Frequent Flyers: Where to store luggage?

[WhiskeyPapa]

I'm not a big airline traveler. I don't fly often, and have never run into this circumstance:

The wife and I are spending a week in Massachusetts. Three days on Cape Cod, and two days in Boston (during Pride Week!) I've been told not to bother driving in Boston, and to just use the T. No problem.

Well, here's the problem: We need to check out of our motel by noon on Friday (June 9th) but our flight doesn't leave until 6 PM. What do we do with our luggage for six hours? Can we leave it at the motel? Can we check the bags that early at the airport? If we can check it in early, will it go to MSP on an earlier flight? If it does, will it sit on the carousel for six hours waiting for us, or do they hold it until our flight arrives?

Heck, I'm tempted to keep our rental car for an extra two days, just so we have a place for the luggage if I can't find a better alternative.

[Butch]

I'm not a big airline traveler. I don't fly often, and have never run into this circumstance:

The wife and I are spending a week in Massachusetts. Three days on Cape Cod, and two days in Boston (during Pride Week!) I've been told not to bother driving in Boston, and to just use the T. No problem.

Well, here's the problem: We need to check out of our motel by noon on Friday (June 9th) but our flight doesn't leave until 6 PM. What do we do with our luggage for six hours? Can we leave it at the motel? Can we check the bags that early at the airport? If we can check it in early, will it go to MSP on an earlier flight? If it does, will it sit on the carousel for six hours waiting for us, or do they hold it until our flight arrives?

Heck, I'm tempted to keep our rental car for an extra two days, just so we have a place for the luggage if I can't find a better alternative.

Can always leave it in the motel. They should have a luggage room for just such a purpose.

[DarkFury]

Most motels/hotels will allow you to keep your luggage there prior to your airline departure.

I've done the same thing numerous times on business travel where I had to check out of my room by 12:00 noon, yet my business meetings go to 3:00... I just go back to the hotel, claim my luggage from the valet and then catch a cab to the airport.

[blueindian]

i'm with the above stupids. no worries.

[MrGreg]

At one point I was basically living in a hotel in Chicago for work. When I would fly home for the weekend, I would often check out at the hotel but leave my luggage there. It was always waiting for me when I checked back in on Monday.

[Itsme]

The new airline security procedures do not allow you to check in your luggage early, and strickly forbid your luggauge going on a plane if you are not on it.

Every day at least one passenger decides at the last minute to not go on some plane....and the airline has to hold up the plane to get that person's luggage off the plane.

[Houdini]

I agree with everyone above, but I generally try my best to AVOID checking anything, unless the airline for some reason demands it. My travel backpack is carry-on legal (and got me through 3 weeks zipping around Europe w/o any problems,) but, like everything else with airlines, TSA, HSC, etc., sometimes you do run into obstacles. When I have traveled with checked luggage, and it doesn't end up in Croatia or something, the hotels are usually pretty cool about it.

H <----always likes his stuff accessible while flying. Speaking of FF miles, freaking Continental owes me a bunch. I even have one of their credit cards, which comes with 15k miles, but they haven't been added yet.:confused:

[mcs328]

I didn't know you could check in your luggage at a hotel and pick it up later. Ah nice to know.

[Markel]

I agree with everyone above, but I generally try my best to AVOID checking anything, unless the airline for some reason demands it.
I had a nice carry-on size rolling bag with a section that held and folded shirts on hangers. I really liked that bag - did a week in France on business (casual dress) with only the carry-on bag. It really makes getting out of the airport much quicker.

One problem now: I usually like to have my small pocket knife with me, as well as a few simple tools (when travelling for work). Try getting them in your carry-on luggage now. :(

[dbax791]

I didn't know you could check in your luggage at a hotel and pick it up later. Ah nice to know.

Yeah I do this all the time when I go to Vegas. All the hotels/casinos there have a place to leave your luggage since people often get there before the 3pm check-in time.

I haven't done this at other hotels/motels outside of Vegas but I'm sure the bellhops have a place to keep your luggage.

Just make sure to tip them. I usually tip about $2/bag to check it in and another $1-2/bag to have them retrieve it.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Thanks for the advice everybody. That's good stuff to know. I just got an email with some great weekly rates from Budget. It's actually cheaper to get a car for a week with this special, than to get one for three days using any other method. So I'll just keep the car until I need to check my luggage.

Even though I'm not going to try driving much in Boston, I like the idea of having a car handy...

[AlpineJay]

Let me know what kind of places you'd like to see in Boston. Because the maps in Boston - be it Google, Mapquest, whatever's online, as well as printed ones - are usually NEVER accurate or up to date, it may be useful to have some hands-on information. There are also a handful of park-and-ride facilities in the outskirts of Boston where you can park your car for a small fee and ride the T. The T is by no means modern by today's subway standards, but is fairly extensive and can get you through the city pretty well. Also, Boston's extremely walkable in that most places of interest are between the Harborfront and the Kenmore Square area.

I would be happy to assist, so let me know if you need any help.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Thanks, AJ. We're staying at the Four Points Sheraton in Revere. It's kind of far out, but Pride Week has everything pretty well booked up. They offer a shuttle to the T, so I figure we'll take that into Boston and walk the Freedom Trail and maybe take a trolly tour or a harbor cruise.

[AlpineJay]

Thanks, AJ. We're staying at the Four Points Sheraton in Revere. It's kind of far out, but Pride Week has everything pretty well booked up. They offer a shuttle to the T, so I figure we'll take that into Boston and walk the Freedom Trail and maybe take a trolly tour or a harbor cruise.

Revere isn't really too bad - could be closer but it's not bad. I assume they'll shuttle you over to the Blue Line which will take you into Government Center, where you can get around Quincy Market and Fanueil Hall. It's best to start there for Freedom Trail anyway since a lot of what's past that point is re-routed due to the construction nightmare otherwise known as the Big Dig.

If you're planning on taking a harbor cruise, the best one is probably the Spirit of Boston, departing from World Trade Center Boston, accessible via the silver line. I've been on it a few times on many different charter events and overall it's been good every time. I gotta warn you though, Boston Harbor doesn't have all THAT much to offer as far as viewing because past Charlestown and the USS Constitution and the Boston skyline, the rest of the cruise is the port of Boston which is all containers.

[DarkFury]

Yeah... when I stayed in Boston (I was there for 4 months as an intern with Bank of Boston), I rode the T extensively (Pretty much I had an "all you can ride" pass so I got to see all kinds of places in Boston.) Mostly I rode the red line with occaisional changes to the green and orange lines.

Pretty much I didn't need a car in Boston... for the most part, except for grocery shopping... then it woulda been nice to have one.