How to Smoke on a Plane

Posted by Mike Collins on Jun 24, 2010 in Travel Stories, Travel Tips | 0 comments

It wasn’t that long ago that I was sitting in the back of a DC-9 flying from Miami to Newark choking on clouds of smoke. An hour before, Reagan had given one of his ‘super power’ speeches on a TV, barely visible through blue plumes in the bar. I was headed to basic training and I didn’t care how smoky it was. In a few short hours I wouldn’t be able to smoke for 8 weeks. Determined to get as much tar and nicotine into my system as possible before walking through the gates of hell, aka Fort Dix New Jersey, I puffed away with the best of them.

I can only imagine what it was like for non-smokers to be stuck on a plane filled with smoke. It is no wonder that smokers are looked down on these days. Like every other aspect of our lives, technology has caught up with smoking. Electronic cigarettes are becoming more and more popular every day. I see them in clubs, restaurants, airports and even airplanes. E-Smokers are not immune to the occasional sideways glance though. Mostly out of curiosity, but on occasion annoyance. The casual passerby would assume the person was smoking a regular cigarette.

How E-Cigarettes work

A look and feel similar to cigarettes, electronic cigarettes deliver a dose of nicotine without the harmful chemicals found in tobacco. Unlike other stop smoking aids, you get a billowy cloud of smoke when exhaling; so it feels like you are smoking, not substituting. The cloud of smoke is actually harmless water vapor that has no odor to bother non smokers.

How to smoke on a plane

If you are going to draw attention to yourself, draw inquisitive over negative attention. Toy guns are not allowed on aircraft, not because they are dangerous but because they give the perception of danger. No one on the plane would care if you had a toy gun in your bag for your nephew’s birthday if they knew it was a toy. Take a toy gun out on a plane and wave it around and you have serious problems. Be very open with people around you on the plane with an electronic cigarette. Before using it ask the people next to you if they have ever seen one. Show them that it looks like a cigarette but is not. Always refer to it as a nicotine inhaler. Never use the word cigarette. Explain how it works. Make sure they understand that you may exhale a small amount of water vapor. The longer you hold it in the less vapor you exhale. Assure them there is no odor or second hand smoke.

What Electronic Cigarette is best

There several brands available. I decided since I had committed myself to quit smoking that I would try all the major brands. Blu came out on top. Based on price and quality, Blu leads the pack (pun intended). I found a couple brands that had a cheaper trial offer, but I didn’t care for them. The longer term price for refills was no bargain with the cheap trial offers. With Blu the price is 75% cheaper than smoking cigarettes; it is durable and looks better. I had the choice of white or black and chose black. Since I wanted to be able to use the electronic cigarette in places I couldn’t smoke, I opted for something that looks more like a pen than a cigarette to draw less attention to myself.

For anyone that travels and smokes or for anyone that wants to quit smoking or even if you don’t want to quit, I strongly recommended checking out Blu at www.Blucigs.com