I have never used a suitcase when cycletouring internationally.

This was how we arranged things on our most recent tour ... bicycle box with panniers as padding, larger woven blue bags with the camping gear, blue and green duffle bags with clothing, and we each had purple backpacks, but in this picture, Rowan is using his handlebar bag instead of the backpacks.




The duffle bags and backpacks folded down to a very small size ...



The larger woven blue bags folded flat and were quite light. They were also very inexpensive.

Travel light! It'll be so much easier to lug everything around the city. One option would be to put the bicycle together at the airport, fold everything up, put everything where it belongs ... and you're off and cycling.

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If you're concerned about your frame pump, it can go into one of the panniers which go into the cardboard box ... you don't really bring a floor pump with you do you? If so ... get a Topeak Road Morph and solve that problem.

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All that said ... we did store our cardboard bicycles boxes at a hotel in Taiwan and later at a hotel in Japan. We just made sure to book our last night there.