Ammo for a class involving air travel

[EricP]

I'm looking at traveling by air for an upcoming class. The airline limit of 11 pounds isn't going to cut it. As far as options, I've come up with:
Drop ship to the hotel and hope for the best
Drop ship to the host, assuming he/she is amenable
Hit every Wal-mart and gun shop in the area and hope I don't overpay


For those of you who have travelled to a class, what did you do and what worked best?

[ToddG]

I regularly ship ammo to my hotel or host, both as a student and as an instructor. Never had any problems. UPS tracks ammo (ORM-D) and contrary to rumor does not add a hazard charge.

Shipping to the host is preferable when possible because the host probably won't mind receiving it a week early. This gives you some wiggle room if it gets delayed or even lost. The hotel might get a little funky about having a package waiting for you that long.

If your host has to lug your ammo with him in addition to all the other gear he has to handle for himself and the instructor, it might be nice to pay for his lunch or something. Your two 25# boxes might not seem like much, but it adds up fast for him.

[Shellback]

Another option is to place an online order and use an alternate shipping address, such as the host's, or possibly someone else attending the class from PFC. I attended training with CJ Lapre down in AZ and he didn't have a problem with me shipping ammo straight to him rather than the hassle of flying with it.

ETA - Redundant due to Todd and I typing at the same time.