Traveling with your Bicycle

Del: You're in a pretty lousy mood, huh? 
Neal: To say the least. 
Del: You ever traveled with a bicycle before? 
[Neal shakes his head] 
Del: Hmm. Your mood's probably not going to improve much.

Modified from Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

It's certainly easier and less expensive to travel without a bicycle.  However, it is reasonable to take a bike on a plane and/or a train and not pay an arm and a leg to do so.  If you are going on a cycling holiday, you will probably be happier if you take your own bike as opposed to renting one.

First, beg, borrow, or steal (or buy) a Pika Packworks EEP travel case.  The EEP is not cheap, but it is pretty compact and really doesn't look like a bike case.  This means that it might fly under the radar if you are lucky.  Many airlines will now charge you a small fortune if you take your bike on the plane, but more about that later.  For a helpful review of the EEP, go to

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=106692

You can purchase an EEP directly from

http://pikapackworks.com/

The EEP is $335, which is $70 less than what it will cost you to take a bike to and from France on Delta. And no matter what case you decide to pack your bike in, take off the rear derailleur. I have seen bent derailleur hangers even when the bike was packed in a hard case.

So let's consider airplane travel.  Taking a bike on the plane is going to cost you $0-$250 each way.  Last summer I flew from Houston to Frankfurt via Paris and paid $50 on the way over and nothing on he way back.  Check out the following website to see what it will cost to take your bike on the plane.

http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/travel/bagregs.htm

When you are shopping around for that cheap airfare, don't forget to factor in the cost of your baggage.

Traveling in France by train is one of the least stressful means of getting from one place to another.  It takes about 3 hours to get to Marseille from central Paris by TGV (France's high speed rail system).  Flying will take you longer if you factor in getting to and from the airport and all of the  other things such as checking in, going through security, and picking up your luggage.  That is, if your luggage is fortunate enough to arrive on the same flight.  Taking a bike on the train is fairly easy.  You can take your bike on most regional trains without taking it apart.  However, you must put your bike in a case to travel on the TGV.  I have always managed to find a place on the TGV for my EEP, although I have had to be creative a few times.  For more information, try

http://www.mayq.com/Best_european_trips/Touring4_trains_and_bikes.htm


It might be worth your while to buy a Eurail pass if you plan to travel by train several times over the course of your trip.  Eurail passes can be bought at http://www.raileurope.com.  You can also buy individual tickets at the website.  If you have a Eurail pass, you will also have to purchase a seat reservation if you are traveling on the TGV.  Seat reservations can be purchased at Rail Europe or any local train station, however, they are about three times more expensive at Rail Europe than purchasing a reservation at the train station in Europe.  Still, it might be wise to purchase one in advance.  During peak travel times, they limit the number of seats for pass holders, and your pass may be worthless.  I was stuck paying full fare from Paris to Frankfurt last summer as there were no seat reservations left for pass holders.  And the E-ticket reservations work great.  Rick Steves (http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/) has some useful information on train travel in Europe.




I really haven't needed a car in the Pyrenees or even Provence, but it is difficult to get around in the Alps without one.  Most of the rental cars in Europe are hatchbacks, so you can even fit a bicycle into the back of an economy car.  My EEP also fits nicely into the back of a rental car.  I have rented through Auto Europe (http://www.autoeurope.com), Avis, and Hertz.  Auto Europe is a consolidator, so I prepaid and actually rented through EuropCar.  Hertz was by far the most expensive.  Avis and Europcar were about the same price, and Avis did not charge me a deposit.  EuropCar and Hertz both charged a $500-600 deposit, which is far more than I am used to paying in the U.S.  I will probably go through a consolidator next time just to lock in the price.


All you will need to rent a car in France is a valid driver's license and a credit card.  Even though it is expensive, I usually get the extra insurance too.  When inspecting the car for dents and scratches, a smart thing to do is to take some photos.  Easy to do with your iPhone.  And if you do take your iPhone, make sure to contact your wireless carrier before you leave and you will need to turn off your data plan.  If you don't, be prepared to spend big $$$ or €€€.  I usually just purchase a cheap pay as you go phone when I get to France.


Rick Steves also has some useful information about car rentals on his website (http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/carrental_2005.htm).


I haven't found driving in France to be any more stressful than driving in the U.S.  Michelin makes great road maps.  I also found my Garmin Edge 705 to be useful.  Isn't GPS great!