I, or my traveling companions, have tried some different options.
Hard cases are your best option for being able to unpack and ride straight off.
Cardboard boxes a close second.
Finding a hotel willing to store the hard case until you need it again - If we're talking several days - can be a challenge.
Soft cases are a lot easier to get stored, but has cost me/us some time to repairs before riding.

Never tried shipping ahead.
If not prohibitively expensive, having a bike shipped to a shop would be nice.
Anything not entirely disastrous happening in transit, they'd be able to get the bike sorted in time for my ride.