Recently flying to and from the tradeshow with cigars in tow, I realized that traveling with cigars isn’t something we’ve talked about recently. I’ve got a few tips for flying with cigars or road tripping with cigars that may be beneficial to someone about to embark on a journey.

Travel Humidors vs Plastic Bags

I see a lot of people using travel humidors – and it really doesn’t get any better than that. They are crush-proof, hold an amazing airtight seal, and usually come with foam padding to reduce friction. You can further reduce friction by putting shirts or other loose material (socks, undies, you name it) on top to ensure that the cigars won’t slide around once you close the lid.

I used to use these extensively, but ever since I left my favorite one in Iraq, I haven’t replaced it. Nowadays, I use a Ziplock bag with a box of some sort that prevents them from being crushed. Let’s say this one more time: it’s totally fine to use Ziplock bags when traveling with cigars. If you too decide on a Ziplock bag for expedience, you’ll want to find another container to put them in that’s crush proof. I’ve used everything from shoe boxes to Tupperware containers to achieve the first layer of crush-proofing. From there, you can add some layers of clothing or something to take up the rest of the space in the box to reduce friction.

I’ve also used Tupperware containers by themselves to great success over the years. Especially if you’re traveling with a crush-proof suitcase anyway, these containers do the job of holding a seal and you can layer them easily to reduce friction. I’d recommend using containers that have a side snap lid, however, as movement inside your luggage can pop an older, rubber style lid off your container.

Humidity Control

Now that you’ve decided on your method of sealed transportation, it’s time to add humidity. The absolute best option available is a Boveda pack. One bit of advice: less is more when traveling with an airtight seal.

Boveda is calibrated for wooden humidors, so a 65% Boveda pack will put off around 67% or so in a small container. Adding more Boveda will further increase the humidity. For this reason, we always recommend using one 60g (medium-sized) pack for up to 100 cigars.

For reference, the Large Boveda Humidor Bag says it carries up to 80 cigars – and it’s only recommended to use one 60g Boveda pack as well. These bags are great ways to travel as well, with a zipper lock instead of a snap seal.

Specific Tips on Flying

If you are flying with a travel humidor, please use one that has an air vent. I’ve had an event once where I was flying overseas and couldn’t open my humidor after I got to the hotel. And let me tell you: I was looking forward to these cigars in this hotel very much. I had a 16-day quarantine in a hotel room in Dubai, and these cigars were the only thing to keep me company.

That was the first time in years that I even paid attention to a valve on the front, aside from making sure it was closed when I first bought it. Thankfully my travel humidor had the release valve, and after opening it I was able to relax and dig in for a couple weeks.

No matter which country you’re flying from, you’ll also want to pay special attention to where your lighters go. These days, I usually ditch my torch lighters when traveling and bring soft flame along in my carry-on with a torch adapter in my checked bag.

I’ve had an issue twice where they confiscated my torch lighters. The first one was (annoyingly) my mistake because it was in my carry-on bag. I drained the butane from it a couple times, but they insisted that I remove the flint to be able to carry it on. Unfortunately, I was in another country and didn’t have enough time to deal with security and lost a $300 lighter. The second time they pulled it out of my checked bag, and I’m still salty about that one. Definitely read up on the regulations for both the host country and destination country before flying with lighters.