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Checked Bag and Bringing Liquor Home

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by POPO2012, Aug 2, 2014.

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  1. POPO2012

    POPO2012 Low-Roller

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    Does anybody have any experience with flying home with liquor in a checked bag ? Here in Ohio, land of state minimum pricing, a bottle of Glenlivet 12 year old scotch is $42. I noticed at Sams Town, last trip, that the same bottle in their casino store was $30. Sooooo assuming that the discount liquor store is even cheaper than here in Ohio I'm considering buying some scotch and bringing it home in a checked bag. I haven't checked a damn bag in over a decade and we are flying on SWA this trip so no cost for a checked bag but possible pain in the butt checking the bag at CMH and LAS. Any suggestions of experience you can throw my way would be appreciated. :beer:
     
  2. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    TSA allows it for some liquor.

    http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/alcoholic-beverages
     
  3. Cinwhim

    Cinwhim Low-Roller

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    I've seen boxes come across the carousel at CMH thru southwest so that might be an option if you don't want to put it in a suitcase. I haven't check to see if that would double as a checked bag, but if not too big, I doubt it would be a big deal.
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2014
  4. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    just be prepared when it breaks, my friend had lovely tequila and rum clothe for a while
     
  5. POPO2012

    POPO2012 Low-Roller

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    I was planning on a little bubble wrap and sealed bags to prevent that for when the baggage handlers punt my stuff across the runway
     
  6. SH0CK

    SH0CK Stylin' and Profilin' Quasi Tech Admin

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    I brought a small bottle home one time. I double wrapped it in plastic bags then wrapped some shirts around it before putting it in the bag. Just be careful with it and pack it securely.
     
  7. da1chifan

    da1chifan High-Roller

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    I don't know if it was legal or not, but I FedEx'd a good 4 pack of beer (Boulevard Tank 7 for any beer aficionados) to our favorite bartender at 4Q. I wrapped those mofos in so much bubble wrap that the box ended up being 5x as big as the 4 pack. I think the key was wrapping them heavily while separate, then wrapping them all together. They made it! Point to the story is that if that could make it through 2 day FedEx trip, I'm certain your liquor could handle the day trip. Wrap it as much as you think it needs, then double it. :)

    Otherwise, if you happen to travel often and buy liquor to bring home, you might invest in these :http://www.magellans.com/vinni-bag I just ordered some myself for when we bring liquor back from the Caribbean.
     
  8. npom

    npom VIP Whale

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    When we went in April the gift of the week at The Orleans was peach vodka. We brought home 2 bottles in our checked bag on southwest no problem.
     
  9. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

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    Some thoughts:

    Before you leave you should consider how you are going to pack the bottle(s) to get them back home. I don't know if you've ever actually watched how luggage gets handled but it does take a beating on the way to and from the airplane.

    For packing you might want to find something firm/hard you can pack the bottle(s) in. A cardboard box is pretty borderline, you might want to check your local dollar stores for wood or plastic boxes big enough to hold a bottle plus some padding. You do want something with a little extra space so you can pad it with something, be it stuffing socks or t-shirts around the bottle or even toilet paper from the room.
    Note that you can buy actual bottle cases that will protect a bottle, but if you are trying to save a few bucks on this stuff versus buying it at home that wouldn't be a point since each one of those will set you back $40-100+

    When actually packing the bottle(s) in the suitcase you want to put them in their box for transport and then wrap them in something in case they break, even if it means just bringing along a couple of garbage bags from home that you can wrap them up in and then tie shut.

    Do a layer or two of clothing first, then put the bottle(s) in, then pad more clothing around the boxes, all sides, then more clothes on top. Try not to put anything hard next to the bottles and don't put the bottles side by side - try to keep a couple of inches of clothing between them.

    If you have any electronics or something that would get damaged if it got wet (that can't just be cleaned) then you should make sure to pack those in your carry on or in a separate suitcase.

    At the airport when you check in tell them that your bag is fragile, just say you have some glassware in there. They will put fragile stickers on your suitcase and send to a special handling area. For this your bag will be handled more gently, but it isn't enough: even marked "Fragile" your bag will still take some abuse from the baggage handling crew so you still want to do all of the above. There shouldn't be any added fee for a fragile bag.

