Flying from one location to another may or may not be an enjoyable experience for most. When that travel includes lugging around extra items and incurring robust baggage fees, many will agree that travelling light can have its advantages. Instead of leaving needed items at home or shelling out up to $200 or more for a larger, overweight bag, there is another option that can save both time and money.

For many airlines, a smaller checked bag under 50 pounds will cost $25. If the weight of the bag rises above 50 pounds, however, costs can begin to increase dramatically. Fees of $100 for bags weighing between 50 and 70 pounds are typical. A bag weighing 70 to 100 pounds can cost up to $200. Instead of absorbing the extra hassle and expense checking items, why not ship them through USPS?

Sending items to a destination through USPS can relieve the extra burden of lugging them around the airport, into a taxi, and across town. Instead, shipping the items would allow for more comfortable travel while the items wait conveniently at a hotel, dorm, or residence of choice.

For items that are no larger than 12” x 12” x 5 ½” weighing up to 70 pounds, a traveler can go online and ship those items using a large Priority Mail Flat Rate Box for only $16.85. That’s less than the cost of checking a bag under 50 pounds with the airline and substantially less than checking a bag weighing between 50 and 70 pounds.

Other shipping options are available depending on the size of the items being mailed, but the potential for substantial time and money savings makes the option hard to ignore.