HELP! Camino Frances Baggage Query- Urgent!

[MissX]

Hi everyone,
I’ve found myself in a very sticky situation. I need your help!

I’m about to start the Camino Frances very soon from SJPP, but my hiking rucksack is extremely heavy. Having seen everyone wear those huge rucksacks and being very small myself, I can’t carry it. It’s checked in at the airport and I want to arrive at SJPP and get it sent back to the UK. I’m taking a smaller day pack.

What are my options? Here’s the problem- companies like MyBaggage won’t accept any liquid, cosmetics, toiletries, nail varnish, battery power banks etc as they’re ‘prohibited’. All these things are in my luggage!
Should I:

a) Send everything via post office in France- will they accept the above prohibited items back to UK?

b) Use courier service (such as MyBaggage) to send my big 40-60L rucksack to a friend in an EU country then pick up from them? Is the rule only EU to UK or can I send anything EU to EU?

 

[trecile]

You could have it transported every day via one of the many companies that provide this service.

 

[MissX]

You could have it transported every day via one of the many companies that provide this service.

I don’t want to do that, it’s expensive and stressful. You need to know final destination point, very stressful, don’t know which route I will take each day or how long, if rest days etc

 

[SeñorJacques]

You could have it transported every day via one of the many companies that provide this service.

If you plan on making it to Santiago de Compostela, you can also take advantage of Ivar's luggage storage service once you're in Spain*, which is what I did with some superfluous items once I got to Pamplona.

Send your luggage to Santiago, we will store it for you (2024)

Send your luggage to me in Santiago de Compostela

casaivar.com

Get a mailing box at the Correos office, load it up with whatever you don't need, and follow the instructions here - you can then pick up the box in Santiago and have it sent back home from there (assuming you will still want whatever liquids, etc. are in it).

I don’t want to do that, it’s expensive and stressful. You need to know final destination point, very stressful, don’t know which route I will take each day or how long, if rest days etc

I thought it would be more expensive and stressful than it was, but at 5 euro a day it wasn't bad at all - and companies like Jacotrans and Correos make the process very simple and worry-free. That said, you do still need to know where you'll be ending up every evening. In your case, you may want to consider planning your itinerary for those first few days from SJPP to Pamplona (which is a good idea anyway), then using Correos to send your pack/box to Ivar in Santiago from there.

* Edit: You can also just have your pack/box sent from the post office in SJPP (not sure why I thought you had to be in Spain first before doing so). Info on opening times of the SJPP post office is here.

 

[trecile]

You can use Express Bouricott's service to send it directly to Santiago.

I prefer Express Bouricott over the Post Office when sending from SJPdP because it's so easy, and there's no worry about international mail.

LUGGAGE TRANSPORT - Express Bourricot

www.expressbourricot.com

 

[FourSeasons]

This may help. I hope all goes well. Buen Camino!

Posting Items Between France and the UK: Post-Brexit Customs and Duties - FrenchEntrée

Post-Brexit, there are new rules on customs and duties when sending parcels between France and the UK - here’s what you need to know.

www.frenchentree.com