Travel Lightly with Sunshine Luggage Shuttle

“Making it easy for people to enjoy an unforgettable experience on the Great Allegheny Passage is what motivates me,” says Angela Bonnell, proprietor of Sunshine Luggage Shuttle. “And I love welcoming bicyclists to our beautiful part of the world.” Angela has a renowned reputation for transporting panniers, suitcases, and backpacks from inn to B&B to guesthouse, easing the burdens of those who like to travel light. Instead of being weighed down by gear, thousands of customers hire Sunshine Luggage Shuttle to move their belongings from trail town to trail town. In all, she makes over 1,500 trips a year among trail towns on the GAP, C&O Canal Towpath, and Ohio-to-Erie Trail.

“It started with a notion,” says Angela, “that bicycle tourists were struggling with extra weight that they didn’t want to carry each day,” and that a luggage transportation service would be welcome along the Great Allegheny Passage. Also, that starting and operating her own trail business would be a great fit for herself as a parent of young kids. “In my first year, 2012, I had just 24 customers, but found that there was a market for making bicyclists’ lives easier. Best of all, my children could ride with me, and I began to earn income without putting my kids in day care.” Her reputation for friendly, reliable service grew – as did her partnerships with several well-known outfitters. A year or two later, a trailer added additional capacity. And today, Angela is recognized as a trailblazing entrepreneur and a welcome, well-known presence in trail towns.

With her job, she gets to meet people from all over the world. “I love having conversations with customers from every inhabitable continent,” says Angela. Who are her typical customers? “Folks who are older who are happy to pass off their bags and gear to me, so that they can travel lightly.” But millennials and families also hire Sunshine Luggage Shuttle, “because it’s just easier knowing that your gear will be safely waiting for you at your next stop.” Her shortest trip is typically from a lodging property near her family’s home in the Laurel Highlands to an adjacent town, “yet I still make trips to Downtown Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. since groups are doing both trails,” she explains.

Customer Mary Pfaffko is exuberant about Sunshine Luggage Service. “Angela went out of her way to help me when I needed it at the last minute. She salvaged my bike trip from Pittsburgh to D.C., helped me brainstorm, and she is so knowledgeable about the cycling community. Plus, she is so friendly and responsive, and sent pics of my delivered bag each day. I never had a doubt or worry about a thing, all for a great price.” Says Angela, “I get to meet wonderful people every day, and running a small business is really rewarding.”

To book Sunshine Luggage Shuttle, text or call 814-279-5333, or visit www.sunshineluggageshuttle.com.