Bag-less Travel Alternatives Paying It Forward

With a majority of airlines charging additional fees for bags over 50 pounds, starting around $50.00, the option of shipping golf clubs is starting to gain ground as a sensible and hassle free alternative.

And with some airlines now tacking on additional fees for the checking of sports equipment such as skis, golf bags, and bikes it could be something you want to consider for your next trip.

Though most specialty shipping services draw on freight carrier giants such as FedEx, DHL, and UPS you benefit more by capitalizing on their discounted bulk versus dealing with those companies directly.

A few of the leading companies that offer this service are:

The Carry-less Travel ™ Solution
Golf Bag Shipping will arrange for the door-to-door pick-up and delivery of your golf clubs anywhere in the U.S.A., including Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico using 2nd and 3rd day air. Five to seven day services is also available between the U.S and select international destinations such as Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean

All pricing is based on a one-way shipping cost with a weight limit of 33lbs for golf bags. Cost will also vary depending on the mileage between destinations, but in general you can expect costs to range between $59.00-$89.00 plus a $15 fuel surcharge on any shipment and $5 charge for one way only trips... in case you plan on giving your clubs to a relative.

For more information
visit their website at: www.golfbagshipping.com

The Luggage Shipping Company
Luggage Forward is another door-to-door luggage delivery provider with service to more than 200 countries. Whether shipping golf clubs, skis, or suitcases you can forward virtually any excess baggage with the guarantee that your bags will arrive safely and on time. Luggage forward promotes their service as the benefit of “total travel convenience” with the ability to accommodate same day bookings and shipping of any size baggage.

For more information visit their website at www.luggageforward.com

Enjoy the Pleasure of Travel Without Luggage
With Virtual Bellhop if an item delivers late they will arrange and pay for rentals or purchase of needed items until your items are reunited with you. The company intentionally has fewer destinations pointing out this is to your benefit as their services are guaranteed to work without a hitch. For example, an international delivery through Virtual Bellhop® is guaranteed to deliver when they say it will, regardless of customs delays, versus competitors that do not consider customs delays as part of their guarantee. The sole focus of Virtual Bellhop is the need to have your items at the location for when you arrive...end of story.

Each shipment is tracked every step of the way from pickup to delivery via Virtual Bellhop’s “Travel Concierge “technology. The technology allows you to track your shipment at any time, receive status notifications by e-mail, and also guarantee they will personally follow up with a call to your destination just to confirm the items arrived properly.

For more information visit their website at www.sportsexpress.com

* If researching options it’s important to note that both Luggage Express and Virtual Bellhop were acquired by Sports Express in April of this year and consequently all are now operating off under the same pricing and booking arrangements.

Travel Insurance Tip
It’s relatively inexpensive to insure your golf clubs as a scheduled item on your homeowner's policy. Most companies allow you to include all the items that are typically in your golf and travel bags...and at an average cost of $30-35/year it covers theft in other locations in addition to airline loss. If you travel exercise this policy option & you’ll save a bundle.