For this trip,when I pack up the bike, I am planning on turning in the brake levers to try and protect them from damage.

Other than having to move them back in place when I unpack and possibly having to mess with the bar tape. Does anyone see any potential problems with this paln?

Offhand I don't see why the brake levers would get damaged in transit. FWIW they never did when I packed up my folding bikes. Moving them around sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

An easier option may be to use some bubble wrap, and figure out a good way to secure the bars so they don't shift around in transit.

I wouldn't do it unless they won't fit in the box for some reason. I haven't packed a bike in awhile, but it seems like all I did was take off the pedals, loosen the headset to turn the bars, take off the seat with post, and remove the wheels. Sometimes you can just remove the front wheel. Oh, and put a spacer where the wheels went. so the dropouts don't get squished.

i have never turned braked levers when i have packed a bike at the shop. i packed many bikes in cardboard and purpose built hard cases. im not sure what you gain by turning the levers

I've never heard of anyone having their brake levers damaged during transit. That said, I don't see what it would hurt other than having to re-tape the bars. Still, I wouldn't bother.

I loosen my brake-wires and tape the levers in the fully closed position to the handlebars...

Why?

hang the drops over the top tube there will be room in the Box ,

there was when the bike shipped , new, in those boxes.

Big boxes where you leave the front wheel on, even even more space

Amtrack, United, KLM, sell big boxes for bikes to ship in..


Note: with the lowest spacer on a threadless style fork being a clamp
one like the seat tube to hold the seat post or there is a thin one
from QBP they call a 'locking spacer', you can loosen the Top cap
and just remove the stem.

Quill stems are always easy to pull out, though slotted cable stops make

It easy to take the cables out to not have to re adjust them after re installing the bars ..

I got the suggestion at one airport , I should have Busked the reassembly show

with a tip jar,
at the arrival carrousel as it may have earned me a bit of the local currency
in exchange for the entertainment.

how about loosening the stem faceplate and rotating the bars such that the brake handles are pointed downward?

When I shipped my bike, I would use a bike box from the bike shop. To fit it into the box it required the wheels, handlebars, pedals and seatpost to be removed. I would also put supports in the fork end and dropouts, so the fork and frame would not be bent, an old pair of hubs would work also.