My escape the winter trip starts in less than two weeks.

I'm wondering whether it would make me feel better to shoehorn the Friday into her case this weekend, so that I feel the vacation is coming. or if I should wait for another week, or for the evening of the trip so I can slot in all those other things I want to add. This is the first time I'm taking her on a non-direct flight, so it's yet another thing to be fretting about.

Oh decisions.

I don't like keeping the bike in the suitcase for too long, so I would do it next weekend or even later (but not the night before-too stressful), time permitting. Now I would be writing a list of everything I need to take.
Oh, and I would be telling your friend lucille to pack her bike as well....

It's certainly worth practicing to pack your bike if you aren't used to doing it. But I don't see any reason to pack it and leave it packed to early, unless you want to...

(I can even imagine leaving it packed where you unpack it, ride it, and pack it back up so you know you're always ready to go.)

Heh-heh. I have four Fridays, all packed in suitcases at the moment, because I'm living in two different places (long story) and have other bikes to ride.

Does your Friday + suitcase come anywhere near the 50 lb. weight limit? If so, resist the temptation to stuff everything but the kitchen sink in there. Airlines these days love to charge oversize and overweight fees whenever they can. It's bad enough on domestic flights, but it's murder on overseas flights.

I know how to pack it, except that I usually manage to leave something important out and have to do it twice. And yes, in comes in very close to the 50 pounds. I'm reckoning shoes and toiletries, so I don't have to worry about my sunscreen being four ounces rather than three.

I sort of want to pack it, because it makes the vacation real. I sort of don't want to because it's so early, and what if something goes wrong.