How you can Vape Respectfully When Touring Overseas
Vaping is really one of the most controversial topics in the world. In some countries, people by and large advocate vaping as a harm reduction tool. Some nations forbid it altogether, others fall somewhere in between. The disagreements around the world can make you vape a stressor when planning to travel abroad. Wherever you go, it is possible that people don’t think so highly of vaping as they do at home.
You need to do your research before you go so that you know what to expect. Most importantly, you need to be sure that you are complying with all local laws and social norms when vaping overseas so you don’t risk offending people or being fined.
Traveling abroad with your vape gear shouldn’t be a stressful situation for you – and you can avoid potential stress simply by making sure you are informed before you set off. This is where this article will help. Here’s how to vape respectfully when traveling abroad.
Know the local laws before you go
Before you can even think about traveling with your vape gear, you need to know the laws governing vaping 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 this point of view. Attitudes toward vaping are less positive in the United States, as certain companies have crossed the line and marketed their products to non-smoking teenagers.
There are some nations where vaping is completely banned. These nations include Thailand, India, and Brazil. If you vape in a nation where vaping is illegal, the punishment can be pretty harsh. Remember that it is your responsibility to be aware of local laws when traveling abroad and that, as a tourist, you should not expect any indulgence if you vape where it is not allowed.
Pack your vape gear properly
Each airline has their own rules for traveling with certain potentially dangerous items, and vaping is so common that every major airline has guidelines for traveling with vape gear. Before traveling, be sure to read the airline’s policies to ensure that you are properly packing your gear. These general tips apply to almost all airlines.
- Due to the risk of fire, batteries always belong in your hand luggage. If a battery overheats and catches fire during a flight, it must be done in the passenger compartment, where personnel can react immediately. Therefore, you need to put steamers with batteries – and any spare batteries – in your hand luggage. Turn off the steamers and place spare batteries in a battery compartment. Do not travel with mechanical mods. With a steamer’s batteries removed, it can be put in your checked bag.
- You can put e-liquid and vape pods in your carry-on bag, but you’ll need to wrap these items with your other liquids. In general, all of the liquids in your carry-on baggage must be in containers that hold no more than one fluid ounce, and all of your liquids must fit into a single one-liter zippered bag.
- You can take extra e-liquid with you in your checked baggage with no restrictions.
Whatever you do, don’t try to vape on a plane. You will almost certainly get caught and get into big trouble.
To avoid stress, you can purchase vape gear in your destination country
If you are nervous about traveling with your vape gear and you fear that your belongings will be confiscated because you made a packaging mistake, you can always take your vape gear with you and plan on buying an e-cigarette in your destination country . Before you plan on doing this, however, you should have an idea of what prices and product availability will be where you are going.
For example, when traveling to the UK, you can expect vaping products to be affordable and widely available. You can visit a brick and mortar vape shop or shop online from a company like Simply E-Liquid and have the equipment delivered to your hotel.
However, there are countries that allow vaping, but stores are not allowed to sell e-liquid with nicotine. Australia is one of those nations. Before planning to buy vape gear overseas, make sure you know what is 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 prohibit vaping. Before starting a hotel stay or collecting the keys to a rental car, agree to the company’s rules. These generally include a heavy cleaning fee if you are caught breaking these rules. If you vape in a hotel room or rental car, you do so at your own risk. E-cigarette steam triggers some smoke alarms in the hotel. While vaping won’t leave lingering odors or damage a hotel room, you will still be hit with a cleaning bill if caught. Since you agreed to the hotel’s policies upon check-in, the bill is very difficult to fight.
When out and about, don’t vape where you wouldn’t smoke
When you are not in your hotel room, the golden rule of vaping is that you should always be respectful of others and avoid vaping in places where you would not feel comfortable smoking a cigarette. If you’re in a place where you can’t see a single person vaping or smoking, you probably shouldn’t be vaping either. Most countries have laws that prohibit 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 abroad
There are many important things to consider when traveling with your vape gear, and we’ve outlined those considerations here. If reading this article makes you feel more stressed about vaping abroad than before, you might want to consider not vaping at all during your vacation. Nicotine replacement products are widely available and can be used anywhere – on the plane, in your hotel room and in public spaces – without fear of repercussions. Switching to nicotine lozenges for a few weeks really isn’t that bad, and you may find that planning not to vape removes a major stressor from your vacation planning.
