How to travel with cigars

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

A good travel humidor is the ticket when you travel with cigars

When it comes to choosing a travel companion for a trip, a favorite cigar is high on a smoker’s list. Cigars don’t require a seat, they don’t talk incessantly and they never wake you up to crawl over you when they need to get to the restroom. Once you reach your destination, cigars are a welcome taste from home and a wonderful gift to share with business colleagues and friends.

To insure they arrive in better shape than you, here are a few things to do when you travel with cigars.

The first step is to plan ahead by estimating how many cigars you think you’ll need for yourself and for sharing. There’s no need to take twenty when two will do, especially as fees continue to rise for both checked and carry-on bags. Also, even with the best cigar case, luggage is tossed around haphazardly and is frequently searched, exposing your cigars to damage or theft.

When making reservations, ask about traveling with cigar lighters, cigar cutters and other accessories that might be banned from carry-on bags. Consider taking cigars that don’t resemble Cubans or Cuban-like that might be mistakenly confiscated. The TSA agents are just doing their job – no sense making things difficult for them or yourself.

Next, resist the urge to carry your cigars in sealable bags or plastic containers that were designed for storing leftovers. Besides the danger from crushing or accidental spills, freshness is lost quickly in these containers, even with a humidifier pack. Treat them as an investment, not as yesterday’s salad. When you travel with cigars, transport them in a quality travel humidor.

There are many excellent travel humidors to choose from. The number of cigars you plan to travel with is an obvious factor in choosing one and the capacities range from a few to close to one hundred. Look for good foam padding, especially if you travel with cigars frequently or carry a lot of them at once. Smaller size travel humidors, in the 5-to-10 cigar range, generally have a strap and fit easily in a bag or briefcase. Large capacity humidors should have comfortable handles and secure locks so you can carry your cigars with you in the cabin. There are many exterior styles to suit your tastes. If you go with leather, make sure the inside has a sturdy protective layer to guard your cigars. For an outdoor vacation, consider a waterproof humidor.

The most important part of a travel humidor is the humidification device itself. These are either built into the carrier, generally in the lid, or come separately as a small disk. Follow the instructions on how to charge or fill the unit and make sure you use the recommended fluid. If you’re a stickler, you can check the humidity with a hygrometer. To insure peak quality, move your cigars directly from a home or shop humidor to your traveling case close the lid quickly after removing cigars.

With a solid travel humidor and some care and planning, good cigars make excellent travel companions wherever you’re going.