Business Trips: How to Travel with Cigars

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Cigars have long been a staple of business meetings, networking opportunities and client wine-and-dines. If you looked back two hundred years, you’d find the same thing – business deals inextricably intertwined with the slow puffing of a fine cigar.

However, one thing has changed a lot in those two centuries: business travel. Now, it isn’t uncommon to board a trans-continental flight for a simple face-to-face with a business partner. Nor is it unusual to charter multiple bi-coastal flights in a week to do business. And with you, you need to bring those obligatory cigars.

In this short guide, let’s review best practices and necessary equipment for taking cigars on a business trip.

Choosing the Right Storage: Travel Humidors, Cigar Cases and Humidor Bags

Cigars are delicate objects. They can crack, split or flatten with a bit of jostling or pressure. They also require airtight, humidity-controlled environments to preserve their nuanced flavors and freshness. At home, you have a humidor; on the road, you need to simulate that environment as best you can.

You have three options: travel humidors, cigar cases and humidor bags. Of the three, travel humidors are the largest and most secure. Ideal for longer trips, these hard-cased storage containers look more like a tackle box than anything else; they aren’t especially pretty, but they do the job right.

For shorter trips, consider cigar cases – typically leather zip-up cases that look sophisticated and do an adequate job keeping the open air away. Finally, for informal trips, a plastic zip-top humidor bag will absolutely work – just make sure to stow it carefully.

Staying Fresh on the Road: Two-Way Humidity Packs

Whichever case you choose, you need a method for controlling humidity on the go. Airplanes are notoriously dry environments, and your destination might have a similarly inadequate relative humidity (RH). No one wants to break out cigars at the end of a successful business meeting only to find dry, un-smokeable sticks.

The solution is simple: two-way moisture-controlling cigar humidity packs. They’re inexpensive and accurately dial in the RH of your travel case to deliver a fresh smoke regardless of ambient humidity or environment.

Packing Your Cigars Delicately

As mentioned, cigars can crack or flatten easily. This isn’t an issue if you travel with a hard-cased humidor. However, if you’re travelling with a soft-cased leather carrier or plastic bag, find a spot in your luggage that isn’t cramped or vulnerable to pressure. Try not to pack items too tightly around the cigars. Alternatively, board the airplane with your cigars safely stowed in a jacket pocket.

Security Considerations: Cutters and Torch Lighters

Security attendants typically balk at cutters and torch lights – which is understandable. Therefore, to avoid confiscation, stow these items in your checked bags. If you aren’t checking a bag, consider buying these tools at your destination. A quality cutter won’t cost much over $20, and a torch lighter is a fraction of that price.

Sharing your cigar collection with business partners and clients abroad doesn’t have to be a hassle. Consider the straightforward tips above to preserve your cigars throughout the process.