Friday, April 27, 2007

Lifestyle: Travelling with the sticks

By Katharine Dyson
GPA Contributing Lifestyle Editor

Traveling with your clubs is not always a walk in the park. Anyone who has ever had to reclaim their luggage and recheck, like in Toronto Pearson International Airport, for example, may recall dragging bags from one end of hell to the other.

Add new baggage restrictions and hefty fees for excess and overweight luggage, and reassessing how you pack may be in order.

"Airlines really want to get away from the baggage business," said Aaron Kirley, co-founder of Luggage Forward, a 3-year-old Boston-based door-to-door shipping service. "It takes away from their cargo revenue."

With most airlines now allowing only two to three bags and charging fees for additional checked bags, which could add up to more than $200 one way on long-haul flights, the cost issue for economy travelers is serious. Buying a seat for your golf bag might be a cheaper route, though no one could answer if that was allowable.

"Uh, interesting idea," was the most common response.

The confusing world of baggage
Airlines either go with a maximum per piece policy or charge by weight. Most, like British Airways and American Airlines, allow you to check two to three bags depending on the class of service, but the weight of each cannot exceed 50 pounds. There are also size limitations. However to get everyone up to speed on this, BA will allow up to 70 pounds per bag through Sept. 30.

Northwest Airlines, like many other major carriers, defines its set of golf equipment as one bag, 14 clubs, 12 balls and one pair of shoes -- and your golf bag is considered one of two free pieces of luggage. However, the clubs must have a hard cover and a fee of $25-$50 is imposed if the bag is more than 50 pounds. If the bag is a third piece of luggage, it will charge $75-$80.

Going across the pond

If you've heard a rumor that British Airways is charging for a second piece of luggage, it's simply not true for flights between North America and the United Kingdom -- that rule is for flights from UK and beyond. Golf bags can go free as a third piece of luggage as long as it meets the restrictions, similar to Northwest Airlines.

When flying through London, if you book Virgin Atlantic Airways' upper class, on arrival at the airport, you will be able to speed through the check-in process in a special VIP area and be allowed three pieces of checked baggage, each weighing up to 70 pounds. So if you have to bring a different outfit for each day, this could be your ticket.

For those traveling Virgin on more modest budgets, in premium economy you can check two bags at 70 pounds each and economy fliers can check two bags at 51 pounds each. A golf bag is considered one item and if its the third bag, a fee of 50 percent of the normal excess fee -- or $57 - is charged.

Bagging it

Cargo Golf Pro Series 1100 model

Ah, the angst in entrusting your treasured clubs to the terror of travel trauma -- baggage handlers, dreaded rain, sleet and snow, and the no man's land of lost luggage. Then, after finally arriving at your destination, standing at the carousel bleary-eyed and watching other people's luggage go round and round. When yours finally arrive -- and they usually do -- that first look inside to make sure everything is in good shape is often tense.

Yes, finding the right travel bag is important.

There are soft travel golf bags with zippers -- good ones like ClubGlove and Mizuno -- or hard shell travel bags and all-in-one combo bags like Travel-A-Lite, Datrek and the Cargo Golf Pro Series, where you simply remove the hard top protector and you're ready to play.

To travel today, smaller bags and packing light should be the new mantra.

We looked at bags that would take a full set of clubs, a pair of shoes, a dozen balls, hat and a windbreaker or rain suit.

For the guys, we really liked the Cargo Golf Pro Series 1100 Golf Travel Bag ($219) with a pull handle and in-line bearing skate wheels, making it easy to drag through the airport. It comes with a nine-way divider top, is cart-friendly and has a 15-club capacity that will even hold up to a 48-inch club.

Looking at a lighter, smaller bag for women, I tried the Cargo Bay 500 series ($119). With five pockets and a 17-club capacity, I even stood on the bag and it held up so I was not surprised when it came through the rigors of baggage handling in good shape.

Club Glove, a reliable favorite, offers its Burst Proof With Wheels 2 Travel golf bag ($189). We love the khaki color, though it comes in several other colors, including black, pink champagne, and burgundy. It also has double handles and sturdy strapping. If you go with this smaller bag, you should even be able to get away with stuffing some laundry around the clubs and still stay under the weight limit.

Club Glove travel bag

A larger bag, the Last Bag XXL ($279) is extra long and you can fill it with all kinds of things, but we feel the standard size is better for most mortals.

For information on Cargo Golf, go to www.cargogolf.com.

For information on Club Glove, go to www.clubglove.com.

Other choices
If the excess baggage costs are going to be substantial or if you simply want to make the whole travel process easier, then consider sending them ahead using a delivery service.

Luggage Forward, a door-to-door luggage service, will ship a bag directly to the destination of your choice. Here's how it works: A few days ahead of your departure, arrange for the pick-up of your clubs. When you arrive at your destination, the clubs should be waiting where you had them sent.

Luggage Forward offers a number of plans. There is the two-day express package where your clubs are guaranteed to arrive on a specific day -- the most expensive -- to the economy plan that should get your clubs there in a few days.

For example, the cost to ship a set of sticks from Westport, Conn., to Turnberry Resort in Scotland is $224 for the two-day service; $157 for three-day; $127 for five-day; and $97 for economy. Costs are determined by distance and time required.

Included in the fee is a $500 transit guarantee, so it the clubs don't arrive on time, you get $500 for rental clubs, balls, shoes, etc.

"We hand-carry the clubs," notes Kirley, who adds that the company also provides real time tracking.

Other companies providing door-to-door services include Luggage Express and First Luggage, which works with FedEx.

For information on these companies, go to www.luggageforward.com (Luggage Forward), www.travellighter.com (Luggage Express) or www.firstluggage.com (First Luggage).

Do-it-yourself
Fed Ex and UPS are also options. The cost of shipping my Cargo Bag from Orlando, Fla., to Connecticut via UPS was $16.14 from my hotel's business center. There was a certain amount of angst that my new Tour Edge driver, favorite Cleveland wedge and Ecco shoes would arrive safely -- they appeared so vulnerable and exposed with no outside cover -- but they did.

Best advice
Travel light, leave the Heavy Putter and extra wedges at home and check airline sites for baggage rules. Otherwise, you could be doubling the cost of your trip. Excess weight is usually charged at 1.5 percent of the highest one-way coach fare.

Or use a delivery service and let them do the heavy lifting or arrange the transportation yourself. Do the math.