I just checked in my bike which is packed in a cardboard bike box. This was a first for me. Since we are departing from a different city and shipping bike cases around Europe is not as easy or cheap as in Colombia I went with a disposable box. Still to figure out how to get new boxes in Barcelona, but there are a lot of bike shops so it should not be too hard
WestJet has a pretty good deal for flying with bikes. I paid for an extra bag online and then got charged an extra fee at the counter of less than $40.
I put a Tile Tracker in the bike box so I hope I get a signal on the planes.
When we land we have an airport hotel booked and the next day we go to a Decathlon store where I have ordered a bike for Aidan. It's not a high end bike but it will only be used for a month but beginner cyclists and we are not doing big miles each day so it should be ok. Renting might have gotten a slightly better bike but would have cost twice as much. If the bike works well we will fly it home and if not we will gift it to someone.
Our route this trip is Paris to Bordeaux along the Loire Valley. We are following official French cycling routes all the way. This keeps you on bike paths, trails and quiet roads.
In Bordeaux Aidan will be switching to a train pass and Laurie will be taking his seat on the bike. From there we follow the canals to the Mediterranean and then down to Barcelona. We are planning a little deviation from the official route to visit an old friend. This adds an extra 80km which may turn into them meeting us for dinner if we are running behind.
The last leg is from the French-Sapnish border to Barcelona.
First flight completed. I know my bike made it this far because I checked the Tile Tracker on the runway and in the air.
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