There are a handful of times I’ve considered buying something while on vacation but never ended up doing so because it was too big or heavy to carry home with me. I rarely thought of trying to mail it home either, assuming that postage would be either too expensive or too unreliable from some third world country.
There are easy ways to mail home your souvenirs, however, and they are neither too expensive or too much of a hassle.
Still Lugging your Luggage, a handy little article in Budget Travel, provides the down-and-dirty on the best ways to ship home those souvenirs. Sometimes stores will do it for you, or you can opt for shipping it freight–normally the cheapest option. This is what I did after a trip to Nepal where I bought five wool sweaters for family and friends. Shipping them freight was very cheap and took almost three months, but the package finally arrived safe.
Spend a moment to check out this article if you plan on buying anything bigger than a bread basket on your next trip. Shipping home, when done properly, saves the hassle of lugging unwieldy objects around with you. And, it will put a smile on your face by making someone else do the heavy lifting!