I did the usual inventory of clothing and parts, and that included going through all my leftover cash from previous trips. Good idea to bring it back to the country where it could be used!
My cute little collection of money from Foreign Parts
My cute little collection of money from Foreign Parts
On previous trips, my extra bike gear was placed in suitcases, which I had to deal with in my destination country by storing them, giving them away, or just throwing them into a dumpster. This time I tried another approach: Some lightweight duffel bags that I could fold up into the bicycle box when empty.
Very compactable duffel bags for flying with the bulky touring stuff.
An extra bag and mattress… But how to fit them in the luggage?
Everything that was too heavy to go directly in the bike box, or too bulky to fit in my backpack, could go into the bags. The first thing I stuffed in was my sleeping bag and mattress.
Then it was only a matter of spending one long, long day carefully disassembling Valoria and packing her into the oversize transport box. Thankfully I’ve had lots of practice. This would be the tenth time.