*All information correct at time of posting (Sep 2023)
So you find yourself in London and need to store your luggage for the day as you have just arrived or about to leave. I’ve seen it myself where people have killed time in cinema’s and brought their suitcase alone and clearly feel restriction on what they can do when you have the burden of pulling a suitcase or carrying a heavy backpack all day.
Can I store my bag at my hotel
Normally if you are checking in or even checking out the hotel will allow you to leave your bag there. I guess the annoying thing is if your hotel is located far from where you are going to be hanging out, it could be a mission to get back and collect and means wasting hours collecting baggage plus travel costs.
It all depends on your time. If you are happy to take it easy or want to go and relax in your hotel room then storing the bag until your room is ready makes complete sense. You can just hang around the hotel and find a cafe / pub or place to eat.
If you want to get straight into it and maybe see things or people around another area, then baggage storage at one of the recommended places below is a must. Don’t let hotel check-in dictate your day.
Can I store at an Airbnb / other rental
In almost all cases it’s a no. You also normally have later check-in’s than at a hotel so this can really stop your plans if you are waiting to check-in to drop the bag. In this case you certainly want to store your bag if you want to see the city that day or got to meet a friend at a certain time which is early afternoon.
Should I store at a train station
I would say in most cases no. If you are just going to go get some food before your train then take the bag with you. Most storages are from £5 and that’s for 3 hours only. All the recommendations below have storage in and around the stations just that you pay a much more reasonable price for longer.
Should I just drag my luggage around with me
There seems to be a theme to these answers. Again it’s a no. Taking baggage on the tube and around busy London streets and venues is an absolute nightmare and just builds up stress and you are meant to be here for a good time.
So where can I store my baggage
I have a list of the top 3 baggage storage companies out there and then will give my opinion on which is best and why. Just be aware that the times you want to store your bag can limit the options as if you want to collect at 11pm for example, most cafes and shops will be closed.
1. Stasher
Stasher is a popular luggage storage network with over 400 locations throughout London. They have partnerships with local businesses and hotels to provide secure and convenient storage options. Stasher offers insurance coverage for your belongings as standard up to £1,000 and their pricing is competitive.
They have a star rating of 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot when this post was written with nearly 60k users giving feedback.
Pricing model is pretty simple to follow, there is a 99p service fee charge on each item plus about £1 per item to insure up to £1k and again this covers each item up to £1,000. Prices vary but are around £6-8 a day including all fees per bag to store pretty much all day.
2. Bounce Luggage Storage
The look and feel is very much the same as Stasher but I have found it very hard to use and seems to default to 9pm on the desktop version even when I select different days. The pricing is between £4.50 and £6 for most places, no booking fee but mandatory insurance up to $10,000 per bag at £1.65. So again pretty much £6-8 to leave for most of the day.
The reviews are 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot. You can also find 5% discounts if you use the app and some voucher codes online too.
3. Radical Storage
On a landing page it shows they have all 5 star reviews which isn’t the case and are 4.2 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot. Website very similar to the others apart from having to click into each listing to get price etc, but the price is set at £5 at every location pay day.
You also get insurance up to £3,000 for another £1.75 which is mandatory like the rest. So in some cases this so far can offer the cheapest storage but only by £1.
4. LuggageHero
LuggageHero operates a network of luggage storage locations with over 120 in London. They offer a pay-as-you-go pricing model as well as the flat fee. You can also have option insurance. Beware there Trustpilot review is 3 stars and reading the reviews mention additional hidden costs and the hourly rate model getting overcharged.
The price for an hour can be from 99p. But flat rates are starting from £5.95 and then a service fee of £1.65. Optional insurance for £2.65 to cover your bag up to £2,200. It also claims to have free cancellation included but seems they can lead to other issues. So pricing to have the insurance is £10-11 so the most expensive as a flat rate.
From all the websites / platforms this was actually the easiest to use but fails in every other key metric.
5. nannybag
Our final option is nannybag. Having a review score on Trustpilot of 4.6 out of 5. The fee seems to be a flat £6 per day per item. This also includes insurance which is up to 1,000 EUR and no booking fee. So nannybag is the cheapest option out of the 5 they also provide a security seal as standard.
The verdict
All these companies are pretty similar and have most of the same places as the other just in lesser numbers. I think Stasher wins just with Bounce a close second. Just because Stasher seems to have a few more locations and better Trustpilot review score. £1,000 should be enough to cover your bag but if you do have more than that, like designer clothes / expensive electricals then Bounce is best with up to $10,000 worth of insurance cover.