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We're hopefully moving to Thailand later this year for a few years and I'm trying to work out how to get our bikes over as reasonably as possible.
Excess baggage for the airline is $46/Kg and would make it pretty expensive for our our bikes.
An alternative would be to buy replacements there but I'm not sure we'd be able to source anything like the kids Frog or Islabike?
Anyone here done this and have any gems of wisdom?
I used to ship my Mongoose bike from the far east to UK using UPS or FedDex ... can't remember which one now. It is much cheaper than having to carry in cargo with you.
Go get a quote from either UPS or FedDex or DHL etc.
Get a shipping cube to fit.
Try seven seas shipping. door to door service. You can either ship bike boxes or get a shipping cube which you can fill with other stuff.
What airline? A lot will let you fly with recreational equipment at a fixed cost. Or pay for an extra suitcase and put the disassembled kids bikes inside.
No help to your situation but I'm sure our Islabike box said "Made in Thailand"....
Surely you'd put the bikes in with all the other items you're shipping out?
When I lived in NZ I got my DH bike and jump bike shipped over. I used Severn Seas shipping and they were great.
https://www.sevenseasworldwide.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1pyCBhCtARIsAHaY_5fLf8lXFAWkOxGLe5os8AgX_qycZjkPgSGHVgKJp8d7U7zMwyfBpGkaAk7PEALw_wcB
Are bikes cheap in Thailand? Sell your bikes, buy new ones for less?
This idea is built on lots of assumptions.
Most airlines will let you take a boxed bike either instead of a suitcase or for a fixed charge. For examplew BA or Aer Lingus are (from memory) around £50 for a transatlantic flight. With them the normal luggage dimemsions don't apply. At check in the box is labelled then after your other cases go away on the belt you wheel the bike box round to the oversize counter and hand it in.
At that point I usually go for a beer and feel the holiday has started.b
Ride em, saves on the airfare too.
Another vote for Sevenseas here. We used a 'Movecube' when we came back from Australia. Two bikes and most of our lives in it. Was a pretty painless process other than trying to scan updated customs forms in a crappy town in western china.
Great advice here! I checked with the airline and it looks like the weight of a bike box comes out of our baggage allowance. Might work.
Also Just spoke to Seven Seas and their door to doo service for a Shipping Cube looks great too! Now to figure how to take only exactly what we need.
What are you doing in Thailand Lazgoat? I spent `most 10 great years there as a SCUBA instructor.
Koh Phangan was great for cycling as well, but it was so hot I rarely took advantage.
136stu not sure Afghanistan on a frog is going to be great. 🐸
@easily, we're going to be 30 minutes inland from Pattaya, at an international school. We haven't been before and are so looking forward to the move and exploring all it has to offer.
My two boys (6 and 2yrs old) love cycling and I couldn't face riding cheapo/duff bikes after having old, but decent bikes already. The heat does worry me though.
I got my PADI Open Water license 20 years ago in Kenya and I can't wait to do some lessons and go diving again and snorkeling with the whole family.
I think you'll love it.
Watch out for crazy driving when you're on the bikes. Thailand has its own idea of what 'safe' means (this is all based upon Koh Phangan, where you don't really need a license - it might be different on the mainland).
Thai people are great. There are some customs and expectations that are really odd to Europeans, for example: https://rich1019.wordpress.com/2015/09/09/greng-jai/#:~:text=Greng%20means%20stiff%20or%20rigid.%20Jai%20%28pronounced%20jii%29,to%20those%20of%20us%20dealing%20with%20it%20daily
While you are there try to get out and meet as many Thais as you can, not just those at your school. Most of my diver friends just hung around with each other, and they have no idea what they were missing out on.
Eat this:
every chance you get.
Let us know how it's going.
Are bikes cheap in Thailand? Sell your bikes, buy new ones for less?
Price in Thailand is slightly cheaper but Not a lot as Thai Bath is getting stronger.
Eat this: ... every chance you get.
Yes, that taste good. I like!
In fact most food are great in Thailand but then I am from that part of the world. I used to visit Thailand with my father every year whenever I went home.
Thais are friendly people but try to understand/respect the local culture to avoid offending people without knowing as they are getting a bit fed up now with the tourists.
You might be able to get away with your "rudeness" for a while but once they get fed up with you they will show you their true colour which you should avoid.
Oh ya ... fish "jerky" taste very nice if you can find them in the wet market. They are normally made by the Muslim community. Try some. Very sweet. I can eat a lot of it ...
As a "tourist" if you plan to visit the temples follow the rules. Don't mess around with any of the statues etc seen on temple ground even if you don't believe in them.