Bike touring, or bikepacking, is a great way to travel. But getting your bike to and from the destination is not trivial. Most airlines consider a tightly packed boxed bicycle as checked luggage, going at checked luggage rates. The key is a good bike box. You can get a good box for bicycles at a bike store for free because all their new bikes are shipped in these boxes. There are bike shops everywhere in the world, which is good for finding a box on your way back. You can also ship bikes within the US via UPS; the box will fit under their max dimensions. — KK

I’ve been using Pirate Ship for quite some time and I can vouch for its reliability. If you have a package or flat rate envelope you want to send by USPS or UPS, give it a try. Not only is the interface much easier to use than the USPS or UPS website, the shipping is cheaper, sometimes by a lot. — MF