Luggage Courier UK — Send Suitcases Door to Door

Moving luggage without the passenger is a different job from moving a parcel. The bag is not packed to a carrier's standard, it is not boxed, it often contains items a parcel network excludes outright, and it has to arrive before the person does. T&C Logistics moves suitcases and travel bags between UK addresses on a dedicated vehicle — collected from a hotel, an airport arrivals area or a private address, delivered against a signature at the other end, with goods-in-transit cover and one fixed price agreed up front.

How many suitcases fit in a courier van?

Four large checked cases fit a small van, and the limit is volume rather than weight. A standard large checked suitcase measures roughly 75 × 50 × 30 cm — about 0.11 cubic metres — and most airlines set a 23 kg allowance per checked bag, so a family's four cases weigh under 100 kg against a small van's 500 kg payload.

A cabin bag at roughly 55 × 40 × 23 cm counts as about a third of a large case. Our small van and large van pages give the full dimensions.

What cannot travel inside luggage on a courier van?

The exclusions are narrower than an airline's but they are not empty. Aerosols, lighters and loose lithium batteries are dangerous goods by road as well as by air: a lithium-ion battery shipped loose is classified UN3480, and one installed in a device is UN3481. Our drivers hold ADR dangerous-goods licences, but a bag has to be declared, not discovered. Cash and irreplaceable documents are better sent as their own consignment — see passport courier. The gov.uk hand luggage restrictions are a useful checklist even for a road move, because the same items cause the same problems.

Where can luggage be collected from and delivered to?

Any UK address with a person at it. Four patterns account for most bookings, and each is a different operational problem rather than a different drive.

Detail on hotel and airport luggage and hotel-to-hotel luggage.

Does someone have to be there to receive the bags?

Yes — a named person signs, and that signature is what the insurance rests on. A hotel concierge can receive on a guest's behalf against a reservation in the guest's name, which is the most common arrangement and works well; a reception desk without a signature is not a delivery. For a residential address a neighbour can sign if you nominate them at booking. We will not leave bags unattended in a porch or a lobby, because the proof of delivery and the cover both end at the signature. Where nobody can be present, say so at booking and we price a timed delivery instead.

How does this compare with airline excess baggage?

They solve different halves of the journey. Excess baggage gets a bag onto your aircraft and is priced per bag by the carrier; a courier moves a bag between two UK ground addresses the airline never touches. The comparison that matters is against the alternatives on the ground. Unlike a taxi, which is licensed to carry passengers and the luggage travelling with them and holds no goods-in-transit cover on your property, a courier insures the bag as freight. Unlike a parcel network, which needs each bag packed to its own standard and sorted across depot conveyors, a dedicated van takes the case as it is. See same-day versus next-day.

Is luggage insured while the courier has it?

Goods in transit are insured to £50,000 on our own vehicles and up to £1,000,000 where a consignment moves via partner carriers, with public liability cover of £1,000,000. Cover runs from the signature at collection to the signature at delivery. Declare anything of unusual value at booking rather than afterwards — camera bodies, jewellery and laptops inside a suitcase are the usual cases, and high-value courier handling applies above the ordinary threshold. Cover terms, exclusions and the claims process are set out in our terms and conditions.

How should a suitcase be prepared for a courier?

Six steps, and the first two prevent most problems. (1) Lock the case and photograph it closed, which fixes its condition at handover. (2) Remove or declare aerosols, lighters and loose batteries. (3) Pull old airline tags off — a stale barcode is the commonest cause of a bag being mis-sorted anywhere it meets automation. (4) Put a name, mobile number and destination address inside the case as well as on the outside. (5) Pad hard items away from the shell rather than against it. (6) Keep medication, keys and documents with you, never in a bag travelling separately.

What does it cost to send luggage in the UK?

One fixed price per dedicated job, quoted in full before you book, from £50 ex VAT, with fuel and goods-in-transit cover included and no hidden fees. A luggage job has its own cost drivers.

See pricing for the model.

Can luggage be moved for a group, a tour or a conference?

Yes, and group luggage is a volume problem rather than a weight one. Thirty delegates with one large case each is about 3.3 cubic metres and 690 kg — an LWB van rather than anything heavier — and the work is in the manifest, not the drive: each bag needs a tag that ties it to a named person and a room or a seat at the far end. Give us a numbered list and we deliver against it, which is what lets a hotel sort bags to rooms before the group arrives. Sports squads are the same job with longer items: see team travel equipment.

Can I arrange a UK luggage move from outside the UK?

Yes, and a movement between two UK addresses is a domestic journey: no customs declaration, no import duty and no EORI number, whatever country you are booking from. What you do need to arrange is the handover at each end — naming the driver with a hotel in advance, or nominating someone to sign. We take bookings by WhatsApp, email and the quote form, and invoice a non-UK business or card. Our guide to arranging a UK delivery from overseas covers payment, authorisation and proof of delivery.

Can you move golf clubs, skis and bicycles as well as suitcases?

Yes, and the difference is length rather than weight. A golf travel cover runs about 130 cm, a ski bag 170–200 cm and a boxed bicycle around 140 × 80 × 30 cm, so any of the three can decide the vehicle on its own while weighing less than two suitcases. Declare the longest item at booking and the vehicle is right first time. Our golf club courier and sports equipment pages cover the specialist handling.

How do I book a luggage collection?

Four steps. (1) Say how many bags and roughly what size, so the vehicle is right first time. (2) Give both addresses with a named contact at each, including a hotel reservation name if a concierge is involved. (3) Give the deadline that actually matters — a flight, a check-in or a tee time — and we work the collection back from it. (4) Receive one fixed price before the job is accepted. Enquiries are accepted around the clock and answered between 06:00 and 22:00, seven days a week. Use the quote form, or message WhatsApp if a UK call is awkward from where you are.

What proof do I get that the bags arrived?

A signed consignment note at each end, plus a photograph on delivery. The consignment note records who handed over, who received, when, and the condition of each case — it is the document a claim rests on, and it is why we count and note the number of bags rather than accepting "some luggage". Where a concierge receives on your behalf, the note carries the hotel's name and the receiver's name, not just a stamp. For a group job the proof is the numbered manifest signed off bag by bag, which also tells the receiving hotel what is missing before the guests notice.

Can bags be collected from a student hall, a holiday let or a cruise terminal?

Yes, and each has an access quirk worth flagging at booking. A university hall usually requires the student or a porter to be present, because reception will not release property from a room. A holiday let often has a key safe and no person at all, so nominate someone or agree a timed slot. A cruise terminal releases luggage to the named passenger after disembarkation, in a window that moves with the ship, so waiting time is the variable rather than distance — the same pattern as an airport arrival. Southampton and Dover are the two terminals that generate most of these.