Global luggage shipping company My Baggage has reported an over 200 per cent increase in shipments to Australia, where Irish students and young professionals continue to relocate to study and work, in the last two years.
The increase represents triple the demand for shipments going over the summer months, June to August, to Australia over the last two years.
The company has also recorded an increase of 50 per cent in Irish students choosing to study in Germany within the last year, a significant increase compared to other popular destinations including the UK, USA andthe Netherlands.
Speaking about the increase in demand for Australian shipments, Paul Stewart, managing director, MyBaggage said: “Over half of our business is based on those relocating to work abroad and Australia has always been a strong expat market for us. The significant increase we have seen over the last 24 months when shipments have effectively tripled, has been attributed to students and young professionals aged 25 to 35 years.
"These customers are choosing to ship their luggage because Australia has some of the highest excess baggage fees in the world. Each airline is of course different, but the average savings when shipping with My Baggage is between €500 and €600 per suitcase.”
At present the number of Irish temporary visa holders in Australia stands at around 27,000 andAustralia’s Migration Trends for 2022 – 2023 also highlight the increase in Working Holiday Maker visa grants granted to Irish nationals up by 105 per cent (21,525) in 2022 – 2023 compared to 10,491 between 2021 –2022 which correlates with the increase in demand that My Baggage has experienced.
In terms of the increase in the number of students moving to Germany, Mr Stewart said: “It was interesting this year to see the large increase in students going to Germany as, traditionally, the UK, USA, Netherlands, France and Portugal would have been the most popular destinations for shipping”.
Mr Stewart added: "We have found the most popular areas for those choosing to work in Australia is Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Delivery from Ireland takes on average two to three days, so if the luggage is shipped the day before travel, often the luggage will arrive ahead of the individual and can be waiting at the new accommodation in Australia."
My Baggage was founded in 2009 by Paul Stewart whilst a student himself at university in Edinburgh.
Headquartered in Belfast, the company has offices in Dublin and France and ships items including luggage, boxes and sports equipment to over 160 countries and territories globally with full online tracking.
The information in the report was sourced from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Australian Migration Trends.
