This was one of my smoothest cycle transport experiences so far. I have had many adventures of carrying the cycle on airplanes packed in plastic bags and covers. Adamant discussions with airport authorities about the cycle safety. Waiting at the baggage retrieval counter to find the plastic cover had been totally ripped up, and the cycle had come in (safe) with no packing at all. 😀 Phnom Penh to Mumbai was a smooth ride that way.

After the 1000 kms of cycling in Thailand, I arrived in Cambodia starved and shocked. Not sure what happened after my Thailand to Cambodia border crossing (at which point I was pretty gung ho), but in Cambodia I was totally freaked. One, with the open and very visible prostitution scene. Second, with the fact that, unlike Thailand, these people don’t know the CONCEPT of Vegetarian food.

So, I cut short my longer cycling trip plans which included Cambodia and Vietnam. And after a week in Phnom Penh, pronounced as Plom Pen, I decided to head back to Mumbai. I wasn’t looking for more adventure at that time. I wanted a smooth and relaxed ride back. So, decided to go with a very standard cycle packing procedure, with no surprises 🙂

Getting the Cycle Packed in a nearby Cycle Shop!

I headed to a nearby cycle store, and asked them to dismantle and pack my cycle. Simple. Earlier, I always looked down at such extravagant spends. And I also take pride in my ability to repair, dismantle, re-mantle the cycle and all that. But, ok whatever.

I also wanted to see how the store packs the cycle once. So I can replicate next time. My cycle skills have mostly been self learned from YouTube videos or helpful on-the-road experts. It always helps to get professionals to do it in front of me.

This is a standard practice, if you are looking for cycle dismantling and packing. Or you want them to open the packing and fix the bike back after travel. You can simply head to a proper cycle store that deals with the relevant bike brands similar to your bike brand. And ask them to do it for you. They charge some money for it. This cycle place in Phnom Penh charged me 700 INR ($10).

Generally, you needn’t use such services because if you go on cycle trips frequently, you should learn these things. It helps you manage any difficulties on the road. But these facilities exist once you land up in urban areas 🙂

With all this in place, I had time to enjoy one last macha coffee cup at the airport 😀

Confirming Cycle Details with the Flight

In general, I found the airlines of Thailand very friendly about cycle transport. They even had an offer of one free cycle transport with every passenger ticket – when I did this trip in Jan 2019. Even so, it is always good to confirm various details with them before booking your ticket. Just to be sure. The airline website may give some details – but it is good to confirm it. If there is a problem at the airport, you can show your personal communication, instead of simply the website details (which could be totally outdated).

Moreover, when flights offer cycle transport service, they have a maximum limit to the number of cycles they can carry. Usually, only 3 or 4 cycles are allowed per flight. So, better not to take a chance. Ensure you inform them that you are bringing a cycle, so they confirm that carriage. This way if there are other people with more cycles then yours will get a preference. Otherwise, the flight may send your cycle through another flight, and that would be extra work.

In Phnom Penh, a rare occurrence took place. I actually ended up meeting an Indian solo cycle tourist who had cycled all the way from India! Chennai to North Eastern states to Burma to Thailand to Cambodia – all on his own! This is very rare because there are very few Indian solo (or group) cycle tourists.

Anyway, since this was his first cycle tour, I had explained the process of how to identify the right flight and transport the cycle without much issue. But he didn’t take my advise. He booked a flight without even checking if it allows cycle transportation. Unfortunately, the flight didn’t allow it. And he flew back to Chennai but had to leave his cycle in some locker at the Phnom Penh airport itself. Later, it seems a friend of his brought it in for him. Whatever, it is a very crappy thing to happen, especially if the cycle is valuable for us, monetarily or emotionally.

Hope this helps you transport your cycle around the world and have awesome cycle journeys 😀 Read about my other cycle journeys here. 😀