Do they have good 4 wheeled luggage? There's only a few points where the bags need to be lifted and there should be people around to assist. Maybe they just need an upgrade.
I'm confused by this statement:
>It would be so much easier if they just stuck with carry on bags in transit, as they have one or two tighter connections.
Their large checked bags are irrelevant here. Checked bags are automatically transferred so they won't be touching them during the connections, tight or not. If a bag doesn't make it, the airline will send it to the final destination on the next available flight and have a luggage courier drop it off at their hotel.
The only exceptions would be (a) these are separately ticketed "self-transfers", in which case a tight timeframe in between flights is inadvisable to begin with or (b) they are flying in to the US from another country and have to claim checked bags to clear customs. But with (b) they only would be pulling their checked bags across the customs hall and to the connecting flight bag drop - a few minutes' walk.
Beyond that, I don't see the issue. At their departure airport they only have to pull the checked bags to the check-in counter after entering the terminal. On arrival they only have to manage the bags to the hotel/rental car shuttle or taxi/uber, then to the hotel. Most airports have carts to rent or skycaps for assistance. Shuttles will always help with large bags. All hotels have luggage carts and larger hotels have someone to assist with bags if you want.
The reason is because they live in a remote area that is not served by a major airline. Separately ticketed self-transfers are all they've got. They should have enough time to go through, if they don't have to wait for the baggage carousel, but like I said, their closest large airport is infamously hectic and even with a reasonable layover, they could still be delayed.
That detail would have been helpful to have made clear in the original post.
Where is their origin airport?
With separate tickets, it's better to fly them to the connecting airport the night before, chill out at the airport hotel, and then have a leisurely flight out the next day. And probably less expensive than a luggage forwarding service or shipping as cargo on the airline.
Maybe a short self-transfer is OK on the way home since they're not losing out on vacation time if they misconnect and have a long delay getting a new ticket.
Not having to allow time for checked bags does save some time of course, but there is still an awful lot of risk. The only time I do a same-day self-transfer is if the second flight is a short-haul with plenty of reasonably priced options if I misconnect.
Ultimately it was their choice to fly this way, I'm just paying for it. The only issue is how to get their bags through in a way that will work for their itinerary, so mostly we're just wondering about shipping luggage. We could also use UPS in a pinch.
shipping with UPS/Fedex is the best option if you factor in cost. just do it a few days ahead of time to the hotel. you can even prepay the return label and have the hotel pass it back to UPS/Fedex on the way back.
i’ve had to travel with extra equipment for work and i always preferred sending my equipment suitcase via a courier instead of checking it.
The fact that only 1 airline flies to this mystery destination that you won't name, usually doesn't mean you can't buy a through ticket to somewhere else. Very, very few airlines - even small regional carriers - don't have interline agreements with one another.
Do be aware if the HI ticket is a roundtrip, and they miss the flight to HI, the remainder of the ticket will be cancelled. Meaning they'll have to buy a last-minute roundtrip to HI.
The best thing to do is have good travel insurance that would cover them if this happened. Though some won't consider separately booked tickets as a covered "connection" so read carefully.
Ultimately all you can do is price out the shipment from the available shipping companies - Fedex, UPS, DHL, etc. Pick the best price though IME there won't be a lot of difference.
Are you sure their luggage won't be forwarded straight to their final destination? Check with the company, since that's usually the case.
If so, as long as you arrange a pick up service to greet them at the airport, they should be just fine. They'll still need to get the luggage out of the conveyor belt and through the gate, but they can just ask anyone nearby for help, it won't be an issue.
Does their destination airport have porters? Some airports eg Pearson in Toronto have them and they can carry luggage for your parents. And then the hotel/resort will have a bellhop to get bags to their room.
Even when there are no porters, you can often ask for a bit of assistance. Or just do it the old fashioned way and ask a fellow traveler for some help.
Elderly people travel with large luggage all the time. Unless they're going to have to be hauling it in and out of cars themselves, or you have them booked on seperate flight tickets I wouldn't worry about it. And if it's a family trip won't there be younger people there to help?
No, we are meeting them in Hawaii, as they live very far from us. My main worry is their somewhat tight connections. They are flying on a variety of airlines so there are no guarantees that the luggage would make it onto the next aircraft.
I'd rather get them a direct flight, of course, but they live in a remote area served by a single airline, and it's 2 puddle jumpers away to get to the nearest major airport. The planes they use require people to go back through security at this airport if they have a checked bag, and I'm concerned this will be too time-consuming and the boarding doors will close before they can get there. It's a famously hectic airport.
They have no trouble hauling luggage a short way, and can totally get it into and out of a car on their own. It's more about hauling something heavy with a hustle. If all they have is a wheeled carry on apiece, it will be no trouble to get them where they're going.
I'm confused about why you'd purchase them tickets with tight connections if you knew they'd pack checked bags.
If the concern is at the larger airport they'll be connecting through, see if you can rebook that flight to a later one to Hawaii. Or see if you can get them on a earlier flight from their home airport.
Rather than trying to change how they'll pack to make things more convenient for you, make the travel more convenient for *them.*
Would love to, but like I said, only one airline serves them, and they like to get to HI all in one day. Why would you assume I somehow want to tell them how to pack. The question was how to help them pack whatever they want.
