Personal Valet - Luggage Forward

Has anybody used this service? Feedback? Anything I should be concerned about? Since they are supposed to deal with customs, can I ship back my Rum with them?

We use them all the time and are extremely pleased. I suggest you call them re shipping rum. The company is Luggage Forward and they have an easy to use website. We are so pleased we now use them if for baggage we would otherwise check when we are traveling domestically.

We use Luggage Concierge with no problems but no bottles of liquids are allowed.

Has anybody used this service? Feedback? Anything I should be concerned about? Since they are supposed to deal with customs, can I ship back my Rum with them?

No need to call them about shipping Rum or any alcohol.

No you cannot ship Rum with them or any of the others (Luggage Concierge, Luggage Free).

This is from luggage forwards's web site of what is disallowed and it notes that Alcohol is not allowed.

Keith

DISALLOWED GOODS

No service shall be rendered in the transportation of any prohibited or restricted articles. Any shipment tendered by Customer that contains any of the following commodities will void any warrantees expressly provided to you herein and may be in violation of local, state or federal law: (a) Electronics including, but not limited to, laptops, personal computers, stereo equipment, personal audio devices, cell phones, laptops, and plasma screens (b) Batteries including all wet or lithium batteries including, but not limited to, batteries integrated within electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, tablets and personal audio devices © Alcohol including alcoholic beverages, or anything containing alcohol including, but not limited to, perfume, cologne (d) Drugs including all illegal narcotics, prescription medications, vitamins, supplements and medical equipment (including test meters) as defined by any jurisdiction where a shipment may originate, terminate or pass through during transportation (e) Gambling Devices (f) Firearms & Ammunition (g) Hazardous Materials including infectious substances, poisons, hazardous or corrosive chemicals, poisons, tear gas, mace, pepper spray, dry ice, infectious substances, any explosives such as fireworks and any flammable or combustible materials such as gasoline (h) Pressurized Containers including, but not limited to, aerosol cans and CO2 cartridges (i) Live Animals including pets and insects (j) Animal Carcasses including animal corpses, animal heads or other parts for taxidermy and meat or poultry products intended for human consumption (k) Human Remains including human corpses, fetal remains, human body parts, cremated or disinterred human remains, or components thereof (l) Hazardous Waste including, but not limited to, used hypodermic needles or syringes, or other medical waste or as defined as a solid waste that meets any of the criteria of the hazardous waste (m) Waste including any items considered garbage or intended for disposal (n) Cash or Negotiable Papers including coins, cash, currency stocks, bonds, cash letters or cash equivalents, including, but not limited to, food stamps, postage stamps (not collectible), traveler’s checks, lottery tickets, money orders, gift cards and gift certificates, prepaid calling cards (excluding those that require a code for activation), bond coupons, and bearer bonds, and negotiable instruments (such as drafts, bills of exchange, or promissory notes, checks); or other cash equivalents (o) Any other item specified from time to time by Luggage Forward including packages that are wet, leaking or emit an odor of any kind; shipments that may cause damage or delay to equipment, personnel or other shipments; or shipments or commodities that require a local, state or federal license for their transportation or that are prohibited by applicable local, state or federal law.

After my TA vouched for Luggage Forward, and I had read reviews, I took the plunge and used them for the first time prior to the SB trip out of Athens I just finished. I was traveling elsewhere for a few days before the cruise, on trains, and did not want to be lugging a big cruise suitcase around ( I hate that it is so difficult to get suitcases on and off European trains, or to find places to put them once on board, even in first class, and there is basically no realistic baggage check option, so that is why I used the forwarding service). Just in case, I had enough in the hand luggage I kept with me that would have gotten me through the SB cruise, should my big case have been lost.

To my delight, my big suitcase was waiting for me in my suite when I boarded, intact, nothing missing, right on time.

Downsides: it is an extra cost and thus a bit expensive, considering I could have taken two full suitcases with me for free in business or first class, and there are so many restrictions on what can be in the suitcase, as the last poster noted, more so than in checked luggage. Though the restriction on not being able to transport human remains did not interfere with my plans too much, I would have liked to have packed heavy batteries, some electronics, and some nonperishable foods.

To me shipping luggage to the ship is the best money I spend. The idea of waltzing through the airport hassle free makes flying bearable. Even in Business or First. Worth every penny imo.

I've been nervous about using it although I think I may do a one-way to ship my luggage home from Eyrope to avoid the check-in hassle. It seems that my bags that are suitable to be checked or carried on from the U.S. Always become an issue in Europe!

I love the idea but very much doubt I have the logistical chops for this.

I love the idea but very much doubt I have the logistical chops for this.

:confused: What are "logistical chops"

Do you mean you have fear your stuff will get lost, or that you have so much stuff that is disallowed you have to check bags anyway?

Neither. I fear I will pack and ship the luggage, then forget what's in it leading me to packing all over again. An, individual difficulty, as it were. Of course, I could make a detailed list (I am, after all, librarian but, apparently a very lazy one such).

"Logistical chops" = organizational ability

Octoberkat, I think I understand. But note when you use Luggage Forward, you have to provide a complete list attached to your suitcase ( a customs declaration of sorts) of what is in it anyway. You could take a picture of the list with your smartphone before the suitcase is picked up (usually a week or so before, for international), and then you would have a record of what you packed!

I liked it when traveling solo recently as I plan ahead anyway, the suitcase is half-packed a month before as I slowly add things off my list so I have no last minute panic ( have to remember to close it as it sits so my cats do not cozy up inside, or worse:) )

A related service is Bags VIP service I used for getting a bag via United Airlines domestic to a hotel in Seattle for only $29, did not have to go to Baggage Claim after landing, which allowed me to go straight to town to do things without lugging a suitcase around or figuring out where to put it. Other airlines also have the service, and to cruise ships in U.S. as well.

