Travel Advice -   Shipping large items home.

The first rule of traveling is that you will always see something that you can’t live without.  A second rule is that many of these objects will be too large or bulky to carry home. 

When considering purchase of a large item, ask the vendor if they  will ship it  (many shops abroad will gladly do this for you). 

• If they do ship, be sure that the item is appropriately packed.

• Insure the package.

• Pay for the item and the shipping with a credit card (to provide some recourse in case the item does not arrive or arrives damaged ). 

If the shop does not ship, you may want to try to pack and ship the item yourself,

• This may call for a negotiation at the local post office and  the discussions often prove to be difficult. 

• If you have the time, contact a reliable, insured shipper, to handle large purchases. 

  • FedEx, UPS, and DHL are among the  reliable shippers that serve both national and international shipping.

• Another option, if you are staying at a hotel with a concierge, is to ask the concierge to handle the shipping for you.

Of course, fine stores will always ship for you but it is likely that you will find many items in out of the way places and may have to resort to the methods described above.

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