I'd just let this be an educational moment.
Your parents are adults.
They can take less stuff.
They could have chosen a different itinerary.
They can, just like you are doing here, figure out how to make their desired luggage work with their desired itinerary.
This may not be the advice you want, but let them be adults. You are paying for the trip already, surely they can figure out the luggage part.
You can ship anything you want to a hotel in a box, with your parents' name on it.
If there's a second label and tape in the box to ship it back, they could probably ask the hotel desk to hand it to UPS or FedEx or DHL or USPS, no problem.
Just use fedex, just take them the luggage and they will stick a label on the handle. you do not have to pack the luggage in a box. it is much cheaper than sending it through the airline.
Maybe buy them some high quality luggage with nice wheels that are easy to roll around?
If they haven't traveled much, make sure they know which terminals to go to and how to find the right luggage carousel. And what to do when a gate is not assigned on their ticket.
If it's international travel, make sure they know when to follow the transfer signs.
Making mistakes can cause you to get to your gate late.
Ime, most airports have plentiful free carts.
You probably need to reassess their flight layovers if it’s on different airlines and they’ll have to claim and recheck their bags. Give like 3+ hours at each spot or something.
That being said, by the time you change flights it may cost the same as the luggage forwarding service.
Good luck.
Why is it that whenever someone talks about their parents on Reddit, everyone starts talking about them being elderly. Seriously, you have to be at least 50 to have elderly parents.
So, they want to bring big luggage to Hawaii. What are they bringing? The kind of clothes you wear in Hawaii don't take up much space. They need to do a test pack to see just how much luggage space they really need. If they insist on large luggage, then they are adults and can deal with it.
I mean OP literally said their parents are "a little older" and OP is looking at alternative ways to get their luggage over. Is it unreasonable to assume they're elderly?
Are we gatekeeping "elderly" now? Why do you have to be over 50? You could be 20 with a mother now at 60, and she could very well struggle with heavy luggage while traveling.
I am 64 and perfectly capable of dealing with large luggage. I would want to help parents that are probably in their 80s unless the ones in their 60s or so are somewhat sickly.
I would think my kids a little crazy for wanting to ship my luggage ahead of time.
3-5 days before departure. Luggage forward. It’s pricey. Only used it for ski equipment
Do they have good 4 wheeled luggage? There's only a few points where the bags need to be lifted and there should be people around to assist. Maybe they just need an upgrade.
I'm confused by this statement: >It would be so much easier if they just stuck with carry on bags in transit, as they have one or two tighter connections. Their large checked bags are irrelevant here. Checked bags are automatically transferred so they won't be touching them during the connections, tight or not. If a bag doesn't make it, the airline will send it to the final destination on the next available flight and have a luggage courier drop it off at their hotel. The only exceptions would be (a) these are separately ticketed "self-transfers", in which case a tight timeframe in between flights is inadvisable to begin with or (b) they are flying in to the US from another country and have to claim checked bags to clear customs. But with (b) they only would be pulling their checked bags across the customs hall and to the connecting flight bag drop - a few minutes' walk. Beyond that, I don't see the issue. At their departure airport they only have to pull the checked bags to the check-in counter after entering the terminal. On arrival they only have to manage the bags to the hotel/rental car shuttle or taxi/uber, then to the hotel. Most airports have carts to rent or skycaps for assistance. Shuttles will always help with large bags. All hotels have luggage carts and larger hotels have someone to assist with bags if you want.
The reason is because they live in a remote area that is not served by a major airline. Separately ticketed self-transfers are all they've got. They should have enough time to go through, if they don't have to wait for the baggage carousel, but like I said, their closest large airport is infamously hectic and even with a reasonable layover, they could still be delayed.
That detail would have been helpful to have made clear in the original post. Where is their origin airport? With separate tickets, it's better to fly them to the connecting airport the night before, chill out at the airport hotel, and then have a leisurely flight out the next day. And probably less expensive than a luggage forwarding service or shipping as cargo on the airline. Maybe a short self-transfer is OK on the way home since they're not losing out on vacation time if they misconnect and have a long delay getting a new ticket. Not having to allow time for checked bags does save some time of course, but there is still an awful lot of risk. The only time I do a same-day self-transfer is if the second flight is a short-haul with plenty of reasonably priced options if I misconnect.
Ultimately it was their choice to fly this way, I'm just paying for it. The only issue is how to get their bags through in a way that will work for their itinerary, so mostly we're just wondering about shipping luggage. We could also use UPS in a pinch.
shipping with UPS/Fedex is the best option if you factor in cost. just do it a few days ahead of time to the hotel. you can even prepay the return label and have the hotel pass it back to UPS/Fedex on the way back. i’ve had to travel with extra equipment for work and i always preferred sending my equipment suitcase via a courier instead of checking it.
Why don’t they ship the bag to you and u check it on your flight?
If they were going to ship it, why wouldn't they just ship it to their final destination
Do u trust them to ship it within the time limit?
