Perils of Traveling With Your Guitar

Perils of Traveling with Your Guitar 

by George Dunbar

Traveling with a guitar can be a nightmare - trust us, we know. There’s a whole plethora of things that could go wrong; the headstock could break, strings may snap and, in the case of Bryan Adams, staff may just decide to write all over it.

The most common causes of damage to your guitar are:

• Maltreatment during loading and unloading the plane. From a slight bump to an almighty drop, your guitar could be in grave danger.
• The glue or woodwork of the guitar may become damaged due to the massive amount of pressure and low temperatures in the cargo hold.
• Your guitar may be damaged on the conveyer belt whilst been put on or taken off the plane.

To add to your troubles, airlines often don’t highlight their rules regarding instruments on board the craft. This leads to the all important question, where do you store your beloved Gibson or Fender? On your knee? In the hold? In its own seat?

Well fear no more. Here’s our comprehensive guide to the rules and regulations regarding instruments on board Europe’s major airlines.