Moving from Germany

[Anja_and_Henry 0]

Hey There,

Found out yesterday that my luggage is cut down from 2 pieces 32 kg each to 23 kg each And I will travel with a not even two year old beginning of April... I have sooo much stuffffffff

I don't have a ticket yet but are there any suggestions on friendly airlines? How much did you guys take? Sending boxes seams so expensive.

Cheers Anja

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Mailing any extra stuff is probably a lot heaper than paying extra on the plane The last time I had overweight suitcases, they wanted charge me $150 per suitcase which is just not worth it. Since the luggage guidelines are valid internationally, there will not be much of a difference between different airlines. What you might consider (depending on your location in Germany) is packing the boxes and travelling to the closest foreign country. Some of the countries surrounding Germany have lower shipping rates. I know some people who shipped their things via Lufthansa Cargo, but only because they got reduced rates (Vitamin B).

Also, think about which items you truly need and what would be cheaper to replace. I know that is a difficult process, but having seen how the few things I took over went I first went over have become part of a rather huge household (and I'm not even into buying things), I'm glad I didn't take all my stuff.

Finally, you might consider packing everything that you don't need immediately (winter clothes and the like come to mind) and asking friends or family who plan on attending your wedding (assuming you guys plan a reception) to bring over some of your things.

Hope things work out for you somehow...

[ctjwa 0]

I flew Continental just last week, and they did indeed drop it from 70lbs to 50lbs for 2 free suitcases. If it is inbetween there, they charge $25, if it's over that, they charge by the pound. If it's over 100lbs, they wont take it at all. Both of mine were between 50 and 70, so the guy just charged me for one.

Only thing i might recommend is putting all your REALLY heavy stuff in your carry on. You can bring a pretty good size carry on and also a backpack/big purse with you, and as far as i know it doesnt matter how heavy it is since you'll just carry it through security with you. It says officially 40lbs, but nobody weighs it.

[germangel 0]

my bags were a little heavier than that flying out of Germany but they simply ignored it. i flew Delta and never had to pay for overweight bags.

Don't you get an extra bag for your kid? When my sister was flying she had 2 bags for her and 1 bag for her not yet 2 year old.

Sometimes they also let it slip when they see a visa in your passport but I don't know for sure.

Make sure you check in early, as your kid won't get a seat for himself and if you have a carseat or something you wanna sit in the very front of a department (more leg space). They put me and my sister somewhere in the middle and it sucked, even though we had told them to give us a front seat. We had no room and had to recheck the car seat and all. that was actually meant to be his seat, as 10 hours with a toddler on your lap is not the most comfortable way to travel

[Anja_and_Henry 0]

Thank you so much for the replies.

I will send some boxes via DHL, 20 kg each, 62.00 Euro per box and leave some things with my Mother to bring later. And YES, I will fill my carry on, with a baby they are not so crazy anyway - the airlines expect you to have stuff. I just don't want to leave all his toys and books behind and buy new stuff. There are things we really like.

Did you bring all your cd's and what about books? I can't leave my live...

[blackbettie 0]

I'm facing the same problems like you are, Anja. (though I don't have a kid and thus less stuff to move)

I can't add much new to this thread since I'll do exactly what is already mentioned - 2 suitcases, heavy carry-on, one or two 20kg boxes sent by DHL. I found that to be the cheapest option.

I have tons of books and CDs too and I decided to NOT bring the books (I'll ask my mom to send them a little further down the road, you don't really NEED books in the first months), but I'll bring my CDs. I bought one of these CD folder thingies for them - they hold tons of CDs but don't need much space/ don't weight much.

Like this one:

[Anja_and_Henry 0]

Oh thanks, the cd thing is a good idea: shoot, I have 300 cd's plus 20 kids cd's now. But DHL is the only choice for folders and picture books - they are too big but light.

I still have to cancel some contracts - this is so much fun towards waiting for the visa lol

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Book and CDs: See if you can send them as "Buechersendung." I remember that used to be the cheapest way to send anything; the package can only include print and maybe sound media and it needs to be accessible to customs. Don't know if DHL/Deutsche Post sends internationally though.

You can get CD-wallets that hold 500 CDs, btw. It's also possible to put twice as much in one folder than officially indicated. They expect you to use one side of each page for CDs, and the other for booklets. I have just put all my music on my laptop, which I find even more convenient.

I do understand your concern about giving up your life. All my stuff is scattered across Germany currently, and I've no idea how I'll be able to get it over, unless I rent a container. Way too many books...