    When you arrive at your destination airport note that the bags that are marked "Fragile" will usually end up at a different part of the baggage claim area: most airlines have a desk in baggage claim for handling lost luggage and special luggage request and the fragile luggage usually gets wheeled out on a cart and stacked up there or there will be a baggage claim section that actually says "Fragile Luggage"
     
  10. BellaBlvd

    BellaBlvd Low-Roller

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    I've travelled home with liquor in my checked luggage often as I'm often given special bottles from my butler & sommelier in Mexico (long story!). Anyways - I usually hit target and get the large ziploc bags (little bigger than 12inX12in) and put the bottle in the bag just in case. Then I'll usually roll the bottle in some clothes for padding. Then it goes somewhere mid case, well surrounded and cushioned by clothes on all four sides. Some of my fellow Mexico travellers use a wine diaper . Amazon has a bunch of other similar items. Otherwise I totally agree with Auggie's suggestions as that's generally what I do (except my electronics are always in a carryon, I don't tell them my bag is fragile because I'm a cynic and totally convinced they're extra rough on the fragile bags). I've never boxed any bottles. Every bottle so far has made it home safe, knock wood.
     
  11. keno60

    keno60 VIP Whale

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    I have done it many times. Wrapped it in dirty undershirts etc. and put it in plastic bags just in case. Also centered it. Never had a break but there is always a first time. I also had a cheap carry on bag that I used till recently when my kids got me samsonite. They do throw our bags around!
     
  12. suebee

    suebee Low-Roller

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    One other thing to consider is that the booze doesn't put your bag overweight - won't be worth the savings if you have pay that fee or ditch the bottle.
     
  13. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    This likely is way past the OP's needs, but we keep various-sized boxes in which wine gets shipped to us. If it can handle UPS or FedEx, it can handle the monkeys at the airport. We box it with the saved shipping materials, tape it shut, check it as luggage. This certainly isn't an every flight gig, but if we've rented a place on the islands for some time, and knowing wine prices in the islands, or at least availability, it's a great way to have what we want and save.
     
  14. BellaBlvd

    BellaBlvd Low-Roller

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    Been there, done that. Once my bottle of "free" shitty champagne cost 100 in excess baggage fees (was on a charter with sky high overweight fees). Oof!
     
  15. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    This. I've wrapped my unfinished bourbon bottles in a tshirt and some jeans. My bag is usually pretty full so it doesn't have a lot of room to move around.
     
  16. dbueler

    dbueler High-Roller

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    This is exactly how I've packed liquor bottles in checked luggage countless times..... bottles of beer from China, wine from Mexico, apple pie moonshine from Tennessee, and I bought a suitcase solely to transport beer back from Germany! I put the bottles in ziplock bags then rolled each in a piece of clothing. Never had an issue. I even threw some clothes away in Mexico to make room for Tequila once.... I can buy more clothes at home!
    Enjoy!!
    diane
     
  17. wellmel

    wellmel Low-Roller

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    Yeah you can put it in your bag, but know there is a weight limit.
     
  18. buddhaluv

    buddhaluv Tourist

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    take bottles in checked bags to vegas all the time, never return with any, never had any issues, but do wrap in Paper Towels, then bubble Wrap and put in a ziploc bag and place between the clothes. Some airlines are sticklers on weight Allegiant is 40 pounds, SWA is 50 lbs and will charge 50 to 100 dollars if over, which would make the savings not worth it. Fedex Ground may not be a bad option, as long as you buy enough, 50 lbs is around 64 dollars from las vegas to ohio.
     
  19. seviay

    seviay High-Roller

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    I've done this many times, but usually going to Vegas, b/c I wanted to bring a handle of something and have it in the room as soon as we got there. Wrap it in some shirts or a towel for some extra padding and try to put it in the middle of your clothes to really secure it in place. I never had any problems
     
  20. skybank

    skybank High-Roller

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    I have actually done it in reverse. A friend of mine lives in Las Vegas and wanted a bottle of Jeppson's Malort, despite my warning against it, just wrapped it in bubble wrap and put it in the middle of my suitcase. It arrived just fine and they he regretted drinking it when it got the bottle! :vomit:
     
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