You’ve booked the trip, packed your bags, and carefully charged your favorite toy. Whether you’re jetting off to reunite with a long-distance love or just can’t sleep without a little buzz at bedtime, one awkward question often pops up: Can you take a vibrator through airport security?
Short answer? Yes. Long answer? Also yes, but with a few helpful caveats so you can glide through security without the fear-sweats. We teamed up with the pleasure pros at Girls Get Off to give you the lowdown.
We know it can feel awkward. Maybe you’re imagining the X-ray machine lighting up like a Christmas tree. Maybe you’re picturing your vibe getting pulled out in front of a full security line, your aunty, or a group of wide-eyed strangers (probably nuns, knowing your luck). Maybe you're picturing your suitcase falling dramatically onto the tarmac and vibrators spilling everywhere while you watch helplessly from your cramped economy class window seat.
But breathe easy. As Girls Get Off puts it, “Aviation security officers have seen it all.” A sex toy is the least of their worries. You are absolutely allowed to travel with vibrators in your luggage. That includes toys like Wanda, Polly, Deedee, and whatever else is powering your pleasure.
Viv from Girls Get Off has more experience than anyone we know with taking vibrators on flights. "Most sex toys can be placed in both checked baggage or carry-ons - you just have to check with your airline's regulations around lithium batteries."
She continues, "At Girls Get Off, we get asked this question all the time, and there's a bit of confusion because the toys do contain a lithium battery. However, because of the small size of the battery in our sex toys, they can usually go into either checked baggage of your carry-on. Also, the batteries are contained inside the toy, unlike, say, your AirPods or a power bank - those things definitely have to go in your carry-on.
"When in doubt, check with the airline's regulations - most airlines have a page on their website explaining where to pack items that contain lithium batteries."
So if you're worried (and it's allowed by the airline), wrap it in socks and bury it in the bottom of your checked luggage.
Having your bag pulled for inspection can feel like a full-body cortisol spike. But if it happens, you are allowed to ask for privacy.
Many airports have private screening booths near the scanners. Just ask the officer if you can go through your bag somewhere discreet. Girls Get Off puts it best: “Just like Pitbull, you got options, queen.”
A quick search in a private room is far better than having your bullet vibe displayed on a plastic tray while you explain to your boss that yes, that really is yours.
We love a wearable toy moment. That feeling of having a little secret in your knickers is unbeatable. But wearing a vibrator through airport security is not recommended.
If your toy has metal components, or if it triggers the scanner, you could find yourself in for a very uncomfortable conversation. Play it safe and keep your toys in your bag. Once you’re through security, the fun can resume.
Before you pack your toy, it’s worth checking the rules at your destination. While sex toys are legal to carry through airport security in most Western countries, they can be confiscated on arrival in places where they are restricted or banned.
Countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, and parts of Southeast Asia have strict regulations around the importation of sex toys. In some cases, luggage is scanned on arrival, and items considered “obscene” may be seized.
If in doubt, do a quick search for your destination’s customs rules. You may want to opt for something discreet, non-realistic in shape, and battery-operated rather than rechargeable, in case it gets flagged.
Travelling with sex toys is more common than you might think. As Girls Get Off says, “You are perfectly within your rights to bring a sex toy through airport security.” And there is absolutely no reason to be embarrassed.
Pack confidently. Be prepared. And if you do find yourself explaining your toy to a curious customs agent, just remember that owning your pleasure is powerful – even at baggage claim!
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