As we mentioned in our ‘8 Bucket List Trips for 2022’, this year should see the travel industry making a steady comeback. Equipped with sufficient experience and research to keep populations safe, more countries may soon ease up on shutdowns and travel restrictions, allowing fans of travel to experience the world’s magnificence once more.
Accordingly, people who are looking to travel in the near future should use this time to brush up on their etiquette. After all, it’s been a few years for most of us, and some things have changed! This is perhaps particularly true for travelers who typically smoke. Laws, restrictions, and even general societal norms tend to change a lot with regard to smoking – and so too do the options you have available to you in order to ensure your own comfort and maintain harmony with your environment.
If you’re a smoker planning on traveling some time soon, follow the tips below to ensure a stress-free travel experience.
Be Courteous to Non-Smokers
Of course, nobody wants to subject non-smokers to secondhand smoke. If you’re traveling with other people, set some ground rules about group activities, such as dining out. Explain the situation to your travel companions so that there won’t be any confusion should you decide to split from the group and smoke at any point.
On occasions where you cannot split from your group, meanwhile, it may help to bring a discreet cigarette alternative, such as a nicotine patch or pouch. You’re likely familiar with patches (they’ve been around for a while), and Prilla explains that nicotine pouches, too, have become popular as a means of getting that “kick” without actually smoking or using tobacco. These are easy-to-carry items you can simply slip into your upper, inner lip to enjoy a pleasant nicotine kick without disrupting your party or anyone else around you.
Pack Odor-Eliminating Items
You can keep your habits even more discreet by packing items that can conceal that distinct smoking smell. If you’re going on a road trip for instance, it is considerate to keep a personal smoke filter stowed somewhere in the car. You can also carry around small bottles of odor-eliminating sprays. And if those strong-smelling store brand sprays are not for you, a post at Mom4Real helpfully demonstrates that you can make your own odor-neutralizing substance using ingredients you can find at home! Water, baking soda, and lemon juice will do the trick.
Understand Smoking Laws
Restrictions on smoking vary from one country to the next. Countries like Japan and Costa Rica, however, have taken measures to fight smoking culture and banned cigarette smoking in certain public areas. Police in the Japanese city of Kyoto even hand out fines directly to smokers. Additionally, more than 20 countries – including South Korea, Thailand, India, and Brazil – have outlawed the sale of e-cigarettes.
Educating yourself on any relevant laws before you travel will help you to avoid any awkward mix-ups with local authorities.
Research Cigarette Costs
Many countries also have costly cigarette taxes in place as a means of controlling smoking. If you don’t want your pocket money whittled down due to unexpected costs, do your research on the relative cost of cigarettes (or cigarette alternatives) in the places you plan on visiting.
The Global Economy has a convenient tobacco and cigarette price index, which ranks about 167 countries on average tobacco and cigarette prices. As the chart shows, cigarette prices are highest in Norway, Australia, and New Zealand.
It is every smoker’s responsibility to ensure that their habits don’t put the others around them at risk. But by educating yourself on laws on smoking and establishing some expectations amongst your travel group, you can ensure a smooth travel experience for everyone involved.