The first thing to take into account is that every airline has different regulations when it comes to travelling with a bike, so contact the airline you are travelling with and check their rules.

Secondly you want to pack your bike to ensure that it arrives without any damage. There are different schools of thought here - some put the bike in a bike bad or box others keep the bike unboxed but just protect the delicate parts, the thinking here is that a boxed bike will get handled like any other piece of luggage while an unboxed bike looks fragile and will most likely be treated as such. Your call.

Bike Bags

There are three main types of bags that you can use:

1) Rigid plastic cases offer the most protection, but they are expensive and do not always fit large frames. They are heavy to lug around on public transport and difficult to store when not in use.

2) Cardboard boxes are the most common choice. Cardboard bike boxes should be easily available for free from your local bike shop.

3) A large soft bag is an effective option. It costs less than a hard case and can folded so it doesn't take a lot of space. Surprisingly, it protects the bicycle reasonably well: luggage handlers see that the item is a bicycle, and appear not to throw it around as much.

A few things to keep in mind:

• You need the tools to disassemble and reassemble your bike (and the know how)
• Tyres should be partially deflated to reduce the risk of damage
• Handlebars must be turned in line with the cross bar
• Pedals and derailleur should removed
• Gears must be protected
• Use disk brake spacers
• Use fork and frame spacers (or old skewers) to prevent fork or frame from being bent
• Protect chainrings

If you have a full-suspension bike, taking the rear triangle off will help you pack it into a much smaller box than you could otherwise. I saw some great pictures online of some guy packing his whole bike into a PowerMac G5 shipping box. Pretty convenient!

If you don't want to travel with all the tools you'll need to reassemble on the other end, get a recommendation for a bike shop from somebody in the area. Having them put it together for you can save a lot of headaches (and make your vacation that much more enjoyable).