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Anyone looked into taking your bike on a plane and jetting off to ride some trails overseas?
Looking at doing a long trip and wondered if anyone else had been there, done that, fell off and crashed etc!
Stick your bike in a bag or box and off you go.
Did it a while back. Bought bikes in New Zealand and rode there, Oz, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand - doing a mix of touring on road and then stripping the panniers and riding proper trails. Sometimes we used local transport and just paid to have the bikes strapped onto boats, bus roofs etc. My advice is do it - it's amazing, and I believe the best way to see a country and get off the beaten track and away from the backpackers. Personally, I recommend using proper mountain bikes and paying the price on the tarmac - that way you get to ride any terrain and trails you want.
Taking your bike on planes is the easy part. Go to your friendly LBS and ask for one of the cardboard cartons the bikes come in. Depending on your relationship with them it should be free or at a small charge. Take the pedals & front wheel off, deflate the tyres (no pressure in plane cargo hold!)and pack as many of your clothes around it to cushion it.
Most airlines accept bikes packed in this way, but it'll still count as part of your baggage allowance!
But.....
Travilling with your nice expensive and shiny bike in faraway countries is another thing, you'll be a slave to it, always worrying about it being nicked, afraid to go off for a day and leave it behind. Not a problem if you'll always be travelling by bike, but most of us like to take the occasional side trip, island hopping, etc. without the bike.
So, another option is to rent when you get there - you'd be amazed what obscure and undeveloped places offer fully equipped MTB tours these days - the mountain bike surely has reached every corner of the globe! Then you don't have to worry so much as its their equipment, and you also get to ride in a group, and have a guide to sort out the logistics/translation/acommodation etc.
Not for everyone - but a less stressful way to do it from my experience...