Hi all!

I am planning a two week tour in Switzerland and Germany in September with my girlfriend. We've both done several tours in the U.S., but have never gone to Europe, and we're very excited about our tour. We plan on staying in pensions and maybe the occasional hotel, so this is a credit card sorta trip (she doesn't care for camping!). We are going with no itinerary, and no clear route, but we have maps and a sense of adventure!

My question is the best way to get the bikes to and from Zurich. United Airlines charges $200 each way per bike, and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with shipping their bike to a shop, picking it up upon arrival, and shipping it back when done. I haven't checked with Fed Ex for rates yet, so I don't know if it's cost effective. We were just discussing it on our ride this morning, so I thought I'd ask here.

Any thoughts? Thanks.