i travel with machines, as carry on. I put the needle down and the presser foot down with cloth under it, all accessories travel with machine, scissors travel in check on baggage. Be ready for the airlines to want to put it under the plane at the gate if you end up on a small plane. My Bernina 830, in its' original red case, did get banged around at that point, so i recommend using some packing material that keeps it snug and protects it from hitting the side of the carrying case. My Featherweight has a padded carrying case and fits under the seat in front of me. Makes sure you have a seat in front of you so you don't need to put it overhead. I brought my Pfaff Quilt 4 home from Germany as checked baggage in its' original packing box. Got here with no problems though they had opened it to inspect it and some of the feet were loose in the packing box since they didn't put the lid back on correctly. I have also bought used machines from local sewing machine shops when i was somewhere that the Pfaff/ or Bernina couldn't go before i got the FW. then i shipped it home and gave it to my daughter.