How to Pack Stuff Bought Overseas Back Home?

junaid waqar
7 min readJun 14, 2020
Image Source — Google | Image on pxhere

In this article, we will discuss some of the methods that you can use to bring gifts and purchased things for your relatives and loved ones back to your home country with less struggle.

Many people face difficulties in packing these gifts as they came abroad with fewer luggage and need some advice to pack the luggage in such a way that it is not a burden on their trip.

This article will provide you with simple tips that you can use.

Introduction:
Traveling has become a big part of the world today. Thanks to travel, the commercial industries in the countries are booming. Tourism and other business practices are very lucrative in certain countries. It contributes a significant amount to the GDP of certain countries, improving the economy.

Why you must travel:

There are many reasons why people travel. Some of them include leisure, business, academic purposes, and many more. One of the most common reasons people travel is leisure. This has seen the establishment of resorts and other relaxation centers around the world.

Cause of concern for many travelers:

A common practice for travelers is to buy gifts for their loved ones when they return home. This will provide memories of your time abroad. In some cases, the gifts you buy may be too much and cause a problem when packing. This is common to those with large families, you are leaving with a suitcase, but by the time you are ready to return, this is not enough to pack. You will have so many gifts that you will face a dilemma how do I get all this at home? This is a cause of concern for many travelers around the world. So if you run into this problem, don’t worry, we have some solutions you can try.

Proposed Solutions:

All of these solutions will help solve your packaging problem. Some of them are just plain common sense but it’s worth taking into consideration So, you can make your travel easy and satisfy your relatives and loved one’s needs.

1) Have them shipped:

Image on Wikimedia Commons under license

One of the things you could do is use shipping services to ship your gifts and items to your loved ones

People still use it but…

Shipping services have become very common in today’s world. They have been around for a while, but due to alternative travel methods, shipping has been repurposed. They are now mainly used to move cargo through international waters. In most cases, merchants use this method to purchase goods and move them to another country.

The service is not free but it is not too expensive. You can google some of the shipping companies that are currently working in your country.

Some things you should consider:

There may be additional regulations based on your nation regarding imports. You will have to clear this with customs once you return. However, your items will arrive in your home country.

Shipping services don’t care if you are a merchant or not, they will deliver the products you have paid for. So you can find a shipping company and send your items home.

Speed up the process:

A modern version of this is to transport it via cargo plane. It may cost more than shipping, but you will get your items faster than shipping. There is also the advantage that your items are safe from water damage. This is not common when shipping products, but it is possible. Therefore, pending the amount of money at your disposal, you can send or fly the items home.

Concerns:

Many people fear that their goods or items will be manipulated within this system. It is not a common practice, but it is a possibility. So if you don’t want to use this method you can try one of the other methods mentioned below.

2) Travel light:

Image by 8one6 on Flickr under license

This tip is very effective if done well. Most of the time, when we travel, most of the items we pack are not essential. So we end up having bags of stuff that we don’t need. So instead of doing this, we can properly plan by packing light.

How we should pack :

First, describe everything that is essential for the trip to make a list so you don’t miss anything. If you have a business to run, make sure you have the necessary supplies. Once you have the needs, pack them in a bag bigger than your original bag. This way, you will have additional space to pack the items you purchased.

Pros:

Approaching this way, this method is effective since you will not have to pay any additional fee for your luggage. Under special conditions, you may have to pay a small fee if your luggage exceeds the weight limit.

In this way, you will be the one to carry your luggage and there will be no problems with luggage handling.

There is also the added advantage of taking your luggage home as soon as it arrives. You do not have to wait a few more days for customs to authorize it.

Cons:

The main disadvantage of this method is that you may not be able to buy many gifts. The number of gifts you can buy will be limited to the amount of free space you have available.

3) Get extra luggage

Image Source — Google | Image by Don DePasquale on Pexels

This is common sense and I know many of you already know but sometimes when we are in our heads thinking we miss most obvious things so this has to be mentioned.

Get yourself an extra suitcase:

You can get more than one luggage to help carry the items you buy. You can travel with extra luggage that is empty and fill them with gifts. Alternatively, you can purchase additional luggage along with gifts to pack them. You will now have more than one luggage for the return trip.

Pros:

However, the luggage will be close to you and you can take it home. You can buy as many gifts as you like as long as you can handle the luggage later.

Cons:

The main disadvantage of this method is that you will have to carry more than one luggage on your own. You may also have to pay an additional fee for exceeding the luggage weight limit for one person.

4) Have it delivered

Photo by Bench Accounting on Unsplash

This option is effective but to some extent, as it has its limitations So, whenever you are presented with this option by your store you should acquire it. This option is not available to every store but in some cases, the option is valid.

Home deliveries are a common practice where the item you buy is brought home to you. In some rare cases, the delivery address can be international. So you will buy all the items you want, and they will be delivered to your home.

Cons:

There are many limits to this method, including the fact that not many stores do this.

  1. Some stores can deliver internationally, but only to a select few countries. So if your country isn’t one of them, no delivery for you.
  2. There is also the added disadvantage that you will only be able to have items you bought from the store delivered. So if you have other gifts you bought elsewhere, you will have to transport them home yourself.
  3. The delivery charges for such deliveries may be high as each item may attract a specific delivery charge. You can get a discount with a bulk purchase though.

In conclusion:

Me traveling to meet my relatives | Image by Author

What’s the best method:

In my opinion, the best method you can use is up to you. The most accessible and easy approach method is best for you.
I will also add that you should contact your relatives in your home country and ask them what you can bring for them. You don’t need to bring a lot of gifts, you can bring small gifts, sometimes they will appreciate the efforts.

You should not think in terms of perfection, rather think in terms of excellence.

If you can’t bring gifts for everyone, you should not feel bad nobody is perfect and no one can please, everyone.
Finally, it all depends on you and your situation, and only you can make the best decisions for yourself and your families

Originally published at https://www.alltraveladvice.com.

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junaid waqar

An MBA graduate having different hobbies naming “Learning about solar energy, Gaming, gardening, blogging”.Love to write and share my experiences through words.