Travelling with sex toys: How to pack your pleasure

The low down:

• Sex toys are allowed through most airport security check points. They’re legal to carry in both hand and checked luggage in most countries, and security staff treat them like any other personal electronic device. Check your destination's customs rules before you travel, as a small number of countries restrict the import of adult products.
• Rechargeable toys must go in your carry-on, not checked luggage. Their lithium-ion batteries are subject to standard aviation rules requiring lithium batteries to travel in the cabin. Remove the batteries from any battery-operated toys before flying to prevent them switching on accidentally during screening.
• The quietest toys use deep, rumbly motors housed in soft silicone, which dampens sound far better, making them ideal for thin-walled hotel rooms.

Picture this. The sun low and golden, over a balcony-with-a-view somewhere far from home. The salt sat on your skin after a dip in the sea. Your favourite ice-cold drink is sweating on the table, and there’s nowhere you need to be. The whole point of a holiday is to indulge every sense at once: the taste, the heat, the slow unhurried want of having nothing to do but feel good. So why on earth would you leave your favourite source of feeling good at home?

Here's the thing nobody tells you about when packing for a trip: the most important item in your case isn't the swimwear. Whether you're flying off for a hot couples' escape or a self-indulgent solo getaway, travelling with sex toys is one of those small, deliciously grown-up decisions that turns a good trip into an unforgettable experience. The only question is how to do it without a red-faced moment at the security tray. The good news? It's far easier (and far less scandalous) than you might think. We’re going to walk you through it, from check-in to checkout.

Carry-on vs checked luggage: which bag should you pack your toys in?

This is where a little forethought saves you a lot of fluster, and the answer comes down to one thing: what powers your pleasure?

Battery-operated toys

If your toy runs on removable batteries, here's the golden rule: take the batteries out before you fly. Not only does this stop any embarrassing mid-transit awakening, it's also the single most reliable way to make sure your toy arrives as ready as you are. A toy that can't accidentally switch itself on can't announce itself to the entire boarding queue and it won’t let you down with no-charge when you finally make it to your hotel room. Pop the batteries in a separate compartment, slot the toy somewhere sensible, and reunite the two in the privacy of your hotel room. Spare batteries themselves are generally fine in either bag, though many airlines prefer loose batteries in your carry-on for safety reasons.

Rechargeable toys

Most modern travel sex toys are USB rechargeable or feature rechargeable batteries with different charging cables: sleeker, more powerful, and free of the battery faff. But there's a catch worth knowing: rechargeable toys contain lithium-ion batteries, and aviation rules generally require lithium batteries to fly in your carry-on, not your checked luggage. This is a standard safety rule for all lithium devices, from laptops and e-readers, to your favourite buzzing companion. Rechargeable toys go in the cabin with you. Charge it fully before you leave, use the travel lock function if it has one, and you're golden.

Manual toys

If the thought of buzzing coming from the over-head cabin is keeping you up, go manual with a jelly or glass dildo. No batteries required - slow, delicious pleasure. Whichever luggage your toy travels in, treat it well. Slip it into a soft pouch or bag, keep it clean and dry, store it away from anything that could press a button (unless it’s manual), and if you're sharing a case with a partner, maybe agree on whose side of the suitcase the fun lives on. A little organisation now means a lot more spontaneity later.

How to travel discreetly with sex toys

Discretion doesn’t, and shouldn’t, equal shame. How to travel discreetly with sex toys comes down to a few effortless habits that keep things smooth from the airport to the air-conditioned hush of your hotel room.

Choose discreet shapes

Not every toy looks like a toy. Discreet sex toys are designed to look like anything but phallic - from lipstick-shaped bullets, sleek pebbles that pass for a smooth stone you could’ve found on the beach, to massagers that wouldn't raise an eyebrow on a bathroom shelf. If a curious eye does land on your washbag, there's nothing to see but good taste.

Keep it clean and bagged

FA dedicated drawstring pouch keeps your toy hygienic, protected and tucked neatly out of sight. It also stops your charger cable from staging a great escape across your entire suitcase.

100ml limit

If you're packing lube in your carry-on, remember the 100ml liquid rule applies: anything larger goes in your checked-luggage. Travel-sized lube bottle are your discreet, leak-proof best friend, and they slip into a handbag discreetly.

A hot tip for couples

Half the fun of a getaway is the secret you're both in on. Our best discreet travel tips for couples start with packing smart so the anticipation of your romping can build slowly. A remote or app-controlled toy tucked into a bag means the teasing can begin somewhere between the duty-free and the departure gate, with no one else any the wiser. What happens in seat 14B, stays in seat 14B.

The best quiet sex toys for hotel rooms

Here's the scenario the brochures don't mention: a gorgeous hotel, a gorgeous you with your gorgeous intentions for pleasure… And walls so thin you can hear the couple next door deciding where to eat dinner. This is precisely where the best quiet sex toys earn their place in your case. A whisper-quiet toy means you get to lose yourself entirely without one ear trained on the hallway. No tell-tale buzz travelling through the headboard. No pausing every time the lift dings down the hall. Just you, the cool sheets, and the freedom to make all the noise you want to while the toy makes almost none.

Pack your pleasure. Don't leave it at home.

A holiday is permission to slow down, indulge and let every sensation last a little longer than real life usually allows. Feel the warm air on your bare skin. Savour the delicious lack of anywhere to be in the morning. Don’t forget the one thing designed entirely around making you feel good. And for those who like to read, perhaps a couple of erotic short stories poolside, cocktail in hand, to get you in the mood? Travelling with sex toys isn't complicated, isn't embarrassing, and isn't something to leave behind out of nerves. Pack smart, choose discreet and quiet options, keep the rechargeables in your cabin bag, and let the rest take care of itself.
Bon voyage. Pack accordingly.

Love,
AS x