Flying With a Guitar or Ukulele? Here are Some Tips …
One thing you can count on when we hit the road to do some traveling is that Jay will have a guitar or uke in hand. He wouldn’t consider leaving home without one! Now, over the years, experience has taught us that it helps to be prepared, especially when that travel involves flying with a guitar or ukulele.
So, here goes with 8 tips to keep in mind …
Size
TSA (Transportation Security Administration) regulations are constantly changing and each airline has their own set of specifications that 
vary. We recommend that you check with both TSA and the airline prior to travel to determine their carry-on policies for musical instruments (print out the regulations in case there is confusion at the gate). Regarding size – consider traveling with a smaller instrument for ease. We invite you to have some fun looking at the Lichty Travel Guitar and our (almost endless) choices in ukulele models.
They are small enough to slide into an overhead bin of most airplanes and yet the small size does not translate into a small sound. Our smaller instruments offer a whole world of fun!
Case
Make sure you have the best guitar or ukulele case possible and pad the inside to prevent any possible wiggle room, especially around the neck. If you are carrying-on your instrument, a soft case can often fit where a hard case does not and yet it means your instrument is more vulnerable to “overhead bin trauma”. Have you seen what folks cram into the overhead bins!?
Carefully pack and pad any accessories so that they do not shift around. If you are checking your instrument (which we strongly advise against) pack it in a hard-case and consider packing that case within a cardboard box (check with your local music store). *If carrying it on be prepared to have it inspected by TSA officials.
Strings
Loosen the strings in preparation for changes in air pressure, temperature and such.
Humidification
Pop a humification pack into your instrument to prevent any extremes on this front.
Get in Line Early
Being one of the first to board when you are carrying an instrument can make life much easier!
Insurance
If you check your instrument be aware that luggage does get lost from time to time. Added insurance may be worth looking into. Though you may want to inspect your instrument before you leave the airport, in an ideal world you would leave it in the case for a few hours upon arriving at your destination to avoid rapid change in temperature and humidity.
International Travel
Rosewood is on the internationally regulated CITIES list as a protected species and therefore you may not take it across borders without CITIES documentation.Identification
Ensure your information, and information regarding your instrument, are inside the case. Too, it’s a good idea to have a distinguishable sticker, tag or other marker to make visual identification easier.
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Learn about tips about flying with your guitar or ukulele
- You CAN Carry on your Guitar. It’s the Law
- To learn more about current TSA regulations for transporting musical instruments:http://www.tsa.gov
- To view a humorous and frightening video on a lost guitar watch Dave Caroll’s video:United Broke My Guitar: http://www.davecarrollmusic.com
- Seven Tips for Flying with your Guitar
And for fun you might enjoy our post – What is the Best Travel Ukulele?
