Cigars come from all over the world, but have you ever thought about how they travel? You could be going to a sunny island, stopping through multiple cities for work or watching the game at a friend’s place – either way, you’ve got to be ready.
Just as you might bring along your favorite coffee or hand cream, there’s no reason why you should leave behind one of life’s greatest pleasures – a good smoke.
Let us take you on a journey of discovery; find out what challenges lay ahead when travelling with cigars and how best to overcome them. From taking cigar cutters and lighters on a plane to packing your stogies safe and sound, it’s time for lift-off.
DO CIGARS TRAVEL WELL?
Cigars are fragile. Change in climate can damage them. They are sensitive to moisture and temperature —they will also absorb smells and flavours from their environment. So don’t go bundling your sticks up inside your shoes or under dirty socks.
It is important that when travelling, you take good care of your cigars so that they do not get squashed, dry or cracked by the time they reach their destination. But what is the best way to pack for peace of mind?
HOW TO PACK WHEN TRAVELLING WITH CIGARS
Don’t bury them in a packed suitcase or let them roll around in a loose compartment with too much space. Severe temperature changes that occur during transportation (most prominently on planes and trains) can cause wrappers to crack — this is why an appropriate cigar accessory will keep your collection safe while on the move.
HOW DO YOU KEEP CIGARS FRESH WHEN TRAVELLING?
There are different ways to transport cigars but which option is most logical will depend on where you’re going and how often. Here are some options:
TRAVEL HUMIDORS
Travel humidors allow ample space for stogies and are ideal for regular travellers. These bite-sized humidors are usually lined with cedarwood and keep cigars fresh for a couple of weeks in an airtight environment.
Grab yourself a Boveda humidity pack to store with your smokes – this provides two-way humidity control for cigars, maintaining humidity and keeping them tasting fresh.
Look out for travel humidors that have a well-padded tray for solid impact protection. They come in various sizes, including smaller ones that hold five cigars — perfect for beginners.
CIGAR CASES
A sleek option to protect your favourite smokes, cigar cases can be made from leather, metal, wood or a combination of all three. Leather cigar cases are good for day trips and short journeys but anything longer will leave your cigars smelling and tasting like leather.
Wood and leather dry out cigars because they absorb moisture — we’d recommend using a metal cigar case if you’re going away for long periods of time.
TUBOS
Tubos (which is Spanish for “tube”) are good for short vacations. Commonly made of aluminum, these small tubes allow you to transport cigars in a way that keeps moisture and prevents aroma loss. They also secure the cigar’s fragile wrapper. For easy travel protection, use these when taking just a single cigar (or multiples in individual tubos).
CAN YOU TRAVEL WITH CIGARS WITHOUT A HUMIDOR?
You can do short-term trips without a humidor but any trip longer than a few days will only work if stored in a travel humidor. If you don’t have access to a travel humidor or any of our other storage suggestions, place your cigars inside a ziplock bag with a humidification pouch to keep humidity. To keep your cigars from getting crushed, put the ziplock bag inside of a hard container.
We also recommend keeping the cellophane wrapper on your cigars as an additional layer of protection against the elements.
DO’S AND DON’TS OF FLYING WITH CIGARS AND ACCESSORIES
Flying with your cigars doesn’t have to be rough. You just need some extra prep so your cigars and accessories aren’t confiscated or damaged pre or mid flight.
DO’S
Take your cigars on the plane inside your carry-on. Conditions inside the plane are climate-controlled and far more stable than in the hold where checked luggage is prone to bumpier rides as well as being thrown around by airport staff.
Try and pack enough cigars to last your trip. Don’t overpack — it takes up space and requires extra time, money and stress making sure each stogie onboard is safe & humidified. Technically there are no limits on how many cigars you can bring onto an airplane but the more you carry, the more likely you are to raise suspicion.
If travelling outside of US find out how many cigars you’re allowed to bring into visiting country.
Wrap or sheath sharp objects like cigar cutters securely in your suitcase to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors.
DON’TS
Don’t risk taking your cigar cutters or lighters on the plane in your carry-on bag, as it avoids any potential issues with airport security. This includes punch cutters and V-cutters which are not considered sharp objects.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) does not allow torch lighters on planes in any capacity.
There is always a chance your luggage will get lost — do not travel with expensive cutters and lighters.
TOP TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH CIGARS
Consider the types of cigars you’re bringing
If you’ve planned a sun-soaked getaway and have time to smoke on your hotel room balcony for long periods, bigger vitolas like Churchills are practical. For when you only have time for short smokes (for example between business meetings), choose a Robusto, or even a cigarillo.
AVOID STORING YOUR CIGARS IN THE TRAVEL HUMIDOR FOR MONTHS
Once you’ve returned from travelling, deposit any leftover cigars back into your conventional larger humidor as this ensures precise control over humidity levels and achieves optimum cigar storage conditions.
KEEP YOUR CIGARS OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT
Do not expose cigars or cigar cases to sunlight. Cigars are sensitive to temperature changes and ultraviolet radiation, both of which quicken the depletion of oils that are crucial for their quality. Similarly, one must remember to close the tube, case or travel humidor after smoking to maintain an airtight seal while it is not in use.
BON VOYAGE
We wish you a safe journey and hope that wherever you may go you will have some time off to relax and enjoy your surroundings with a good cigar. If you need cigars for your trip take a look at our wide range available on cigars.com.