[VetsWife328 7]

Anja-! Go to the UPS website!!!!!!!!! Listen to me ok,maybe you just forgot,lol.

Go to the UPS website to "Kosten und Zeiten berechnen". 20 boxes that weigh about 200KG is 800 Euros.And it's there withing a few days.

Really,check that out!!!!! That's BY FAR the cheapest I have found.

www.ups.de

Good Luck!

Call me sometime,I missplaced your number again..........

Huggs

Natasha

Oh and as for flights-

check out KLM.They're pretty cheap.But with US Airlines you dont have to pay that much tax.Still,KLM has very good deals.Other than that,we just flew with Delta Airlines,but they're not good with kids.At least from my experience.

Anyway,go to www.explorer fernreisen.com (or.de?) they have the best deals.

Huggs again

Natasha

[Yasi 0]

Just wanted to say good luck with your move. This is very exciting I'm sure.

By the way, would you put my fiance in one of your baggages and mail him to US

[Anja_and_Henry 0]

Hey Yasi,

You are waiting for ever now - this is horrible!!! I thought our timeline is tough... Sure, I will squeeze him in for you - pick him up in WA...

Good luck to you, Anja

Did you call your congress person? I remember things started moving faster when we did. I just dont know if it is out of congress reach when things are at NVC. Try and call.

Just wanted to say good luck with your move. This is very exciting I'm sure.

By the way, would you put my fiance in one of your baggages and mail him to US

[tweety 1]

That's from Lufthansa on carry-ons:

"Carry-on baggage

First and Business Class passengers may take two pieces of hand luggage on board. One of the pieces should be stowed under the seat in front of you. Economy Class passengers are only permitted one piece of hand luggage.

Each piece of hand luggage may not be larger than 55 « 40 « 20 cm and may not weigh more than 8 kg. A foldable garment bag (no larger than 57 « 54 « 15 cm) may also be taken on board as hand luggage. In the interests of your own and other passengers' safety and comfort, bags exceeding these limits must be checked in.

Due to the limited space on board you may keep your cabin baggage until boarding on almost all Lufthansa Regional aircraft. You may hand over cabin baggage directly before entering the aircraft. Also when disembarking you will receive your cabin baggage directly at the aircraft. For that purpose, baggage carts are available next to the aircraft stairs.

In certain cases, First and Business Class passengers may only be permitted to take one piece of cabin baggage on board. This applies to:

Flights with small aircraft (Lufthansa Regional Partner) Flights in countries with restrictive government regulations (such as Italy and the USA)

On flights operated by one of our partner airlines different regulations may apply.

In addition to your hand luggage, you may take the following items on board:

a handbag, wrist bag or small bag with shoulder straps a coat,

shawl or blanket an umbrella or walking stick

a small camera or a pair of binoculars

an appropriate amount of reading material for the journey

a baby basket and baby food for consumption during the flight

crutches or other orthopaedic aids needed during the journey

Not allowed in carry-on baggage are all items that may cause injury:

Weapons and items that may be used as weapons which can discharge a projectile, or look-alike weapons Pointed and sharp items Blunt items "

(taken from: http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh/...&nodeid=1333482 )

I personally wouldn't go too far with the carry-on. I've had several occasions (with different airlines) in Frankfurt when the carry-on had to fit through that "carry-on-size-device" (if you ever travelled through Frankfurt you know what I mean).

[Yasi 0]

Thanks Anja. I wish we could do that & I would pick him up....

I called my congresswoman. She sent a letter to NVC. Waiting for a response.

Again good luck....

Just wanted to say good luck with your move. This is very exciting I'm sure.

By the way, would you put my fiance in one of your baggages and mail him to US

[Lou Lou 1]

I personally wouldn't go too far with the carry-on. I've had several occasions (with different airlines) in Frankfurt when the carry-on had to fit through that "carry-on-size-device" (if you ever travelled through Frankfurt you know what I mean).

And the overhead compartment will only hold so much weight. I have witnessed one of them breaking because people stuffed so much in their carry-on. I think those things take around 80kg but don't forget it won't just be your bag stuffed up there so the weight tallies up quickly.

[Anja_and_Henry 0]

Whenever I fly with Henry nobody said anything so far about the size of my hand carry bags. To Taiwan I had three, one full of food and diapers for Henry and toys and change..... It is mostly not heavy but takes up a lot of space. Scarry thought to have a overhead compartment come down....

I'm so excited now, hope I can sleep for the next month lol