
August 19, 2010 11:28 AM   Subscribe


(pending paperwork) I have just been accepted for a job in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (Helping run an ESL gymnastics center! How fun!!). I currently live in Istanbul, Turkey, and will be departing from here on around Sept 2nd.

Through donating, tossing, and selling, I have managed to dwindle my possessions down to: 3x 20-30kilo suitcases (haven't weighed them yet), a Lowepro backpack (which will contains my laptop, camera, lenses, and other carry-on items), and an ≈7 kilo box of stuff that I want to ship home to Canada (I need to stop lugging so much stuff around...)

I thankfully found a new teacher at the school I'm leaving that is taking over the lease on my apartment, and literally buying everything inside it, from the dishes, to the bookshelf and books, to my cat!! So none of that stuff is coming with me. It's 1 and a half suitcases of clothes. The rest is tampons, a few pairs of sandals, about 10 of my rarest books, a couple journals, printed photos, some small statues/souvenirs from my travels, exclusively American food (7 cans/bottles) from my recent vacation in Cali (I guess I can leave this behind?), and a whole bunch of little random stuff that adds up, like jewelry, toiletries, electronics, etc.

If you have any ideas on how I can eliminate some of these things, fantastic. However, I think I'll end up having to bring most of it along with me. My flight isn't booked yet, but we'll be doing that in the next few days. Kayak tells me I'll almost certainly be flying either Qatar or Emerites Air, both of whos baggage systems (for non-transatlantic flights) go by the weight system. In Economy class, I'm allowed 20 kilo. I believe that means only 1 bag. I need more! What will be the most affordable way to get the rest of my belongings to Vietnam? I asked FedEx today, and for a 25kilo box, they would charge me $750!!! No bloody way I'm paying that.

There is a chance my employer will assist me in paying for my baggage, either in excess baggage fees, or in shipping something as cargo. I would just like to have some information available to present to him first. I should also mention that I will be doing training in Seoul, Korea first, and so I'll be flying Istanbul>Seoul, staying there for 2 weeks, and then flying onward to Vietnam. I can send the majority of my luggage directly to HCMC if it's possible, though.

Any advice on how on earth to ship/bring/send my bags would be greatly appreciated. I've never traveled with more than my allowed luggage before, but it looks like I'll be in Vietnam for at least a couple years, so I'd like to not have to leave anything behind! Cám ơn! :)
posted by hasna to Travel & Transportation (1 answer total)
Talk to Turkish Airlines' cargo department - your package will be contracted out to another firm anyway, and they'll help you get the right rate, packaging, etc.

Talk to PTT and send some stuff. Pricey, though.

Why isn't the school giving you a baggage allowance right away? Ask them for their maximum quote - God forbid you get there and find out it's something like $100 or something and you're out hundreds of dollars.
posted by mdonley at 2:29 PM on August 19, 2010

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