> many routes are faster by train then they are by plane (i.e. Paris-Geneva).
Yes, but that presupposes a TGV, and bikes aren't allowed on TGVs. I did it once in desperation (my scheduled bike-friendly train went on strike!) for one stop and nearly had my head bitten off by the conductor.
To answer OP's question, I once took my non-fragile MTB from France to Australia on the plane, protected by nothing more than a cardboard box and some masking tape. It was ok. That was long haul international though, obviously, not Easyjet or the like.
Your itinery, if I understood it was this:
- Fly to Rome with bike.
- Ride to Barcelona
- Lots of irrelevant stuff
- Fly to Bucharest then home.
- Have bike at home.
So you really just need to take your bike on the plane with you to Rome, then ship it back home from Barcelona? Doesn't sound too hard.
Steve