Travelling with extra baggage on visits prior to relocation

[geowrian 22,335]

T-shirt and shorts! Doh!!!! 🤦‍♂️

Edited January 16, 2019 by geowrian

[dentsflogged 352]

1 hour ago, payxibka said:

If so, I think I'd question if a woman was traveling with less than two bags.  😂

I only ever travel with a carry on (46l backpack) and my small purse, even for 4+ week trips. I hate checking bags.  Never once been questioned.

 

OP - FWIW - I spent a few months before I moved from my hometown to a new city considering that my personal items would be in storage for up-to 3 months during the move - I started off with 30+ boxes and got it all down to less than 5 in total thinking that if I didn't need or want a particular item for 3 months (ie: the stuff that'd be in storage), clearly I didn't need or want it in general.  Saved me a bunch. 

That said, I also know how much it sucks not having your "stuff" in your new home - until my boxes arrived here I felt like I was just visiting. Once I'd unpacked a little it felt like "our" house properly, so there's a good argument for "don't bring all your stuff" and "bring all your stuff" either way

Edited January 16, 2019 by dentsflogged

[payxibka 10,044]

Just now, dentsflogged said:

I only ever travel with a carry on (46l backpack) and my small purse, even for 4+ week trips. I hate checking bags.  Never once been questioned.

You obviously missed the emoji...

[JoannaV 173]

I never paid to bring extra bags, but I did bring extra stuff. But mostly just clothes I'd then leave behind, plus books. I would pack to the maximum weight. (Which was more than it is now.) I would return to the UK with my smaller suitcase inside my larger one. I still shipped stuff over though. Mostly it just meant that there were clothes and books that went straight from my college room to the US, rather than via my parents' house.

[Loo1 91]

My last trip to the US i brought stuff to leave there. Other than the usual questions i get asked at pre-clearance, my luggage wasnt mentioned. Is your fiance coming to visit before you move? Like you, I want to keep expenses down as much as i can, my fiance is visiting next month, he is going to take a case of my stuff back with him

[AmandaandChayne 734]

I’ve travelled 3 times from the UK on an ESTA with 2 cases maxed and never had an issue 

[HonoraryCitizen 179]

21 hours ago, payxibka said:

Cbp (passport control) does not see your baggage if traveling in by air.

Technically correct however don’t forget customs routinely communicates with immigration/passport control and people have previously had their story questioned after it was initiated by after clearing passport control.

 

It’s good to view them as different limbs of the same body.

[NikLR 13,220]

Technically you're not allowed to move your things until you immigrate.  

Because you're flying, CBP probably hasn't paid very much attention but be aware they could and deny entry.  

Your baggage goes through CBP... just because you arent with it doesn't mean they havent looked at your stuff. 

[JFH 12,189]

Shipping stuff from the UK is not that expensive anyway. I only paid a few hundred pounds to send 35 boxes here by ship. And that was all the way to Seattle - so far from the UK that we are closer to Japan! I had 30 boxes of books I couldn’t bear to be parted from and the rest was baking equipment, family keepsakes (photos of my grand parents, etc) and some sentimental items. I sold my house in the UK and the furniture was sold and donated. Appliances were also donated. But for bringing heavy things like books it’s defibuteky cheaper to put them in a cargo ship than pay $100 per bag for 20kg to bring them on the plane with you. 

 

It took 4 months for my shipment to arrive and clear customs here but worth it.

[Sarah G 166]

6 minutes ago, JFH said:

Shipping stuff from the UK is not that expensive anyway. I only paid a few hundred pounds to send 35 boxes here by ship. And that was all the way to Seattle - so far from the UK that we are closer to Japan! I had 30 boxes of books I couldn’t bear to be parted from and the rest was baking equipment, family keepsakes (photos of my grand parents, etc) and some sentimental items. I sold my house in the UK and the furniture was sold and donated. Appliances were also donated. But for bringing heavy things like books it’s defibuteky cheaper to put them in a cargo ship than pay $100 per bag for 20kg to bring them on the plane with you. 

 

It took 4 months for my shipment to arrive and clear customs here but worth it.

Very good to know, thank you. Do you know which company you used, and also when was this? I got quotes from several places that wanted £1300 and up. The things I have are light enough that I know I can get it down to three suitcases (one extra on each trip I expect to have between now and including the move), and then probably 5-10 boxes. I have some very small items of furniture also, and a stupid cumbersome mirror that I don't want to part with, plus some quite large framed artwork that belonged to my grandmother. The bulky things I will have to ship, but I think I can do a lot of the rest with extra cases. I think i need to find a better estimate so I can really compare! 

[JFH 12,189]

2 minutes ago, Sarah G said:

Very good to know, thank you. Do you know which company you used, and also when was this? I got quotes from several places that wanted £1300 and up. The things I have are light enough that I know I can get it down to three suitcases (one extra on each trip I expect to have between now and including the move), and then probably 5-10 boxes. I have some very small items of furniture also, and a stupid cumbersome mirror that I don't want to part with, plus some quite large framed artwork that belonged to my grandmother. The bulky things I will have to ship, but I think I can do a lot of the rest with extra cases. I think i need to find a better estimate so I can really compare! 

This who I used https://www.transglobalexpress.co.uk/sea-freight/

 

the cheapest way is to go for the shared container. It’s slower because you have to wait for other people to fill up the container but it’s much cheaper. They even give you choices of different ships and prices. 

[Sarah G 166]

28 minutes ago, JFH said:

This who I used https://www.transglobalexpress.co.uk/sea-freight/

 

the cheapest way is to go for the shared container. It’s slower because you have to wait for other people to fill up the container but it’s much cheaper. They even give you choices of different ships and prices. 

I'll look at that now, thank you very much!