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Luggage shipping gains popularity as travelers seek stress-free flying

Avoid long baggage claim waits and lost luggage stresses

By Emily Caldwell Jun 29, 2025 6:00 AM

In case you are unaware, AAA says a record-setting 72.2 million Americans are estimated to travel ahead of Independence Day this week (between Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, July 4th). AAA projects that this year’s domestic travel forecast will surpass 1.7 million travelers over last year, and 7 million more than in 2019. Busy summer travel also means an increased chance of encountering common airport hassles, such as long wait times at baggage claim, and even lost, damaged, or stolen luggage. Travelers are also looking for new ways to avoid rising checked bag fees and overweight baggage fees.

As a solution, more travelers are turning to luggage shipping as an alternative to make their summer journeys a bit smoother. With luggage shipping options at The UPS store, specialty luggage boxes are used to accommodate a wide variety of the most common suitcase sizes. For airlines with strict size and weight regulations, using luggage shipping may offer an easier, stress-free option to transport your belongings without the hassle. Travelers with specific mobility issues or with multiple suitcases have also turned to luggage shipping as a more straightforward solution than navigating busy airports with numerous suitcases at once.

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Luggage shipping through The UPS store is an easy solution for busy travelers, allowing customers to drop off their suitcases before traveling. UPS handles the rest from there, ensuring that suitcases arrive quickly and hassle-free at the final destination. No more waiting for 30+ minutes around the luggage carousel (my least favorite part of flying with checked baggage). As a frequent traveler, I’m excited to try luggage shipping (which I didn’t know was an option).

Emily is a Features Writer at The Manual, where she specializes in food, beverage, and travel content. She focuses on weaving… Read Full Bio

Mesa Verde: The Civilization That Never Vanished

Peter Horan

Twenty years after my first visit, I went back to Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado. Most national parks celebrate what nature built. This one celebrates what people built more than 700 years ago, in stone, beneath the overhanging cliffs.

The setting helps. The name is Spanish for “green table,” and the park is a forested plateau above the Four Corners, cut by deep canyons with mountains in the distance. But scenery isn’t the reason to come. At most historic sites, you have to imagine what once stood there. Here, entire villages are still tucked under enormous rock alcoves.

Thompson Austin review: Two hotels, one building, and the best salad of my life

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Austin is a city that really wants you to leave your hotel. There’s live music spilling out of every other doorway, a brisket line with your name on it, and a whole street of bungalow bars on Rainey begging for your attention. So naturally, on my most recent trip, my friend and I did the opposite. We checked into Thompson Austin, by Hyatt, and treated it less like a home base and more like a destination.

No regrets. Here’s why.

A morgue, a ship, and 1,500 creepy dolls: Spooky trips worth taking

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Look, we have nothing against a good pumpkin patch. But if your version of spooky season goes beyond hayrides and a cider donut, the world has some genuinely creepy places you can visit, and a few you can even sleep in. Some come with ghost stories attached, and others come with actual human bones. Either way, a haunted corn maze is going to feel like a petting zoo afterward.

Here are our favorite spooky destinations for travelers who like a little fear with their vacation.