ekscrunchy

Just want to mention here that, after years of "schlepping" around heavy bags of things I buy overseas I am now committed to sending home my purchases (mostly foods).

I did this on my March trip to Andalucia (Jerez,Vejer,Madrid) and I just did it again from Catania.

Most hotels seem to be very well versed in packing up guests' bought items, and doing all the work of contacting the shipping service, etc. I do travel with some bubble wrap, scissors, heavy packing tape, and some discarded Amazon envelopes--the ones with the bubble wrap inside. This makes it easier but your hotel could probably supply all of this.

You have 2 choices:

You can pack it up yourself using a box from a local supermarket or wine store (easy to find), and take it to the local post office (I know only Italy and Spain and have sent from both with never a problem over many years of travel).

Or, if you are willing to pay more, your hotel can probably supply the box, packing materials, etc, and do all the work necessary including phoning the shipper and arranging the shipment.

In both cases this year (from Madrid and from Catania) my hotels did it all for me so perfectly that I am still in awe. In both cases, the boxes arrived within 3 days of being collected at hotel. In the case of the shipment from Sicily, I had lots of cheese, dried pastas, jarred pestos and cremas, and quite a few (10 or so!) bottles of olive oil purchased from the producers.

From Madrid, olive oils, many tins of conservas, cheeses and other treats.

Even with the shipping, I saved a lot as compared to buying these items in the USA, anad most of them are not available here in any case.

So...just a thought. If you are a shopper, or a food fanatic, good idea to discuss shipping a carton home so as not to have to carry it (as we would have had to do, on drives, ferries, etc etc).

We did bring home food items in our luggage,, including meats that are allowed (check TA regs) and of course, cheeses, which are pretty widely allowed into USA; no idea about other countries, though...it was quite a thrill to find these boxes waiting for us when we arrived home, and we've already made quite a dent into the cheeses, meats and sweets, with more meals centered on these planned for the coming week!! (Not to mention the purple leather wallet that I bought on a whim in Catania; no, not going to eat that unless tines get truly dreary!! Silly whim, with handbag to match....chartruese interior..where is our old friend Thin???? Or even Guenmai, the handbag queen????)

I learned so many new recipes in Sicily that I am so keen to try..tonight will be swordfish belly with chopped wild fennel, capers, lemon zest, Trapani porange-flavored salt...and some roasted garlic that I had in my frig since we left in early May!! Cannot find my mortar/petle but chopped it all finely..let's see!?!?! And for appetizer, the last of the "salami di asino" from Ragusa! At least we will eat well this week, at least until partner goes in for his surgery Tuesday!!

MmePerdu

Mailing things home isn't just a Western Europe thing. I've mailed boxes from several countries there, too, but also at the P.O. in Turkey, Morocco, India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand . . . you get the point. Never lost a thing.

SusanP

I agree! Last year I sent a case of wine home, which the winery took care of, and also some olive oil, tapenades, etc, from an olive farm, and there, too, they took care of it, so I didn't have to figure out any shipping. Definitely worth it!

janisj

since I travel carry-on-only I've shipped things home many times. What I do mostly though is have the merchant do the shipping -- usually the VAT deduction more than pays any shipping costs. That wouldn't work for food items though since most have no or very low VAT. But for anything else -- ask the seller if they will ship it.

edit: meant that for food items the shipping costs would be out of pocket -- but the vendor could still do the shipping.

ekscrunchy

Yes, I do know iti is not just a western European idea. I've sent home things from Vietnam, Thailand, etc, and all arrived in good shape on on time.

Melnq8

I don't usually buy enough to warrant shipping home, but I've been known to order items to have delivered to our holiday apartments to then use during the trip or bring back home with me. These shipments invaribly consist of Swiss and Finnish chocolate

MmePerdu

Yes, I’m sure you knew, just making it clear for others who may not be as familiar with countries elsewhere. This is a good topic to post as it comes up from time to time here & the solution as you know is so simple. I’d also point out that shipping by sea rather than air is a much less expensive option, takes a while longer though not as long as I thought it might. But one must ask specifically as I’ve found the assumption is often that we want the air option.

bon_voyage

Eks, thanks for this thread. I love bringing back food items from vacations, a great trip extender.
Best wishes to your partner and to you for the upcoming surgery!

ekscrunchy

Melnq8

I love it..you send chocolate to your rental!!!

I did bring home quite a few bars of Modica chocolate from Sicily. You all may know this, but the history of this famous chocolate was fascinating to me.
It is not the creamy type many of us are used to. It is more like Oaxacan chocolate, grainy and not smooth. What is fascinating is the history of how the Spanish brought chocolate (cacao??) back from the New World and due to their occupation of Sicily, this type of chocolate took hold. There is a lot more to this and I am not thinking too clearly now....but in Modica they also make a pastry that contains lard (pigs, I think, were brought by the Spanish to the New World). So now you have booth pork and chocolate from the New World colonies formed into Sicilian foods! And the word for those pastries, which I now forget but might have written it in my report, is similar to the word "empanada." My goodness, the history of food is the history of migration, which might just be my favorite, or one of my favorite (another being accents) subjects.....

Sorry to veer way of course as is usual!!

Did I mention in my report on several mornings in Ragusa, I woke up with brown stuff (now, do not be nasty!) smeared over the tops of my nice new pajamas? Yes, fall asleep while chomping on an entire bar of Modicanese (sp??) chocolate which, happily, partner did not like. I had my nice new (Bedhead,, my new addiction) pajamas (by the way, 2 sets of pajamas are one too many for a 3 week trip....washing is easy and most hotels had heated towel racks)

ON similar far off track topic: NO, EKS (big reveal, my name is Erica) you DO NOT NEED to bring 6 pair of underpants for 3 weeks, or even for 6 months....bring 3...wash every night, hang on towel rack or in bathroom someplace.....ridiculous that I still bring FAR too much stuff, hence need for the shipping in the first place!! Two bras, maximum. What I left behind was my nice new white Costco rainjacket....could have used that...maybe new thread (again) on packing is in order!

starrs

Hi Erica!

I "discovered" the heated towel rack "dryer" this week. I'm amazing at how dense I've been for not doing that sooner.

What I left behind this week was a new pair of pants. I had unpacked (which I rarely do) but the maid put a folded blanket on the shelf where I had placed pants. I even looked, but guess I was too short to see them. I emailed as I left an inn this morning and had a response from my previous place. They are going to put them in the mail for me.

"...it was quite a thrill to find these boxes waiting for us when we arrived home,"
Almost like presents to yourself! I was excited when my box arrived from Israel in January and I've sent a box of assorted things from Italy several years ago. Packed myself. Next time I'll ask for help at the hotel.

We used to send things back from sales meetings. One year I stopped to actually wonder what a huge box contained. It had been in the center of my home office for a LONG time and I'd used it as an ottoman or coffee table. About 11 months later, I actually "saw" it again and opened to see what was inside. It was the "stuff" I had mailed home to myself. I didn't even unpack it. If I hadn't needed it in almost a year, I didn't need it. Nothing good like chocolates and great food though.

I was going to look for a new duffle to buy tomorrow but maybe I'll have the hotel ship a box back for me. Great reminder!