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If you vacation with a bike, you will definitely pay extra, probably get lost, and possibly break down far from your hotel. Despite that, it’s still well worth bringing along a bike. Improve your odds of things going right with these tricks.
If you can’t skip airline fees
Once, flying with a bike was an expensive undertaking with major airlines charging well over $100 USD each way. Luckily, a few years ago, many of the major airlines came to their senses (rare for that industry it seems) and changed those fees to simply be standard baggage fees, usually around $25-35 USD for Delta, United, and American, so long as the bike doesn’t exceed the standard weight requirements. Other airlines still have bike bag fees but many of these are far more reasonable these days — Southwest and Spirit charge $75 each for bikes for example.
Still, note every airline has come around, so be sure to check your airline’s policies before you get to the airport. Travel pros have ways to deceive the gatekeepers at check-in, but your fib needs to be better than just calling it “sports equipment.” Trek Factory Racing’s Kiel Reijnen says he once skipped an exorbitant fee in China by telling the agent his bike box held a giant ant farm.
If you want to skip airline fees
Ever since the big airlines dropped extra baggage fees for bikes, BikeFlights hasn’t been quite as necessary of a service for bike travel, but it’s still worth looking into, especially if flying on an airline that still charges bike fees. Bikeflights negotiates better shipping rates with FedEx than you would be able to get yourself, coordinates pickup and drop-off, and helps you track your bike. Size, weight, distance, and faster shipping options all affect price, of course, but you can usually get a road bike delivered to your destination within a week for a fraction of what it would cost going directly to UPS or FedEx.
Bike sharing: Not just for townies
Peer-to-peer bike-sharing startup Spinlister — touted (of course) as the Airbnb of cycling — allows users to rent out their bikes for hourly fees. The selection can be uneven, but you can find race-worthy road bikes and wheelsets from lustworthy brands like Cervélo, Cannondale, and Zipp. But there are also cool retro finds like a Trek Y-Foil (remember those?).
Mastering the maps
Looking to ride where reception is spotty? If you’re not packing a head unit, try Google’s offline maps. If you’re looking for singletrack, Trailforks has maps for 778,575 miles of 722,115 trails in 135 countries, at last count. You’re going to have to ask your boss for more vacation days.
The science on ticket prices
If your July travel plans include riding in Provence, book now. If you’re looking, instead, to do that month’s RAGBRAI ride through Iowa, you’ve got time. A recent study conducted by Google Flights found that the cheapest times to buy domestic flights are between 21 and 60 days out, with the average low price coming 44 days before departure.
Support staff
Assuming you don’t have the budget to hire a follow car, take a look at the bicycle roadside assistance offerings from AAA and Better World Club. Similar to automotive roadside assistance, these services will give members and their disabled bikes a ride to the nearest town (within certain ranges).
