We’ve read stories from cyclists that say, “just do it!” - implying that you can simply pack up and hit the road. Unfortunately, for long trips involving months of travel and flying to another continent, there are a few logistical challenges that have to be addressed first.

Boxing the Bicycles

For past trips overseas, we always rented bikes. But those trips were relatively short, so we were able to get by with imperfect equipment. For a longer trips rentals aren’t ideal, especially since we already own great touring bikes. Unfortunately, getting bikes to Europe is not particularly fun or easy.

We did a lot of research, and considered three options:  

1. Finding bike boxes and packing the bikes ourselves, combined with an international shipping service like www.bikeflights.com or www.shipbikes.com

2. Having a bike store pack our bikes, then using a shipping service

3. Packing our own bikes, and taking them with us on the plane

We went back and forth in our thinking. At some point along the way, each one of these options seemed like it might be the right one. But sending the bikes with an international carrier had a high risk of running into weeks of delays with customs, paying high customs fees, and was by far the most expensive option. Using a bike store to pack the bikes is a great idea if you know of a reliable store that is experienced with packing bikes and will do a good job. Unfortunately, many bike stores are rushed or do not take much care in packing, which can result in damaged bikes at the destination. Since we had two transfers to get to our final destination, we felt a good packing job was essential. Not knowing much about the bike stores in our area led us, in the end, to pack the bikes ourselves. And we took the bikes with us on our flights to avoid customs issues.

In an effort to simplify the packing, we decided to buy AirCaddy K-9100 boxes. These boxes are advertised as being both incredibly sturdy, and easy to use. They are expensive but would provide an added safety margin to help ensure the bikes arrived safely.

The AirCaddies usually allow you to place a bike inside without having to take much apart. That may be the case for most bikes, but the wheel base of our Long Haul Truckers is longer than average because they are built specifically for touring. This required some additional dis-assembly. We removed the handlebars, pedals, seats, seat posts, a few accessories, the front racks, front fenders, stem extensions, derailleurs and the front wheels. When we finally got the bikes to fit into the boxes, we were pretty happy with the K-9100’s rugged design. The bikes were fastened securely to the box with metal bolts, and there was plenty of room in the box to also include our fenders, helmets, and some other accessories.

Loading the Luggage

Two days before departure, we packed everything up into: 

• Four checked bags: two large worn-out suitcases (both just barely staying under the 50 lb limit), plus two AirCaddy boxes containing our bikes. Both the suitcases and bike boxes would be discarded at the Lisbon airport because we couldn’t take them with us, and we did not expect to come back to Lisbon where we could retrieve them.

• Carry-ons: we each took a small day-pack with essentials, and Ortlieb rack packs, which didn’t fit in the checked luggage.

Port and Popcorn

After everything was packed and we had checked-off the final items on our “to do” list, we were able to relax for a couple of hours in the evening before leaving home. We celebrated the occasion by popping the cork on a bottle of 1987 vintage port that we had purchased 25+ years ago in Portugal. It was absolutely delicious, and paired very well with our big bowl of kettle-corn. It was amazing that it survived so well after all the abuse we put it through over the years.  It was not a pampered bottle.  In fact, we both agreed it was one of the better ports we’d ever had. Only later, in Lisbon, did we realize after seeing comparable bottles of similar age that the relatively inexpensive bottle of port we purchased years ago might now be worth as much as €200 because of its age.  What a treat! We then headed off to bed for our final night’s sleep for the next couple of days.

Getting Onto the Airplane

On 11 February 2019, we headed for the airport. We knew we would have way too much stuff to take a taxi, Uber or Lyft. So we had previously reserved a rental car, one-way to the airport. This proved to be surprisingly affordable, and it was actually cheaper than returning the rental car to the local office where we picked it up. We got a Dodge Caravan, with seats that folded down into the floor, giving us plenty of room for the bike boxes and big suitcases. It would have been pretty hard to get all that gear into a smaller car. But the Caravan worked great.

We arrived at the airport about 2.5 hrs before our flight. Although the check-in line was pretty long, the folks at American Airlines were wonderful. One of the staff helped us check in, then put us in a priority line for checking the bikes and bags. The suitcases were checked for free, and we paid a $100 oversized bag fee for each of the bikes.

We had been told to leave the top of the bicycle boxes open in case the staff wanted to check inside. The staff helped us tape up the top of the boxes before sending them off on the moving beltway. We crossed our fingers that everything would arrive in Lisbon intact.

We took a big chance when we booked our flights. Our itinerary had two layovers: one in Miami and one in Madrid - increasing the risk that either we or our luggage might miss a flight. But thankfully, all of the connections went smoothly.

Although we had an overnight itinerary, neither one of us got any sleep. Our layover in Madrid occurred at midnight to 2am Eastern time, which broke up the night and ruined any real chance of getting rest. Fortunately, going through passport control for the European Union in Madrid was a piece of cake.

Arrival in Lisbon

It was a huge relief to arrive in Lisbon on 12 February, and to have all of our checked baggage arrive as well. 

After retrieving our suitcases and bikes, we found a quiet corner of the airport near the baggage claim area for the oversized luggage. There we proceeded to assemble our bicycles and pack up our panniers. It took just about 3 hours to put all of the pieces back together. Once we were done, we discarded the bike boxes and old suitcases near a corner of the airport where baggage claim staff said it would be okay to leave them.

We pushed our loaded bikes out of baggage claim via the “nothing to declare” customs aisle, and no one checked our stuff. We were now in Lisbon, Portugal!

We biked directly from the airport to our hotel in the heart of the city. A bicycle path passes right by the airport near the bus transit area, but we had a bit of trouble locating it. After looking around for a while, we finally found the path on the far side of the airport access road, across from where the busses park.

From there, it was a relatively straight shot to our hotel, which was only 3 miles (4.8 km) from the airport. About half of the route followed dedicated bike paths or sidewalks, another 40% was on smaller streets, and around 10% was along busy streets. The most challenging sections included a couple of large traffic circles (roundabouts), and crossings of major streets. We also had to be careful on the famous Portuguese cobblestones, which can make cycling on roads or sidewalks pretty trecharous.

When we arrived at the hotel, PedalingGuy went to check us in while Puffer and I waited outside. Pretty soon I noticed a couple standing a few yards away, looking at the bikes and whispering to each other. I waved to them, and they came over to chat. That’s how I met AJ (from the Netherlands) and Michele (from Belgium). They are leaving in a week for a six-month bike tour from Lisbon, down to the Mediterranean coast of Spain and France, then northward through their home countries to the far northern tip of Norway. We shared ideas about our plans, our gear, and how exciting it is to be just starting a long journey. With luck, we may run into AJ and Michele again along the coastal route.

After that, PedalingGuy, Puffer and I headed up to our room. It’s pretty big by European standards, with plenty of space for the two bikes. The window faces an interior courtyard, so it’s wonderfully quiet as well. After grabbing a quick bite for dinner, we collapsed into our beds to get our first sleep in two days.

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