If you are a guitarist, chances are that you have traveled or would really like to travel with your guitar. Of course, this is often easier said than done. A music lover’s worst nightmare is traveling with their guitar and having it broken, and even with airlines allowing guitars as a carry-on, it can still be up to the staff to decide to allow it or not.

There are many things to consider, so let’s go over some of the best things for musicians to do so you know how to travel with your guitars safely! 

• Get yourself a good guitar case. The best guitar cases are hard-shell cases or, if you can afford one, flight cases. Cheap soft-shell bags offer barely any protection at all and should be avoided if possible, especially on flights. If you do not have money to spare for a high-quality hard-shell case, consider wrapping the outside of the guitar in bubble plastic wrap to give it a fighting chance. 

• Check airline restrictions. It is a good idea to check what kind of cases are allowed on each airline company you’re going with. This can mean the difference between holding your own when the airline staff is trying to talk you out of bringing the guitar on and standing there stupefied. Even when all precautions have been taken there is still room for something to go wrong so it is important to choose airlines carefully. Airports have very different regulations when checking in musical instruments. A few countries allow for musical instrument transportation without any extra fee so you can save some cash by doing research beforehand on which planes are the most reliable.

• Try not to let your guitar leave your side! If you’re hiring a car while at your destination, consider taking out insurance that includes cover for transporting your guitar(s). You don’t want to be stuck with covering expensive musical instrument transport after an accident. That said, accidents do happen even with all precautions taken so make sure you keep contact numbers of companies that deal with such occurrences.

• Make sure the case is locked and also give it a clear personal identification tag. This can prevent loss or theft if you do have to be away from your instrument for a period of time.

• Invest in a GPS tracker. If you want to go the extra mile with security, invest in a GPS tracker like Tile or something similar. These are usually very small tablets or circles that can easily be placed inside your case (or even the guitar itself) that will allow you to track its location if loss or theft does occur.

Easiest Guitars to Travel With:

The Journey Instruments Overhead guitar was designed specifically for easy travel. With our patented collapsible neck system, you can take a guitar with you wherever you go.

The neck quickly snaps on and off without needing to detune the guitar, and fits snugly into the included carry-on The neck quickly snaps on and off without needing to detune the guitar, and fits snugly into the included carry-on sized case. A travel guitar that looks, sounds, and plays just like a normal guitar, so that you never have to compromise your playing or tone ever again. And, since it’s carry-on sized, you can have peace of mind knowing it’ll be with you every step of your journey!

Have to check your guitar on a flight? Here are some tips to make sure it survives in one piece:

When you’re packing your guitar, your best bet is to use the hardshell case for traveling. In an accident, a hardshell case will absorb some of the shocks instead of transferring all of it to your instrument, which could cause damage. It’s also a good idea to pad around the inside of your case with extra clothing or bubble wrap because this provides additional protection. A good flight case will keep your guitar snug without any extra padding though.

When you’re checking in for your flight, don’t just throw your guitar case on the counter and hope it makes it there safely. Instead, when you get to the front of the line, ask an airline employee if they can put your guitar case in a special place where it won’t be accidentally damaged by anyone else’s baggage. That way you know exactly where it is when you land at your destination so you can pick it up quickly, which will increase your chances of catching your connection! 

Conclusion

That’s all there is to travel with a guitar! Of course, crazy things can always happen so there’s never a guarantee that things won’t go wrong, but just remember that you can minimize risks by taking preventative measures and also act quickly if something does happen! And of course, always keep good contact details of companies that deal with such emergencies just to be safe. Good luck and happy travels!