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Summertime is vacation time. Especially now, in addition to all sun-seekers, one or the other vaper likes to go abroad, and they want to discover exotic places or enjoy an all-inclusive holiday in the warmth. Whether backpacking or staying in a hotel, the e-cigarette should not be missing on this trip. Traveling with e-cigarettes outside of the EU is often not as easy as you might think. If you want to avoid penalties and spend a carefree holiday, this holiday guide for vapers will hopefully help you. We have dealt specifically with the topic of air travel and stays abroad. In the following, there is information on appropriate behavior, the correct transport of e-cigarettes, and possibly difficult holiday destinations. The next holiday with e-cigarettes is guaranteed to be a success.
Vape at the airport
Especially vapers who have not yet had much experience with opponents of vaping in public may happily assume before the start of their vacation that vaping is allowed in public places, unlike smoking. Unfortunately, most airports treat vaping the same as smoking. For vapers, this inevitably means going to smoking areas or giving up e-cigarettes during their stay. Especially in non-European countries, you should deal with the local guidelines. Depending on the country, vaping can even be a criminal offense in smoking areas, which of course, you would like to avoid on vacation.
Our vape tips for air travel
It has certainly happened to one or the other vaper that he stocked up on coils and other technical elements for e-cigarettes abroad precisely because the prices were significantly lower than in the EU. However, they now experience a nasty surprise at the airport and are pulled aside by security. Unfortunately, in some cases, the components of e-cigarettes look like homemade bombs. Once the scanner discovered the dubious electronics, it happened quickly, and the plane took off without one since the electronic goods first had to be checked to ensure they were safe. A piece of good advice: the low price is not worth all the hassle. It should therefore be avoided to transport conspicuous electrical parts, coils, or cables in the case. If, despite everything, the e-cigarette is not missed on vacation, there are a few things to consider when transporting it. Air travel not only puts a lot of strain on the human body but also causes equipment problems. Before departure, it is therefore important to remove batteries and accumulators from the devices and switch them off if necessary. The tank should be emptied before the start of the holiday. Because strong  air pressure fluctuations when flying can otherwise cause leakage. Especially if you have carried the e-cigarette in your pants, this can be embarrassing and quickly become problematic due to the nicotine. The e-cigarette should not lie loosely in the case but be transported in a case provided. The same applies to batteries, which could otherwise leak and damage luggage. If you take e-liquids with you on trips, you should opt for travel sizes that contain less than 100ml.
E-cigarettes in the transit area
To get cheap airfares, many travelers embark on stopovers. This can be a thrill for vapers, especially when e-cigarettes are strictly forbidden in the country of stopover. If you have followed all the advice already explained, there should be no trouble here either. Especially if the e-cigarette is stowed away according to regulations and is not used on-site, everything should go smoothly. A previous discussion with the airline also helps to clear up any ambiguities.
No vaping on airplanes
Even if you, as a vaper, have certainly heard one or the other story from an acquaintance who could vape on the plane without any problems, you should just let it go. Even if e-cigarettes pose no risk and fellow passengers don’t have to worry about passive vapor, smoking on an airplane can have serious consequences. Many vapers have already had to endure the consequences, such as high fines or involuntary imprisonment, for vaping on the plane. Qatar Airways, in particular, seems to be following particularly strict regulations. So even if you know at both the place of departure and the destination that there should be no problems with vaping, it is better to avoid it during the flight. Anything else would be an unnecessary and, above all, avoidable risk on the part of the vaper. Most airlines allow e-cigarettes to be transported in hand luggage, for example. However, you should check with the airline beforehand to be on the safe side. But even if carrying them is allowed, charging e-cigarettes on the plane is forbidden almost everywhere. The reason is that other passengers may feel intimidated by the technology and suspect a danger behind it. The transport of small bottles of e-liquid is usually not a problem as long as you carry less than 100ml. Like other liquids to be transported, the liquid must also be sealed with a plastic bag to comply with flight regulations.
Vaping at the resort
There are places that vapers should avoid. But even in comparatively vaper-friendly areas, you should behave accordingly to avoid attracting attention. Not everyone is familiar with the e-cigarette, even if most people worldwide have seen an e-cigarette and know what it is. In some countries, there have been campaigns against the technology, which demonized e-cigarettes as harmful to health. In other countries, the general public has already been educated about the health benefits of e-cigarettes, and vapers are perceived differently. The safest way to behave is to do research at your holiday destination before vaping for the first time or to find out beforehand. The Internet provides numerous tips that offer the vaper helpful information. If research is no longer possible, this should be done on-site at the latest. Especially in remote and rural areas, people can still be very put off by the technology, but they may not mind vaping if you ask them respectfully. Here it helps if you have a short explanation ready when asked. In most countries, polite vapers are therefore treated with great understanding.
