With more low-cost airlines operating out of Turkey than ever before and technology enabling us to buy flights anytime anywhere, traveling between countries has never been easier. But if you are planning to travel as inexpensively as possible, prepare to travel light. Excess baggage fees can add quite a bit to the overall price of your ticket and some providers (particularly low-cost airlines) will penalize you if you fail to adhere to their requirements.

For example, some airlines charge additional fees if excess baggage isn’t checked within a couple of hours before boarding. In addition, airlines often charge according to the item you are taking with you, rather than the weight, which might not always seem justified or fair your perspective as a passenger. And further fees can be added to the price if you are traveling in peak season!

But what if you do need to take along a little extra luggage when you travel overseas? Perhaps you’re seeing family and have to return things, you’re going on an extended tour or you’ve even bought something while in another country and need to bring it back home. Luckily there are ways to ensure you get the best deal on your excess baggage and avoid paying money you’d otherwise enjoy overseas! Here are some suggestions on how to avoid excessive charges for luggage and travel bags:

DO YOUR RESEARCH

As eluded to above, airlines generally have a multitude of baggage policies. There are many different factors that influence how much your airline will charge you for excess luggage including weight, destination, time, date, the number of bags and more. You needn’t learn the entire policy by heart but getting a rough idea about how your airline charges you is time well spent. If you do need to pack a few extra suitcases, make sure you’re comparing apples with apples when you look for the cheapest fare. A ticket might seem cheaper according to the advertised price or by checking a flight comparison website like Skyscanner, but you might find that once baggage is added you wind up paying twice as much as other providers. As an aside, we’d also recommend using an incognito/private window when looking for the cheapest flight. Providers will often use your browser history to ascertain where you’d planning to travel, and jack up the price when you go to book a ticket to this destination.

PACK YOUR SUITCASES ACCORDINGLY

There is nearly always an official limit on how heavy your carry-on luggage and checked-luggage can be, but airlines hardly if ever check the weight of your carry-on bags. You should use this to your advantage – it’s a good idea to pack the heaviest things into your carry-on bags. If it’s appropriate, wearing your heaviest, bulkiest clothing can also reduce the weight of checked baggage.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE SNEAKY

As discussed, airlines often charge according to the item you are checking in. Bikes and musical instruments for example often carry charges in addition to their weight simply because they are what they are. Savvy travelers have been known to dissemble these kinds of items and pack them in separate bags to avoid such fees.

CONSIDER EXCESS BAGGAGE SHIPPING

If you are truly looking for the cheapest way to get extra luggage from country A to country B, we’d highly recommend hiring a shipping specialist rather than going through your airline. There are many international air and sea freight companies that get a lot of business from people looking to save when traveling overseas. They are, by definition, cheaper than airline charges for excess baggage and travelers should at the very least check out the rates. At face value you might think that this is the less convenient option, considering you may have to wait some time before your luggage arrives and you don’t take it directly from the airport when you land. However chances are it works out much better for you. Many providers offer door-to-door service and can have the luggage delivered within a few days, which saves you having to drag it all along with you after your long flight. Nowadays airlines are doing everything they can to charge passengers additional fees, so make sure you’ve done your homework when you go to fly as it could save you in the long run.

Traditionally delivery services were very much inconvenient and expensive. On the other hand carrying extra luggage and heavy loads from one country to another was very much restricted. In the past, people struggled to get their parcels to their loved ones as it was both costly and risky. Parcels were known to go missing, be labelled as undeliverables and get returned to the sender, or simply take an incredibly long time to reach the recipient.In fact we have discussed some interesting facts about courier service in the past in this post.

Sending a parcel also used to risk it being mishandled and damaged and often people receiving the package would be disappointed with a broken item at the end of a long waiting period.At that time, choosing a reliable courier service meant you would have to pay large amounts of money to ensure a timely delivery. Courier services have always been able to take care of packages better than the traditional postal services, but there were also several boundaries and restrictions like area and country.

As time moved on, courier services became more savvy and technologically sound. Nowadays it is very rare to find a service that withholds a parcel or doesn’t deliver on time. Now the consumers are not only going to choose how, when and where they receive their parcel, in addition delivery channels are many and varied.

According to the needs of the increasingly global world, now there are more and more courier service companies competing with each other to bring us better service. Nowadays anyone can register a parcel to be delivered using their laptop or phone.

In the past people needed to follow certain rules and produce their specific identification for accepting the parcel, but now delivery companies make it much easier, giving the option to give them authority to leave the package, letting the recipient know when it has been delivered. While the traditional shipment method is very time consuming, the professional courier companies offer reliable different shipping methods such as normal delivery, express and same day delivery that is much more convenient.

Traditional shipping services were unable to locate the exact place of the delivery vehicle and therefore there would be times when the package was not tracked, but now technologically sound courier services can easily trace through computers latest technologies in order to help the clients in receiving their delivery quickly.

