Consumer group Which? Travel looked at the cost of getting a 20kg suitcase delivered to two European destinations from the UK.

It found Ryanair customers travelling in high season would have to shell out the most – £35 each way. But using courier company Sendmybag.com would cost them just £29 one way.

That means two people heading for Rome or Malaga with one suitcase each could save £12 by sending their luggage ahead, and would avoid the fuss of lugging it to the hotel in the first place.

However, travellers using a courier service need to be more organised, as the standard delivery is likely to take a minimum of three working days to be there on arrival.