My girlfriend and I are currently in the process of planning our overland trip to Australia next year but there are a few places where we need/want to frieght our bike rather than riding it. These are primarily from Turkey to India (my girlfriend isn't so keen on riding through Pakistan or Iran), then we need to transport from India (or Nepal) to Bangkok and then from SE Asia (Singapore or Malaysia) to Sydney.

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether we should try and get these flights booked as early as possible or leave it until a few weeks before when we are in / close to the country?

The way I see it the first option might get us a slight reduction in price but ties us down to be in a place on a particular date which means we may have to rush to get there or miss the flight. But the second option allows us to book when necessary but it might cost more. Any helpful hints or tips would be great.

Christopher

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The Wonderful Wander To Oz

I'm guessing I have either answered my own question or I have asked "what is the best bike" sort of question ...

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The Wonderful Wander To Oz

Hi Christopher,

I'm sorry, I don't know much about the transport of your bikes. What I do know, is that you shouldn't miss out on Iran. Its perfectly safe, I'd say, and the most incredible country to travel. You would really cheat yourselfs, if you skip this part. Just a thought and a bit , sorry.

I know its not much help, but we spoke with some companys in Tehran, that could fly our bikes to India if we wanted, and I had the impression that it could be done without booking ahead.

Hope you'll find some more useful infomation in here.

Good luck - Simon

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Denmark - India 2007
www.hippietrail.dk

hello christopher,

I agree with Simon, you should not miss Iran, but it is your journey and Simon did not answer your question.

my advise is. dont book flights from home, you never know how long you will need to get the bike thru customs and which airline is taking your bike.

on your route, I would ride down to Istanbul (or Ankara), than you have to find out which companies are flying to Delhi. Than you talk to them if they take your bike as well, mostlikely they will point you to an agent. Its going to take you a couple of days to sort everything out. Than you book the flight for you, best is after your bike has left the country.

Turkey to India is not that ofter used to fly a bike, because you can go overland. Nepal to Thailand should be easy and also to Down Under from Singapore or KL or Port Klang (as I did some years back)

Buy your tickets localy or over the internet when you know the exact date. Shop around for the best deal before you buy the ticket. It will cost you more in the end if you book all the tickets from home.

Enjoy

Mika

Hi Christopher,

Shipping your bike by air or sea is not a big deal; I would say do it when you need to rather than before you leave. Nothing worse than being under time constraints.
It's a long time since I been on this route but we shipped our bike by air from Egypt to what was then Bombay because of the first Gulf war and then from Calcutta to Bangkok because the Madras ferry had a fire and was suspended. We then went from Singapore to Fremantle, Sydney to Auckland by sea freight.
It can take a few days to find a shipper. If it's by sea then I recommend putting the bike in a crate so you will need to find someone to make it. By air (depending on the plane) you will need to strap the bike to a pallet or put it into an air container. For air Freight use some good straps as the take off and landing G forces are big.
I would recommend the bike leaves the country before you do so you can overcome any last minute problems and you need to have the original Bill of Lading. I have heard of stories of bikes getting stuck in customs after you've left the country and then you're trying to sort it out thousands of miles away. You need to allow some time to organize things, I would allow 5 days to find a shipper and organise logistics and your air tickets.

Reading between the lines your Girlfriend may not be as adventurous as you. This is not as unfamiliar to me, as my wife would be the first to admit we went into some countries she had some reservations about but we have always enjoyed our travels and the reservations where unfounded. If there are not big risks such as war or terrorism then I would urge you to ride as much as you can. Getting the bike out of Indian customs took two days as was difficult, road boarders have always been easier to cross than air or sea freight clearance. So after she has faced the air freight bureaucracy she may change her mind.

On the Turkey to India freight consider back tracking to Istanbul or Piraeus (Greece) to check out sea freight.

When the first Gulf war broke out I remember hiring a boat at Port Said to take me out to the ships waiting to go though the Suez Canal, to see if we could get us and the bike to India. Nearly came off but the Ship captains where unsure we could get into India and they did not want to take the risk of getting stuck with us.

Steve