<p>I'm wondering how the whole oversized luggage deal works. From what I understand, you get charged $80 automatically if you go over a certain weight (50 lbs). If this is correct, then is there a similar restriction on size? </p>
<p>Ultimatly my real questions is whether it's best to ship your belongings or to try to take them with you by plane (will be traveling alone)?</p>
<p>BTW: I live in Southern California and will be going to school in Northern California.... I was originally planning on driving up there but I can no longer do this.</p>
<p>Look on the website of the airline that you are traveling. </p>
<p>There are restrictions as to size of bag, and you will be charged for an oversize bag.</p>
<p>As far as weight--the cost is different on each carrier. Again look on the web site. Also, if you are going on a smaller plane, they may have different guidelines. If your bag is too heavy and the plane is full, the bag may not be on your flight. I know this from experience--it will come later.</p>
<p>It is very easy to ship items. Personally I like Fed Ex ground.</p>
<p>It depends on the airline. DS was charged the extra $25 for a suitcase that weighed 53 pounds...the limit was 50. On one airline, there was not an option for overweight baggage....you had to get a third suitcase and pay to have that sent. The size restrictions were firm. DS never had a problem, but he knows others who did. Check the airlines. Also...for those small commuter size planes, we have found that the restrictions were adhered to by the book...there simply isn't enough room for a margin of error.</p>
<p>When my daughter flew out her freshman year we shipped a few boxes out about a week ahead of time. At her college the majority of kids live out of the area and they are prepared for those packages.</p>
<p>We just shipped everything insured and saved the headaches of lost luggage, TSA stolen equipment. With tracking numbers as proof, a few extra buck is worth it.</p>
<p>my sister has one luggage set she bring everywhere when she went to london for a semester of college she over weighted hers and the main piece of luggage is one huge rolling thingy</p>
<p>My D brought two suitcases from CA to PA, and we bought everything else there. We used Bed Bath and Beyond's Pack and Hold service and I can't say enough good about it. But when we got to the airport one of her bags was a little over, and the other a little under, and she had to move things around at the ticket counter to avoid fees. Some airlines are more strict than others.
I would imagine UPS to NoCal would not cost that much. You might check their website to calculate the cost of shipping and weigh the convenience of that over checking luggage at the airport.</p>
<p>One way around both minor weight and minor size overages is to use the curbside checkin and hold a $10 (or $20 if the bag is really off) in your hand while you check in the bag (as a tip, I mean)! The curbside people are not airline employees.</p>
<p>Sometimes the charges for a third bag are less than the charges for an oversize bag.</p>
<p>You really need to check the individual airlines rules VERY carefully.</p>
<p>Don't use fedex..use UPS ground...size doesn't matter unless you go over so much that you are "oversize" which you shouldn't be.<br>
My son flew cross country on Southwest and paid $25. for a heavy bag. It was huge....</p>
<p>dmd77 right, but that is printed material only, "book" or "media" rate and it is slow...I have had it take 3 weeks to east coast from west coast .if you are shipping what I assume is college student clothing, etc. I always use UPS.</p>
<p>Sophomore son just flew from FL to MA. He checked his airline's website (Delta) to check the suitcase weight limit (50 lbs. per pound). He was allowed two checked bags, so he carefully packed each bag and weighed it on the bathroom scale. He took 2 or 3 small carry-on bags. I was prepared to pay for overweight bags, but was surprised that one bag was 50 lbs. on the money and the other was 49 lbs. We had no extra charge. He was able to store larger items (bike, boxes of linens, etc.) at school at the end of his freshman year....which made the two bag plan work. It was great to have no extra charges.</p>
<p>Last year we all traveled by air to MA with him to drop him off. We put his belongings in our extra suitcases and brought most of the empty bags back with us. We never had to ship anything last year or this year. It was amazingly easy.</p>
<p>ebeeee--I should have made it clearer that I was discussing yet another way to ship some of the stuff. One time when we moved we shipped many of our books book rate--cheaper than anything else.</p>
<p>USPS book rate: cheapest for books. </p>
<p>UPS may be cheapest for ordinary shipping (not overnight)--but sometimes the USPS "if you can fit it in here" flat rate envelopes/boxes are cheaper for 2-to-3-day shipments, and sometimes DHL is cheaper. </p>
<p>A dormitory or university mail room may be considered a business instead of a residence, so ask when you go to ship the item, as UPS charges a premium for shipping to a residence. Places like Mailboxes Etc charge more than a UPS service center, so go to the service center if it's handy.</p>