Booking Travel
Booking travel for your upcoming cycling vacation can be both frustrating and time consuming. At The Cycling House office we book a ton of staff travel and have a few tips and tricks that have helped us optimize how we book travel. One of our favorite tools is Google Flights. You can use Google Flights to search specific dates, broad dates or look for travel deals. One of our favorite features is to use the tracked prices feature to watch price changes for specific dates to specific destinations. The feature is nice because it sets an alert and it will email you when there are price drops or spikes. This is a useful tool for getting the best deal possible. As we all know airline prices can change hourly so this is an easy way to stay up to date.
The booking process is fairly simple but a few hard learned lessons make it much easier. Be sure to fill out your whole name (legal name on your passport/drivers license). When you are booking travel for others this can be a very easy entry to overlook and could cost extra money to change or a complete re-booking. If booking for someone else double check their birth-date, email and full name before finishing your booking. If you are booking through a third party for travel this is a crucial step. Trust me, we have learned it the hard way. The last thing you want is to be held up on your return flight from a foreign country because your name does not match your passport, trust me :)
How To Travel: From the Pros
We travel a lot here at the Cycling House and love that we get to bike in beautiful locations with wonderful clients. We understand that traveling for cyclists can be stressful, but over the years we have picked up a few tricks to relieve the stress. We asked our travel pros for their top travel tips:
Ben Hoffman finished second at the 2014 Ironman World Championships in Kona and is a constant traveler for racing and training. When he travels he expects things to go wrong and always has a contingency plan for an extra bike, bike parts, or food. Ben also wears Zoot compression socks on long flights to help keep his legs fresh. One of the biggest things Ben has learned is “to not overpack…You rarely need as much clothing as you take, and if it comes down to it, most of us have credit cards.” Ben recommends traveling as light as possible since lugging around a bike is difficult enough.
Sam Schultz is a pro-mountain biker in Missoula and travels frequently with his bike, including to the 2012 Olympics where he represented the US. When he travels, Sam always has his noise-cancelling headphones. With these he says it’s like “I’m inside a concert hall instead of a jumbo jet and my music truly is a different experience.” This helps him arrive at his destination with less stress and ready to race.
Linsey Corbin is a world class Ironman athlete and travels constantly for racing and training. Linsey likes to be prepared for anything when she travels. She travels earlier to account for unexpected delays, carries on contact solutions incase of an overnight in an airport, and looks at maps around hotels to get the lay of the land. Linsey recommends “Travel(ing) with an open-mind. Be prepared that most of the time travels don’t go 100% smoothly. This way when your trip does go smoothly, it’s a welcome surprise.”
Owen is the president of the Cycling House and former professional rider. When he travels he always makes sure he carries his bike shoes and pedals on the plane with him. If his bike doesn’t make it to his destination he can still rent a bike and ride without having to buy shoes. You will also always find Owen with a spare derailleur hanger for his bike because that is the most likely part to bend/break in a bike box.
Shaun is the enforcer in the Cycling House office and has traveled many times for bike races. He always travels with a bag of snacks, since airplane peanuts don’t provide enough calories for a finishing sprint, and he wears multiple lightweight layers so that he can always be a comfortable temperature. The worst thing is stepping off a plane in sunny Tucson and still be dressed for frigid Buffalo.
Sarah Raz is a world wide cyclo-tourist and has flown internationally many times. When she flies she tries to sleep anytime she can, anywhere she can. She can sleep easily knowing that she has left copies of her passport with a friend in case it disappears during travel. This way she can always get back into the US.
Brendan Halpin has been with The Cycling House for 10 years and is a former professional triathlete. When he travels he brings earplugs & noise cancelling headphones, an eye mask, down jacket, water bottle and memory foam neck pillow. He likes to get as much sleep as possible especially on those long international flights. Bringing a water bottle is a great way to stay on top of your hydration. The last thing you want is to be in the middle row and dying of thirst. He also likes to really consider seat selection dependent upon the flight. Long flights are nice for sleeping so booking travel earlier gives you more seat selections.
Packing Your Bike
Just as important as getting yourself to your destination is getting your bike where it needs to be. Traveling with your bike can be worrisome when you think of a bike getting thrown around in the back of a plane. Fortunately there are some great cases out there that can handle being manhandled.
Bike cases come in many shapes and sizes, but all have one purpose: to protect your bike. When looking for a travel case pay attention to the interior padding of the case, secure bike wheel storage, light-weight or wheeled for easy maneuverability, big handles, and the possibility of added security (padlock). Here’s some of the best we have found:
1. Biknd Helium Air Cushioned Case – Soft case, cushioned by inflating the sidewalls. Lightweight and easy to store when not in use.
2. Pika EEP Travel Case – the bike case of choice for the Cycling House. Soft case with a snug fit.
3. Thule Round Trip Transition – Hard Case, comes with it’s own bike stand. Very secure. Every component has it’s exact place.
4. Trico Iron Case – Hard Case, reliable, bombproof. One of the most common styles we see at the Cycling House.
5. The Classic Cardboard Bike Box – Cheap but reliable if packed correctly. Boxes can be found at any bike shop and padding in any recycling bin.
As you can see there is a wide variety in bike travel cases. Any of these will work as long as you pack it appropriately.
Time to Fly
Now that you’ve got your case and bike packed and ready to fly, which airline do you go with? Most of us have our favorite airline, and Linsey recommends sticking to one for bonus miles and waived luggage fees, but that doesn’t mean your top choice will remain your favorite after bike fees are included. Most airlines give lip service to the 62″/50lbs rule. If your bike case is under 50 pounds and the dimensions add up to less than 62 inches then it should qualify as a checked bag. We recommend checking an airlines website for listed rates and perhaps having a copy of that to show at the check-in counter in case prices vary. Some airline fees below, but it’s always a good idea to double-check before you book:
Southwest: $75
Delta: $150, $75 to Brazil. May not accept bikes on small planes
US Air: $150 unless meets the 62/50 rule
United: $150 or more in the US and Canada, $200 elsewhere. Observes 62/50 rule
Alaska: $75 unless meets the 62/50 rule
American: $150
Jet Blue: $50 and counts as a checked bag. Observes 62/50 rule
Shipping your Bike
Shipping your bike has never been easier thanks to Bike Flights. Flying with your bike certainly has its conveniences, however if you have time or a second bike this is a good option. Airlines continue to squeeze every penny out of this so shipping the bike early has become a more common occurrence for staff at The Cycling House. Bike flights makes it very easy and much more reasonable than if you go direct to FedEx or UPS. In addition Bike Flights customer support is top notch. If you are flying internationally we do not recommend shipping your bike. The best option for international travel is flying with your bike or renting.
Renting
Using a rental bike can be a great option for lessening the burden of travel. For all of our domestic US trips we have full carbon Look 765 road bikes equipped with Shimano Ultegra. At $250 for the week this can be a really good option. For our international trips we have sourced some great full carbon rentals too. Renting a bike is a great option for an international trip if you plan to spend extra time before or after your trip traveling. Hauling around a bike case in trains, taxis, etc. can become a huge hassle traveling internationally.
We’ll see you at the Cycling House!