Let’s say you’re flying to another city, and you want to bring something with you that is frowned upon w/r/t bringing it on a plane, even in checked luggage. Will places like Mailboxes, Etc. allow you to open up a temporary PO Box remotely, or do they require you to do it in person? Is there any company that will allow a person to remotely rent a short-term (say, a few days) mailbox?
No need to rent a mailbox.
Just send it General Delivery to the city you’re going to. The Post Office will hold it for 30 days. (Note that on the linked page, you have to click the tab that says “General Delivery” to see the info.)
Hikers do it all the time to ship backpacking stoves (which often can’t go on planes) and pick them up at their destination.
At our local post office, there is a sign listing all the things you are not supposed to ship. It overlaps all the things you are not supposed to send checked or unchecked on an airline. I don’t know how well they check beyond asking.
At our local post office, there is a sign listing all the things you are not supposed to ship. It overlaps all the things you are not supposed to send checked or unchecked on an airline. I don’t know how well they check beyond asking.
Apparently the official list is at
http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c4_001.htm
Sorry for the multi-post.
Back in the days when I did trade shows, we’d send stuff to the hotel where we were staying all the time. We advised them it was coming, though, so they would hold it instead of returning it.
I’ve used general delivery to ship myself bear spray, and other items that I couldn’t take carry on for backpacking trips(didn’t check bags.)
Just make sure you accurately label what you are sending and declare any dangerous goods. A freighter pilot’s worst nightmare is a fire in the cargo hold.
Yep. Thru-hikers on the AT will prepare boxes months ahead of time for a friend or family member to mail to post offices along the way so they can be restocked with food, socks, moleskin, etc. I’ve done it myself often for the longer backpacking trips I used to do. General Delivery totally fucking rocks!
I’ve also done it because I work in trade shows, just like kunilou said. I’d mail stuff to my hotel then ship it back home when the (sometimes months-long) gig ended.
And with smaller airplanes, the only time you have too much fuel is when you are on fire. :eek:
Or when you can’t clear those trees 300 yards past the end of the runway.
For some items, if you intend to go strictly by the letter of the law, you can have your local firearms dealer ship it to a firearms dealer at your destination.
I recommend vacuum sealing anything you send through the mail but wouldn’t take on a plane.
Really, my advice is “don’t use the mail”, but I guess that’s not an option.