Advice For Hookah + Planes

[poopooshaboo]

Hey,

I'm going to be traveling soon and I would like to take my hookah with me. Does anyone have any advice on a safe way to travel with it? (ie how to pack it in my bag, etc...)

Thanks

[Guest]

I have traveled with hookahs a lot and I find it best to take the glass base with me as carry on, and have stored everything else in my check-in luggage. This way I can ensure it doesn't get damaged.

[poopooshaboo]

I have an acrylic base... will that be okay in carry-on?

As well, will metal things get bent?

Another worry, at my airport there is mandatory xraying of all bags... Say they see the metal, search the bag, and want to have a talk with me. My dad may not appreciate that (as he doesn't know about hookah, and I don't think he wants a chat with airport security).

[ShishaFred]

As adrock said , if you put your baggages with your hookah in them at the check-in , they shouldn't really be x rayed since passagers don't go crawling there for a gun in-flight
They will x-ray anything you want to take on board though. Acrylic is invincible , Just wrap your metal parts in an old t-shirt to be sure. It should protect them enough.

[poopooshaboo]

At my airport (or maybe it's a airline rule, not sure) there is mandatory xraying of CHECKED luggage as well as carry-on, and "random" searches of checked luggage.

[LuxOR541]

your checked on luggage WILL be xrayed.

Not to worry though. Just don't try to take quicklight coals on the plane. Make sure you also put some tobacco in there as well. If it gets searched (and I have had many a check in bag searched, just goes with the territory of flying with photography equipment or firearms) the only thing that will be bad for you is if they have a reason to suspect it is drug paraphernalia. Make sure you pack some tobacco in there as well, and like I said by all means NO quicklight coals. If they do have reason to suspect it is drug para. They will have it sniffed by a dog, or run a field test kit, put it back in your luggage, and put a nice little tag on you bag that says that your baggage was searched. As long as no nefarious substances have been used in your hookah you are good as gold.

Happy trails

[poopooshaboo]

what should I do coal-wise then? Just buy some when I get there?

[ASUSEAN1]

what should I do coal-wise then? Just buy some when I get there?

natural coals or buy them there

[mushrat]

a quick search using "airport" turns up about 5 useful threads including:

http://www.hookahforum.com/index.php?showt...&hl=airport

TRY it, you'll LIKE it!

[ghostofdavid]

Also, you can fly with firearms. You just have to place them in your checked luggage and not in your carry-on (obviously). It is a beautiful thing to walk up to an airport check in counter and watching someone say, "I HAVE A GUN... to check for my luggage."

They also ask to see the gun and ask you to prove it is unloaded. Ain't the States grand?

However, on topic... I would ditch the quicklight coals (just in case they try to label you as a terrorist) and go with natural bulk coals. They taste better with hookah anyway.

[atarilovesyou]

..I just returned from overseas with one of my carry ons being a hookah in a carrying case. However, due to whatever bad luck reason, Cairo didn't inform me that when I connect through Heathrow that their policy is only ONE carry on!

After kinda getting angry (I haggled for 45 minutes to get this pipe!!), I just took all the parts out, and stuffed them into my larger carryon, and ditched the pipe carrying case...a small loss, but I got to keep the pipe....and they cut me some slack, there was no WAY that my carryon was regulation size!...

...I always just do as has been mentioned...glass wrapped up in soft cloth in your carryon, and metal parts wrapped up in your check baggage (keep it away from the corners of your luggage..don't wanna bend the pipe). Take care with your bowls, too....if they crack, and you don't have spares you're hooped...and make sure you don't take metal tongs on your carryon, they'll be confiscated.

[melik_el_shisha]

Dude dont worry about it. They dont care. People know what a hookah is so just make sure to wrap it in some think clothing and put it in the luggage. I say you should put the vase in the luggage too. Make sure to pack it good and put it in the middle. because incase they stop you at security, you dont want them to open your bag and take out the vase in front of your father. in the luggage, if worst comes to worst, theyll confiscate it and allow you to post it home.