Vaping is truly one of the world’s most divisive topics. In some nations, people are broadly in favor of vaping as a harm reduction tool. Some nations forbid it entirely, and others fall somewhere in between. The differences of opinion throughout the world can make the fact that you vape a stressor if you’re planning to travel abroad. Where you’re going, it’s possible that people won’t have as high an opinion on vaping as they do at home.
You need to do your research before you go, so you’ll know what to expect. Most importantly, you need to be sure that you’re respecting all local laws and social norms when you vape abroad, so you won’t risk offending people or getting slapped with a fine.
If you want to travel abroad with your vape gear, it shouldn’t be a stressful situation for you – and you can avoid any potential stress by simply making sure that you’re informed before you go. That’s where this article is going to help. Here’s how to vape respectfully when traveling abroad.
Know the Local Laws Before You Go
Before you can even begin to think about traveling with your vape gear, you need to know what the laws about vaping are in your destination country. As mentioned above, there are some nations that fully appreciate the harm reduction potential that vaping can have for smokers. The United Kingdom and New Zealand are two nations with that point of view. In the United States, the attitude toward vaping is less positive because certain companies have crossed the line and marketed their products to non-smoking teens.
There are a few nations where vaping is banned entirely. Those nations include Thailand, India and Brazil. If you vape in a nation where vaping is illegal, the punishment can be quite harsh. Remember that you are responsible for knowing the local laws when you travel abroad, and you shouldn’t expect leniency as a tourist if you vape where it isn’t allowed.
Pack Your Vape Gear Properly
Every airline has its own rules about how to travel with certain potentially hazardous items, and vaping is common enough that every major airline has guidelines for traveling with vape gear. Before you travel, you should read the airline’s guidelines to make sure that you’re packing your gear properly. These general tips apply to almost all airlines.
- Batteries always belong in your carry-on luggage due to the fire risk that they present. If a battery overheats and catches fire during a flight, it needs to happen in the passenger compartment where staff can respond immediately. Therefore, you need to put vaping devices with batteries – and any spare batteries – in your carry-on luggage. Turn vaping devices off and place spare batteries in a battery case. Don’t travel with mechanical mods. If a vaping device has its batteries removed, you can put it in your checked bag.
- You can put e-liquid and vape pods in your carry-on bag, but you need to pack those items with your other liquids. Generally, any liquids in your carry-on bag need to be in containers that hold no more than one fluid ounce, and all of your liquids need to fit in a single one-quart zip-top bag.
- You can carry extra e-liquid in your checked baggage with no restrictions.
Whatever you do, don’t try to vape on an airplane. You will almost certainly be caught, and you will be in very big trouble.
To Avoid Stress, You Can Buy Vape Gear in Your Destination Country
If you’re nervous about traveling with your vape gear and are afraid that your things will be confiscated because you’ve made a packing mistake, you can always skip bringing your vape gear with you and plan to buy an e-cigarette in your destination country. Before you plan to do that, though, you should have an idea of what the prices and product availability will be like where you’re going.
If you’re going to the United Kingdom, for example, you can expect vaping products to be affordable and widely available. You can visit a brick-and-mortar vape shop or buy online from a company like Simply E-Liquid and have the gear shipped to your hotel.
There are nations, though, where vaping is allowed, but shops aren’t allowed to sell e-liquid with nicotine. Australia is one of those nations. Before you plan to buy vape gear abroad, make sure that you know what’s available.
Vape in Hotels and Rental Cars at Your Own Risk
As you probably already know, the vast majority of hotels and car rental companies forbid vaping. Before you begin a hotel stay or take the key to a rental car, you agree to that company’s rules – which generally include a hefty cleaning fee if you’re caught breaking those rules. If you vape in a hotel room or rental car, therefore, you’re doing so at your own risk. E-cigarette vapor will set off some hotel smoke detectors. While it’s true that vaping leaves no lingering odors and will not actually damage a hotel room, you’ll get slapped with a cleaning bill anyway if you’re caught. Since you already agreed to the hotel’s policies when checking in, the bill will be very hard to fight.
When Out and About, Don’t Vape Where You Wouldn’t Smoke
When you’re out of your hotel room, the golden rule about vaping is that you should always be respectful of others and avoid vaping in any place where you wouldn’t feel comfortable smoking a cigarette. If you’re in a place where you can’t see a single person vaping or smoking, chances are that you shouldn’t be vaping either. Most countries have laws that forbid smoking in many public places, and those laws almost always apply to vaping as well.
Remember That There are Other Ways to Get Your Nicotine When Abroad
There are a lot of important things to consider if you want to travel with your vape gear, and we’ve provided an overview of those considerations here. If reading this article has left you feeling more stressed about vaping abroad than you were before, perhaps you should consider not vaping at all during your holiday. Nicotine replacement products are available everywhere, and you can use them anywhere – on an airplane, in your hotel room and in public spaces – without fear of repercussion. Switching to nicotine lozenges for a couple of weeks really isn’t so bad, and you may actually find that planning not to vape removes a major stressor from your vacation planning.