Possibly the most important thing to consider is the price, as now courier services aren’t as expensive as they used to be. In the past there were additional fees charged for overweight, large or awkward items. But now professional courier services are charging flat rate, making it easier for everyone to ship what they need to all over the world.Now courier services are here to help you get your products to the desired destination in a timely, professional, safe and affordable manner.

If you’re sending a package locally, you have the choice of whether to go through the regular post, or through a courier company. While the latter is generally more expensive, there are numerous advantages that come from going with this option. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons you may choose to go with a professional courier delivery service.

PERSONALISED

Sending something in the post is largely an impersonal process. You take the package to the post office and that’s about the extent of it the face to face interaction. When you go with a courier, not only are you dealing with a person that understands your needs, but they are able to better service you as an individual. You may have specific requests for the manner in which the package is transported and delivered, or instructions on where to leave it/who to leave it with at the destination. Special requirements are always catered for with a courier service.

CONVENIENT

A courier service is significantly more convenient than the regular post both from the sender’s and receiver’s perspectives. Generally, the courier will come and pick up the package from the sender home or place of work and often they’ll take care of packaging too. So rather than taking time out of your busy day, it is the responsibility of the courier to work around your schedule. And when it is delivered, the recipient receives the package at their door!

QUICKER SERVICE

When it comes to local courier services, more often than not you’ll have the package delivered on the same-day. This is simply not the case when you’re dealing with pubic, more conventional delivery channels, which can take 2-3 days in some circumstances. Everyone know that waiting on a package can be frustrating, especially if it’s important. For example, there are many cases in which it’s imperative that important documents are delivered safely and as quickly as possible. The same-day service offered by quality Turkish local couriers is certainly a big draw card for many customers.

GLOBAL COURIERS ARE AVAILABLE

You can easily get the most competitive pricing, good all-around customer service and the quickest service in Turkey and abroad! From a commercial perspective, it can be very valuable to have a connection with someone that provides both these kinds of service for cost-saving and convenience. If you have used a local courier and you’ve been pleased with their level of service, it’s a good bet that they’re just as dependable on the global scale.

In certain cases where you may need to transport goods overseas, having a good relationship with a local courier and using their channels can be cost effective, convenient and give you peace of mind too.

More people than ever are shipping goods around Australia and worldwide and with quality courier delivery providers that can transport just about anything from point A to point B, it’s never been more easy. In all but a few cases, the sender will need to prepare the package they are sending, so if you’re in this position it’s good to have a rough idea to pack in the very best way for a secured baggage freight.

The main thing when it comes to packing is to ensure you provide sufficient protection for the items you’re shipping. But overdoing it or over-packing it isn’t the most efficient way to go about it either; it can be wasteful both in terms of time and resources.

This article suggests a number of ways you can pack in an affordable way that also provides the necessary protection to the items you are sending.

1. RECYCLING YOUR PACKING MATERIALS

As well as helping you save a bit of money, recycling obviously benefits the environment greatly. So you should certainly try to do it whenever you have the chance and also try often to get rid of the stuff that you don’t need. Particularly if you work in an office environment and frequently post and receive packages, it’s worthwhile to keep boxes, paper and other packing materials handy for when you’ll need them in the future. The same goes for bubble paper, if you can resist the urge to pop it. It really makes no sense to throw away these materials and have to go out and buy more when needed. Keep in mind that if you are using an old box, be sure to remove old shipping labels.

2. PACK TIGHT TO RESTRICT MOVEMENT

The main principal you should adhere to when packing is to ensure that the item can’t shift around inside the box too much, if at all. Obviously this comes down to selecting a box that isn’t excessively larger the item that contains it. It also requires that you surround it with plenty of paper, and bubble paper to the sides of the box. Moving the box around should not result in the actual item shifting at all.

3. USE NEWSPAPER WITH CAUTION WHEN PACKING

Newspaper is handy when you are packing – it’s easy to get your hands on, it’s cheap and you can use it after you are done with it so it’s a good way to recycle. It also works really well when crumpled up to help cushion the item you are packing. By all means it can be used in many cases however keep in mind that the ink can often rub off and damage/deface items you are shipping.

4. CONSIDER PACKING WITH TWO BOXES

When you’re dealing with an especially fragile item, it’s important to pack as carefully as possible and protect the contents. One great method that works particularly well for smaller items is to pack the item into a box that is within another box. Pack the item into the box as you normally would, then place the package into a larger box in such a way that the smaller box can’t move around. You don’t want to be using a considerably larger second box to a point that the smaller one is getting thrown around in there. If done correctly, you’re giving the item double the protection and it greatly reduces the chance of damage.

5. USE PACKING TAPE RATHER THAN DUCT TAPE

If you seal your box up with regular duct tape, there’s a good chance your package will arrive to its destination in much worse condition than you have sent it in. If it’s a local delivery you might get away with it but more times than not it’s better to avoid taking the risk. You can purchase special packing tape at hardware stores, newsagents and post offices. It does not stretch and is much stronger, which keeps the box in good condition. Duct tape however is likely to loosen as time goes on and pressure builds up.