The Luggage Saga: We Finally Have a Plan!

 The Luggage Saga: We Finally Have a Plan!

If you have been following the continuing adventures of Karen’s luggage, you already know that this suitcase has managed to have a considerably more complicated European vacation than any of us.

First, it didn’t arrive with Karen in Paris. Then it turned up in Warsaw. After days of calls, tracking, airline conversations and attempts to arrange delivery, it finally made its way back to France.

And, in a feat of absolutely impeccable bad timing, it was delivered to Château Marouatte about an hour after we left.

So we had solved one problem: we knew where the suitcase was.

Unfortunately, Karen wasn’t there anymore.

That began the next chapter: How do you get an unaccompanied suitcase from a château in rural France back to its owner in the United States?

Calling in UPS

The first thought was UPS. Karen started investigating whether she could arrange an international pickup from the Château and have the suitcase shipped to her in Rhode Island.

That immediately raised more questions.

Would there be customs forms? Would tariffs or duties apply to someone’s own used clothing and personal belongings? How would the bag have to be labeled? Who at the Château could actually prepare it for pickup?

As Karen put it:

“This is a complicated problem.”

That may be the understatement of this entire adventure.

At one point, it appeared that Karen could schedule a pickup, provided someone at the Château labeled the suitcase. Beth volunteered to help. We were getting closer.

But international shipping isn’t quite as simple as putting an address on a suitcase and handing it to the UPS driver.

Enter Luggage Forward

Then Karen found a company whose entire business is solving exactly this kind of problem: Luggage Forward.

The service works with shipping carriers and can arrange to collect luggage at one location and deliver it to another. In this case, the plan is wonderfully straightforward:

Château Marouatte → Karen’s door in Rhode Island.

Of course, “straightforward” is a word I am using very cautiously in any story involving this particular suitcase.

Karen coordinated the arrangements and needed a contact person at the Château. David and Pip were going to be away for several days, adding yet another little scheduling wrinkle, but Beth provided David’s contact information so the shipping arrangements could move forward.

Then came the news we had been waiting for.

Pickup is scheduled for September 24.

Luggage Forward will send a forwarding packet containing the shipping labels and luggage tags to David at the Château. One label is to go inside the suitcase and another on the outside. The bag is to be ready for pickup by 1:00 p.m.

Even the instructions contain a few interesting details. Internationally shipped luggage cannot contain lithium-battery tracking devices such as AirTags or Tiles, and the company warns against locking the suitcase, even with a TSA-approved lock, because that can cause customs delays. Zip ties are provided instead.

This suitcase is apparently going to receive more pre-departure preparation than some passengers do.

And Now…We Wait

By the time Beth and Ron prepared to leave France, everything that could be done from their end had been done.

The suitcase was at the Château.

David and Pip had the information.

The forwarding packet and luggage tags were expected.

The pickup had been scheduled.

Karen thanked everyone who had helped with this increasingly elaborate rescue mission, and Beth had one final request:

“Let me know when your bag arrives.”

At this point, I think all of us want to know.

So the next important date in the Great Karen Luggage Saga is September 24, 2026.

That is the day our now-famous suitcase is scheduled to leave Château Marouatte and begin what we sincerely hope will be the final leg of its extraordinary international journey.

Paris to Warsaw.

Warsaw back to France.

Eventually to Château Marouatte.

Arriving approximately one hour too late.

And now, if everything finally goes according to plan:

Château Marouatte to Rhode Island.

Fingers crossed. 🤞

Because I am absolutely not writing “The End” yet.

To be continued…

#KarensLuggageSaga #LostLuggage #LuggageForward #France2026 #ChateauMarouatte #TravelMishaps #TravelStories #DordogneAdventures #YouCantMakeThisStuffUp #ToBeContinued