ended up with London since a) hey, it's London, b) language wouldn't be a problem, c) we haven't been there for about 25 years, and d) it lends itself to travelling in the UK and Europe.

I've piled up as much vacation time as I'm allowed and will be taking the rest of the time as leave of absence. We'll be in London from the beginning of September to mid-December. We wanted to live in a non-touristy neighbourhood but close to easy transportation and within about half hour's ride to just about anywhere we'll want to go and we've ended up with a very charming apartment in West Hampstead through sabbaticalhomes.com. We'll walk a lot, do touristy things but still have a supermarket, pharmacy and public library close to home and take periodic three or four day jaunts across the Channel. YAY!!!

Now that we have a place to live, I have to book air tickets and that will guide me to a baggage decision. I'm pretty sure we'll end up taking extra bags with us.

One of the nicest things about this trip is that we'll have a computer with us so I'll still be able to visit fodors friends and get lots of travel advice.

We're very excited about this adventure -- and if not now, we'll never get to do it.

gtg

GTG, Just heard the great news! Wonderful! London for almost 4 months....Good for you & Mr GTG!! B-)

Sounds as if you have the "How-to-get-my-stuff-there-&-back" thing figured out so I won't comment on that.

Will you be renting your Toronto home?

Keep us posted!

DD used the 30" rolling duffles (2). At the time (2006), she was allowed two carry-on items, one was her backpack and the other her rolling computer bag which held quite a bit. She couldn't manage all of this luggage on her own. I took her to check in and she used a luggage cart at the airport in Madrid. She was picked up by a driver at the airport. Even stuffing the duffles with textbooks, she still managed to stay in the 50lb range.

Sounds like you've got it figure out already but my suggestion also is to look 1st at taking it on the plane with you, even for an extra fee (ask around, see if you can't find someone with an oversize suitcase they'd part w/ or buy one used at goodwill).

It's pretty sure that we'll take 2 suitcases each (yes, with us, Suze, not sent ahead). Thank heavens for airport luggage carts. It will mean that we'll have to take a car from the airport to the apartment, as opposed to public transportation, but all in I think it will still be cheaper than shipping ahead of time and I won't have to worry about when our boxes would get there.

(I'll just have to worry about whether the airline will lose our bags.)

I believe you can still insure your bags with the airlines in case their value is more than their lost luggage compensation. I haven't done it for years, but it used to be very reasonable and gave us peace of mind when transporting valuable sporting equipment, etc.

Do put your name/telephone/itinerary also on the inside of the bag. That is the only way we were located once.. by chance, through an old BC fishing license in the suitcase inside pocket, after our luggage was lost for weeks.

You've made a good decision. I assume you're flying nonstop Toronto to London so minimal chance of bags going missing if you check in at the two-hour recommendation/requirement. Suggestion to put details inside bags is always good, with you home and London addresses.

Another simple suggestion is to put some clothes for each of you in each case and, of course, hand carry any meds.

Thank you, my dear fodorites. You've been swell!

>>>I believe you can still insure your bags<<

We made lists of everything we were putting in the bags as we were packing and took some pictures since some of DD's textbooks were very expensive.