Getting my wine (and olives) home...

[cruisinglisa]

We will be going on a Mediterranean cruise next year, and I am very excited about the opportunity to get some great wine and olives. However, with the new airline regulations in place, I'm concerned about how to get my wine home (to Minnesota)- do I have to ship it? Approx. how much will that cost? Also, does it work to pack the bagged olives in your stowed luggage, or does it need to be in you carry on?

 

Thanks!

 

RCI Brilliance of the Seas, 10/8/8

Norwegian Dream, 12/5/4

RCI Majesty of the Seas, 12/3/1

Carnival Inspiration, 6/21/98

[2inTul]

Here is alink to the TSA website which should have all the information you need.

 

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

 

It is my understanding that all liquids, which would include wine and olives in brine will need to be packed in you checked baggage or shipped separately.

 

You might check the FedEx or DHL website to check prices to/from your European port of call.

 

Hope this helps.

[Keith1010]

You really have two choices; either have it shipped to your home. Not sure the cost. Or pack it carefully in your checked luggage. I don't recommend the latter but some people do it.

 

Keith

[tkere]

If you want to pack it in your luggage, bring bubble wrap (the small bubbles are easy to pack), ziplock bags and tape. Tape the bubble wrap and put in ziplock bag and pack in your luggage carefully.

[painfree]

I packed two bottles of wine in my checked luggage last year..It arrived intact thanks to the dirty laundry I packed around it..I am going to check into shipping wine this year as I would like to bring back more than two bottles..While I was extremely fortunate to get my wine home in checked luggage, I think the odds are against you..I'm not sure I truely appreciated all the perks ( remember when you could carry liquid on an aircraft) we had before our world turned crazy and a tube of toothpaste or a block of cheese can cause an airport to shut down..

 

Good Luck...Thanks for the bubble wrap suggestion..

 

Carol

[Jfultz81]

OMG... I also was thinking about shipping wine home. Don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but when I go to the Fedex site and get rates.. for a 5 lb. package (maybe one bottle of wine plus packing materials?) they want almost $200!! 10 lbs. was almost $400..oy, no bottle of wine is worth that much to me!

[Bababooey Land]

we had the exact problem coming home from Barcelona. I asked the airline (delta) for a box (it was free)..i wrapped the bottles in bubble wrap. The airline representative told me that since i hand checked the item that it would be placed on the plane last..i also marked the box fragile. sure enough, everything was fine. I would check with the Airline that you are flying.

 

I think shipping it back to the states will be cost prohibitive.

 

good luck!

 

Larry

[bandmom1]

I took the same cruise last year and brought home over 6 bottles of wine and olive oil. I took bubble wrap, packing tape, and the Gallon 1/2 Ziploc bags with me. I wrapped each bottle seperately, taped it and put it in a ziploc bag and packed it in my suitcase.

 

They ALL made it home safely. :o

 

Another suggestion is that I actually packed a smaller 21" suitcase in a larger 25" suitcase going over and then coming home I had an extra suitcase to pack these bottles in, of course with clothes for more cushion.

 

happy Travels !!

[cruisinglisa]

Thanks for all of the great advice!

 

Just like a previous poster, I had looked at FedEx, and the prices were crazy-high (over $250 for 12 lbs).

 

Here is what I'm thinking of doing:

1) Buy some hard-sided luggage (we need some new suitcases anyways...)

2) Bring along bubble-wrap, tape, big ziploc bags, and maybe some wine-shipping boxes (I saw lots of types online)

3) Hope for the best!

 

BTW, Here is a great article I found on packing wine: http://www.wineloverspage.com/oxford/carryon.phtml

[Trixsea]

Lisa, I have brought olives back from Greece with no problem. I buy them from a local grocer who packages them into plastic bags, no liquid. It was 2 days is suitcases before I got home, and they were delicious.

 

Wine is a little more difficult, but I also never travel without bubble wrap.:D

[Nonna and Papa]

We seem to always bring home several bottles of various items from our trips, and so far we have been lucky through the years to have had everything survive in our luggage. We pack glass inside of my husband's socks when we can, and then place the sock and bottle or jar into a a zip lock bag, and then surround that with heavier clothing, such as slacks or a sweater.

 

This year, I'm going to include some bubble wrap and those very thin, corrugated pieces of cardboard that you find wrapped around bottles when unpacked from the stores. I plan to stop at the liquor store to see if they have any. They are so light and will be eay to pack. Perhaps they will be an added layer of protection, because I'm sure one day our luck will run out!

 

Mary

[bunnyette]

I've also wrapped towels around bottles of wine in previous trips and surrounded the bottles with the rest of my clothes. It all arrived intact.

 

But I have extra bubble wrap - thanks for the tips...that will do well with the Limoncello I plan to bring home:p

[Kali4]

I just got home last week from the Mediterranean and purchased wine and olives. I ordered a case of wine from a vineyard in Tuscany and they are taking care of the shipping. For a case of wine it cost a total of 268 euros, most of that cost is shipping the wine is less expensive than the shipping. I thought that price was pretty good, that is still cheaper per a bottle than you would pay here in the states for a good bottle of wine. I loved this wine and figured this was less stressful than trying to get some bottles home in my luggage. I did bring home a couple of bottles of olive oil without a problem, although I did bring some bubble wrap with me which helped. I purchased a couple of bags of olives for my son, if he could just eat olives everyday he would be happy, I packed them in my checked luggage without any problems.

[Jaalice]

I read a tip that you should wrap a bottle of wine in a diaper before putting inside a zip lock bag, that way if it should break it will be absorbed and not leak. Haven't tried this.:)

[Kindlychap]

I don't want to be a party pooper, but it was my understanding that one was not allowed to bring foodstuff into the United States?

 

Wine may be different - I don't know - but olives seem to be risky if I'm right.

 

Matthew

[m steve]

you can't bring in certain meats and cheese, nofreshfruitsor veggies.Check US customs site for detailed info. I have brought back pasta, truffles, jarred pate,cheese and other items. It depends on what TSA is looking for this week. Perhaps people make little bombs in olives?

[Jfultz81]

LOL, good one M Steve! I did hear about a famous TV chef sneaking out an entire ham from Spain..wonder what they thought that was??