Very informative web page from Correos

[trecile]

Correos, the Spanish post office, has a lot of good information on their site about sending a suitcase from your starting point to Santiago, or how to have your backpack transferred daily. http://www.elcaminoconcorreos.com/en/luggage-transfer

 

[t2andreo]

Excellent. When starting the Camino de Invierno from Ponferrada this year, I used the Correos to mail a carry-on sized suitcase/backpack (no wheels) to my reserved lodgings at Santiago. It worked great.

For €18,xx they would deliver my bag to the main post office on Rua Franco in Santiago. But, for an additional €4, they would deliver it to the hotel. The sole major condition is that someone had to be there to receive the bag at all times. As this was a hotel with a proper front desk and 24 x 7 coverage, this was not a problem for me.

As I planned to arrive on a Sunday, when the main Correos is closed, this was a wise move. So, it cost €22,xx to send my suitcase ahead to my hotel. I recall that it weighted slightly over 10 kg.

When I arrived at my hotel, the bag was there waiting for me.

Hope this helps.

 

[trecile]

Excellent. When starting the Camino de Invierno from Ponferrada this year, I used the Correos to mail a carry-on sized suitcase/backpack (no wheels) to my reserved lodgings at Santiago. It worked great.

For €18,xx they would deliver my bag to the main post office on Rua Franco in Santiago. But, for an additional €4, they would deliver it to the hotel. The sole major condition is that someone had to be there to receive the bag at all times. As this was a hotel with a proper front desk and 24 x 7 coverage, this was not a problem for me.

As I planned to arrive on a Sunday, when the main Correos is closed, this was a wise move. So, it cost €22,xx to send my suitcase ahead to my hotel. I recall that it weighted slightly over 10 kg.

When I arrived at my hotel, the bag was there waiting for me.

Hope this helps.

Did you do anything special with your suitcase other than lock it? And would "locking" with zip ties be sufficient?
I think that Ivar has suggested wrapping with plastic wrap.

 

[t2andreo]

I used brightly colored small (4") nylon zip ties to secure the zipper pulls. I get them at my local DIY store.

The fellow at the Correos wrapped wide (2") Camino yellow, plastic Correos tape around it, three or four times. This both identified it as a mail item, and secured the zippers, handles and straps from being caught on anything.

The end result looked like a nylon backpack / suitcase in a straight jacket. But the tape was easily removed on arrival.

For reference, here was the particular bag I am talking about:

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-tls-weekender-convertible/143101?productid=10126285

I use this bag as my carry-on "luggage" item, and typically check my rucksack, safely secured in a brightly colored, nylon laundry bag.

Hope this helps.

 

[trecile]

I used brightly colored small (4") nylon zip ties to secure the zipper pulls. I get them at my local DIY store.

The fellow at the Correos wrapped wide (2") Camino yellow, plastic Correos tape around it, three or four times. This both identified it as a mail item, and secured the zippers, handles and straps from being caught on anything.

The end result looked like a nylon backpack / suitcase in a straight jacket. But the tape was easily removed on arrival.

For reference, here was the particular bag I am talking about:

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-tls-weekender-convertible/143101?productid=10126285

I use this bag as my carry-on "luggage" item, and typically check my rucksack, safely secured in a brightly colored, nylon laundry bag.

Hope this helps.

@t2andreo I have a small wheeled duffel bag that I'm going to mail to Santiago, probably to Casa Ivar. I was thinking about printing out the address and putting it into a clear page protector, then duct taping it to my bag. Would this be a good idea, or does Correos have a address label to fill out. I will also use zip ties to secure the zippers. Anything else that I should do/bring with me?

 

[t2andreo]

The Correos will affix their own form, including the destination address. These bags are not handled as roughly as parcels or letter, as they cannot fit automated machinery smaller than a conveyor belt with a laser scanner.

The zip tie is a good thing. I use them religiously, even for domestic travel. I buy mine, in the small 4 - 5 inch size, in bulk and in a spectrum of neon colors, at my local Home Depot (your local DIY store) check the electrical section...

In my direct experience, I watch the Correos van pull up a the small Correos at the Pilgrim Office every day, when I am there volunteering. This truck comes to pick up the bags and bicycles collected from the satellite office, to go into the main flow. I can tell you that each bag is carried by the handles.

When you check your bag, the Correos person will wrap the bag with several turns of yellow Correos tape. It looks like police crime scene tape, but labeled with the Correos colors and logo. This tape holds down any loose straps and secures the zippers.

As I mentioned, they attach their shipping label to the bag. They did this to my suitcase at the Correos in Ponferrada the day before I started walking the Invierno this past April.

For 'insurance" I make business card sized "Destination" address labels using my computer and printer. For any travel instance, I make several labels for each pre-reserved destination, including my return home. this takes one sheet of 10 perforated cards. The cards look like this:

Mr. Firstname Lastname
c/o IBIS Porto Centro
Rua da Alegria 29
4000-041 Porto, Portugal
Tel: +35.1.223.400.700
​

The above is an actual example from a previous trip. I place these destination tags in the luggage tag attached to my luggage or the laundry sack containing my rucksack. This way, if my bag is misdirected, it will eventually show up where I am NOT back at my home in the US.

If you are mailing to Ivar, the label would likely look like this:

c/o Oficina del Peregrinos
Rua das Carretas 33
Santiago de Compostela
15705, a’Coruna, Espana
Re: email.address@url.com
​

Adding your e-mail to the bottom allows Ivar to let you know that your bag has arrived.

Hope this helps.

 

[OTH86]

Great info @t2andreo!! Thanks for this thread @trecile !