DH, Mr. Procrastinator, does not like the idea of using the Luggage Forward for our upcoming international trips together because he is still sorting various cables and electronic components and photography accessories and repair tools and other doodads into precisely organized little cases and ziplocks into the wees hours of the night before leaving for our trips.

It all sounds lovely but I am much too disorganized and disoriented to go in that direction.

We have used Luggage Forward twice and now I'm spoiled. It is not cheap, but, as far as I'm concerned it's worth every penny. It forces me to get organized two weeks before leaving so that makes things much easier the day before we leave. Also, when you get back home, it's a few days until the luggage arrives so you have time to recuperate from the trip home before having to unpack and do laundry:)

Octoberkat, I think I understand. But note when you use Luggage Forward, you have to provide a complete list attached to your suitcase ( a customs declaration of sorts) of what is in it anyway. You could take a picture of the list with your smartphone before the suitcase is picked up (usually a week or so before, for international), and then you would have a record of what you packed!

 

I liked it when traveling solo recently as I plan ahead anyway, the suitcase is half-packed a month before as I slowly add things off my list so I have no last minute panic ( have to remember to close it as it sits so my cats do not cozy up inside, or worse:) )

 

A related service is Bags VIP service I used for getting a bag via United Airlines domestic to a hotel in Seattle for only $29, did not have to go to Baggage Claim after landing, which allowed me to go straight to town to do things without lugging a suitcase around or figuring out where to put it. Other airlines also have the service, and to cruise ships in U.S. as well.

 

DH, Mr. Procrastinator, does not like the idea of using the Luggage Forward for our upcoming international trips together because he is still sorting various cables and electronic components and photography accessories and repair tools and other doodads into precisely organized little cases and ziplocks into the wees hours of the night before leaving for our trips.

I'm a victim of last minute panic too so I like it, Catlover54! I think I will try Luggage Forward for my sailing next September.

I applaud all of you who do this and am envious beyond belief ... But never will it work for me and Jim and that's ok, strokes and folks, folks and strokes.

To me shipping luggage to the ship is the best money I spend. The idea of waltzing through the airport hassle free makes flying bearable. Even in Business or First. Worth every penny imo.

I agree with Henry.

The first time I used a luggage service was in 2011 when we sent bags back home from Singapore to the USA. Since then I have used services several times to send bags directly to the ship and to send bags home.

As Henry notes, it is nice not to have to have all of this luggage with you at the airport.

Two other benefits for us:

One is that it makes it much easier going through customs when we return to the USA. We don't have to waste time collecting luggage and we can just move quickly in the airport.

Other benefit for us is that after a long trip when we arrive home we have a few days to run other errands and not have to have the pressure of unpacking the luggage the first few days.

We have not used Luggage Forward, but have used Luggage Free and Luggage Concierge.

For international shipments they all use DHL. For shipments all within the USA they might use various companies primarily UPS and FedEx.

They have a lot of similarities and they have a few differences such as one of them puts plastic around your luggage. Some charge by the suitcase and others by the pound. Figure out which works best for you.

Do followup with them prior to pick up via e mail regardless of which direction you ship.

And as I posted earlier, the web sites pretty much answer all your questions which in the case of alcohol was no alcohol. Read instructions carefully.

Keith

We are converts to shipping luggage thanks to Keith and others who have done this many times without any problems. It sure takes most of the stress away when you travel. Yes it is a bit pricey but is worth every penny. Chances of your luggage getting lost is very slim and you can track your luggage.

I totally understand the issue with lack of logistical chops. I ran into that for Indonesia last year. I planned to use the luggage service but the date I had to have my bag ready to go was over a week before my departure. When I backed it into my work travel (ie being on an 8 day trip when the pickup came), I was going to have to be packed several days earlier than that and then leave it at my office for the coordinated pickup.

I was not organized enough to be packed two weeks ahead of time, not totally comfortable that the handover would go smoothly without me there, and too worried I'd want some of the items in my bag during those two weeks.

But... I think this will be a lovely way to return from a transatlantic without schlepping bags so I'm totally going to try it for s return.

The convenience of shipping luggage definitely appeals to me. But don't your clothes get absolutely squashed from being packed so far in advance? Even the wrinkle-resistant fabrics?

The convenience of shipping luggage definitely appeals to me. But don't your clothes get absolutely squashed from being packed so far in advance? Even the wrinkle-resistant fabrics?

Before we shipped luggage we would pack about a week before we cruise. Now we pack even earlier but whether the clothes are there for one week or something more than that really doesn't make a difference.

Most of our items have no issues the way we pack them. A few do and we just have them pressed once on the ship.

Keith

It's like rain. If you stand in the rain for five minutes or three hours you won't get any wetter. Once you put your clothes in a suitcase and they sit in there for fifteen hours they won't be any more wrinkled if they've been in there for a week.

I used Luggage Forward last year for the first time. Shipped my 70 lb. suitcase from Florida to Hong Kong. It was waiting in my suite on the bed when I arrived. Luggage Forward picked it up from the ship in Mumbai and it was back to my home in Florida in 6 days. I don't plan on ever checking a suitcase again. A carry on for the couple of days pre cruise is perfect. It is well worth the expense not to have to ever go to baggage claim again. I am even shipping it at the end of October to New York.

They are fantastic.

I've used "Luggage Man" (based London) many times ~he's also very good and dependable.

Martita B