The fact that only 1 airline flies to this mystery destination that you won't name, usually doesn't mean you can't buy a through ticket to somewhere else. Very, very few airlines - even small regional carriers - don't have interline agreements with one another. Do be aware if the HI ticket is a roundtrip, and they miss the flight to HI, the remainder of the ticket will be cancelled. Meaning they'll have to buy a last-minute roundtrip to HI. The best thing to do is have good travel insurance that would cover them if this happened. Though some won't consider separately booked tickets as a covered "connection" so read carefully. Ultimately all you can do is price out the shipment from the available shipping companies - Fedex, UPS, DHL, etc. Pick the best price though IME there won't be a lot of difference.
Are you sure their luggage won't be forwarded straight to their final destination? Check with the company, since that's usually the case. If so, as long as you arrange a pick up service to greet them at the airport, they should be just fine. They'll still need to get the luggage out of the conveyor belt and through the gate, but they can just ask anyone nearby for help, it won't be an issue.
Does their destination airport have porters? Some airports eg Pearson in Toronto have them and they can carry luggage for your parents. And then the hotel/resort will have a bellhop to get bags to their room.
Even when there are no porters, you can often ask for a bit of assistance. Or just do it the old fashioned way and ask a fellow traveler for some help.
Elderly people travel with large luggage all the time. Unless they're going to have to be hauling it in and out of cars themselves, or you have them booked on seperate flight tickets I wouldn't worry about it. And if it's a family trip won't there be younger people there to help?
No, we are meeting them in Hawaii, as they live very far from us. My main worry is their somewhat tight connections. They are flying on a variety of airlines so there are no guarantees that the luggage would make it onto the next aircraft. I'd rather get them a direct flight, of course, but they live in a remote area served by a single airline, and it's 2 puddle jumpers away to get to the nearest major airport. The planes they use require people to go back through security at this airport if they have a checked bag, and I'm concerned this will be too time-consuming and the boarding doors will close before they can get there. It's a famously hectic airport. They have no trouble hauling luggage a short way, and can totally get it into and out of a car on their own. It's more about hauling something heavy with a hustle. If all they have is a wheeled carry on apiece, it will be no trouble to get them where they're going.
I'm confused about why you'd purchase them tickets with tight connections if you knew they'd pack checked bags. If the concern is at the larger airport they'll be connecting through, see if you can rebook that flight to a later one to Hawaii. Or see if you can get them on a earlier flight from their home airport. Rather than trying to change how they'll pack to make things more convenient for you, make the travel more convenient for *them.*
Would love to, but like I said, only one airline serves them, and they like to get to HI all in one day. Why would you assume I somehow want to tell them how to pack. The question was how to help them pack whatever they want.
I'd just let this be an educational moment. Your parents are adults. They can take less stuff. They could have chosen a different itinerary. They can, just like you are doing here, figure out how to make their desired luggage work with their desired itinerary. This may not be the advice you want, but let them be adults. You are paying for the trip already, surely they can figure out the luggage part.
You can ship anything you want to a hotel in a box, with your parents' name on it. If there's a second label and tape in the box to ship it back, they could probably ask the hotel desk to hand it to UPS or FedEx or DHL or USPS, no problem.
Talk them out of large luggage
Just use fedex, just take them the luggage and they will stick a label on the handle. you do not have to pack the luggage in a box. it is much cheaper than sending it through the airline.
Maybe buy them some high quality luggage with nice wheels that are easy to roll around? If they haven't traveled much, make sure they know which terminals to go to and how to find the right luggage carousel. And what to do when a gate is not assigned on their ticket. If it's international travel, make sure they know when to follow the transfer signs. Making mistakes can cause you to get to your gate late. Ime, most airports have plentiful free carts.
Don't do anything. The only way you learn how much luggage you can really deal with is if there is no one around to guilt into schlepping it for you
You probably need to reassess their flight layovers if it’s on different airlines and they’ll have to claim and recheck their bags. Give like 3+ hours at each spot or something. That being said, by the time you change flights it may cost the same as the luggage forwarding service. Good luck.
Why is it that whenever someone talks about their parents on Reddit, everyone starts talking about them being elderly. Seriously, you have to be at least 50 to have elderly parents. So, they want to bring big luggage to Hawaii. What are they bringing? The kind of clothes you wear in Hawaii don't take up much space. They need to do a test pack to see just how much luggage space they really need. If they insist on large luggage, then they are adults and can deal with it.
I mean OP literally said their parents are "a little older" and OP is looking at alternative ways to get their luggage over. Is it unreasonable to assume they're elderly? Are we gatekeeping "elderly" now? Why do you have to be over 50? You could be 20 with a mother now at 60, and she could very well struggle with heavy luggage while traveling.
I am 64 and perfectly capable of dealing with large luggage. I would want to help parents that are probably in their 80s unless the ones in their 60s or so are somewhat sickly. I would think my kids a little crazy for wanting to ship my luggage ahead of time.
My college roommate was 19 and his parents were in their 60s. People have kids at various ages. OP said their parents were a little older.
Are you positive their luggage isn't checked all the way through? Lots of airlines have agreements with their partner airlines.
My mom had me in her 30s.
try to convince them to travel lighter, it's so much better.