Vaping on Your Holiday Abroad – Make My Vape

Do you know where you can vape on holiday?

There’s enough to think about when you’re going on holiday without having to worry about whether you’re allowed to vape or not.

We’ve done a bit of research for you to give you the best chance of choosing a stress-free holiday this summer.

What you need to know about vaping abroad

An estimated 2.8 million Brits currently vape.  And we’ve got to go on holiday somewhere, right?  But with the restrictions around vaping changing all the time – and varying from country to country – it’s difficult to know exactly where you can vape.

When you’re planning your holiday, check out the regulations before you book.  You need to know two things:

1. What are the laws on vaping in the country you want to visit?
2. What are the airport restrictions regarding vaping devices?

Vaping Abroad

Choose your destination carefully

Some countries have laws against vaping and some have laws against selling nicotine e-liquids, and you need to know which are which.

Australia, Japan and Turkey are just three of the countries which have restrictions against nicotine e-liquids.

Other popular holiday destinations (particularly for backpackers), such as Thailand and Vietnam, have made vaping illegal.

In some countries, the law is less clear.  In the USA, for example, laws on e-cigarettes vary from state to state.

The best piece of advice we can give you is: check before you travel.

Don’t take risks

Whilst in some cases, being caught with a vaping device will mean facing a large fine (which is bad enough), in some cases you can end up in jail.  For example, the Foreign Office has warned that, if caught vaping in Thailand, you could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.  

If you’re choosing a holiday destination, check out the laws on vaping before you go and stick to them.  Either choose a different destination or (if it’s unavoidable) leave your vaping device at home and take an alternative nicotine replacement therapy for the duration of your visit (if it’s legal).

Countries with restrictions on vaping

These are the countries that have currently banned vaping:

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Indonesia
• Saudi Arabia
• Seychelles
• Thailand
• Uganda
• United Arab Emirates
• Venezuela
• Vietnam

In some countries, vaping is legal but the sale or use of nicotine is illegal and so you need to check whether you can take non-nicotine or nicotine e-liquids with you.  These are the countries which have currently banned nicotine e-liquid:

• Australia
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Mexico
• Norway
• South Africa
• Turkey

In this country, vaping in public is banned.  Check with your hotel to see whether you can vape in your room.

These countries have restrictions on vaping that are subject to change:

These countries have restrictions on vaping which are unclear:

• Columbia
• Cuba
• Morocco
• Peru
• Tunisia

Laws change all the time, so it’s still best to check before you go.

How to check

The best place to look is at Gov.co.uk under Travel Advice.  All you need to do is select the country you are travelling to and click on the ‘Local Laws and Customs’ tab to see all the relevant information.

E-Cigarettes on Aeroplanes

Travelling on aeroplanes with your vaping device

When travelling with your e-cigarette, you need to think about your battery and your vape juice.

Taking e-liquid on aeroplanes

For years now, the amount of liquid you can travel with in your hand luggage has been restricted.  If you want to take e-liquid with you when you travel, you will need to decide whether you are going to put it in your hand luggage or your hold baggage.

If carrying e-liquid in your hand luggage, you need to ensure it’s in a bottle no larger than 100ml.  It needs to fit in a transparent, re-sealable plastic bag of up to 20cm x 20cm. Each passenger can take up to 1 litre of liquid in total, so your e-juice needs to be factored in alongside your toiletries.

If you are putting luggage in the hold, you can check in a much larger quantity of e-liquid.

Taking spare batteries on aeroplanes

You can take spare batteries for your e-cigarette in your hand luggage but not in your hold luggage.

The limit is two batteries per person and they must be individually protected so that they can’t short circuit.  A battery case is best but you can do something as simple as put each battery in a separate plastic bag or tape over the exposed terminals.

Taking your mod (battery housing) on aeroplanes

These can be carried on in your hand luggage but not checked into the plane in your hold luggage.

E-cigarette mods can be carried onto the plane for personal use.

You cannot use your e-cig on the plane but you can use it in the airport in designated vaping areas.  You cannot charge it aboard the plane, either.

Lithium metal in batteries must not exceed 2g.  Lithium-ion batteries must not exceed a Watt hour rating of 100Wh.

If you have any doubts or questions, it’s best to double-check with your airline before you fly.

Where to check

If you want to double-check what you can and can’t take with you on a plane, go to the Civil Aviation Authority to check what you’re allowed in your luggage.

If you want further advice, go to the website of the airline you are flying with to check they do not have any other restrictions.