Another thing worth paying attention to is the vexed power supply issue. In many countries, an adapter is required for the power supply of electronic items. Nothing is more annoying than not having the necessary adapter. You should therefore find out in advance whether your plugs will fit at your holiday destination or whether you should buy an adapter accordingly.
Caution abroad
In the USA and the EU, e-liquids have to meet very specific standards to be approved. Manufacturers must adhere to guidelines and demonstrate compliance to them repeatedly in front of examination committees. Through this control, potentially harmful components could be eliminated, and vaping is often healthier than smoking today. However, these sensible requirements do not exist in all countries. Especially on vacation, tourists are often offered cheap e-liquids for sale, but it is better to stay away from them. If the local vaping industry is not regulated by the government and does not have to comply with regulations, you are putting your health at risk. Vapers are therefore advised to pack their favorite e-liquids and take them with them on vacation rather than relying on the locally available variants.
The worst holiday destinations for vapers
Problem-free vaping in every country is a real fallacy because it is impossible to vape in every country without problems. Many vapers have already had their own experiences in this regard. From the evil eye when producing large clouds of vapor to jail terms in some places, almost every vaper has had their own experience abroad.
In public places, such as cafés, the first voices are heard, and you get a dirty look or are punished with wild insults. If, on the other hand, you let the e-cigarette disappear quickly and apologize, you usually have nothing to fear. All too often, however, such an oversight or vaper’s ignorance leads to unpleasant consequences. Even if most people sooner or later vape where it is not allowed, this is usually not intentional. Reaching for the e-cigarette has become a habit, and you think nothing of it. You only become aware of the violation of site-specific laws when it is already too late. Well, one shouldn’t be proud of such behavior, but it’s often unavoidable. As a vaper, it makes a lot of sense to deal with the conditions at the holiday destination before you start your holiday. Ideally, it would help if you chose a place that is friendly to vapers as your travel destination because that is not the case everywhere in the world. We’ve rounded up some of the worst regions for vaping here.
These holiday destinations are preferred to avoid
Hong Kong
Although China is at the top of the list regarding the production of e-cigarette components, and the vaporizers were even invented here, it is better not to get caught vaping in Hong Kong. In addition to high fines, there is also a risk of imprisonment of up to two years.
Singapore
The Republic of Singapore attracts several travelers every year. Experts name the republic’s capital as perhaps the most modern city in the world, and the local economy is booming. As a result, Singapore has long since risen to the status of a metropolis and is right at the top of many people’s bucket lists as a travel destination. However, buying, possessing, or vaping e-cigarettes in Singapore is illegal. Violators of this rule face fines of thousands of dollars. Anyone who ships e-cigarettes to Singapore or imports them by post faces a $10,000 fine or even a prison sentence, which is doubled for multiple offenses.
Thailand
Anyone caught vaping in Thailand faces up to ten years in prison. However, applying the laws in Thailand is not universal, and some vapers have been released after paying large sums of money. In Thailand, you should be particularly careful and, if necessary, refrain from completely vaping.
United Arab Emirates
Vaping is illegal in the United Arab Emirates. However, in particular, Dubai is a popular and attractive holiday destination for many Germans. Here, however, the attitudes towards electronic cigarettes are particularly strict. Many vapers have their e-cigarettes taken from them when they enter or leave the country. Precisely because the laws do not seem to be applied consistently here, particular caution is required. Even if you may have heard from acquaintances that they could vape in Dubai without any problems and were not even warned in the airport lounge, you should not rely on it. The Arab airline Qatar Airways is also particularly strict. With this airline, you should be strict about not vaping during the flight. Otherwise, drastic penalties are threatened here in an emergency, and vapers can end up in jail.
India
India is also not exactly friendly to the vapers. The Punjabi region, in particular, should be avoided by vapers. In the past, vapers caught with nothing more than a vape and a few cartridges of e-liquid were charged as traffickers and could face up to three years in prison. India justifies itself by saying that nicotine, a dangerous toxin in e-cigarettes, is too stimulating for adolescents and that vaping would endanger young people. While vapers know better here, it’s best not to challenge local laws.
Switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes is a health-promoting decision. According to recent studies, Vaping is at least 95% healthier than smoking. But just because there is a certain awareness of it in Western countries, it is far from being the case worldwide. In other countries, the state of research is often different, or case law is subject to other factors. While traditional cigarettes go unpunished in almost all these countries, vapers are treated like criminals. Wherever the next vacation trip goes, vapers should always familiarize themselves with the local laws in advance, especially avoid vaping at airports and on airplanes and adapt to local conditions. In this way, those who act respectfully help improve vapers’ image abroad.
