Safe travel tips for your prized instrument

Chances are you’ve traveled with your musical instrument, either for a performance or because that’s what you do – you take those you love along on your adventures. Unfortunately, many musicians are finding that music and travel don’t always mix well.

Just ask Australian country music artist Kirsty Lee Akers. Her own acoustic guitar was cracked along the preamp control panel at some point during a multi-flight trip. Although duct tape helped her muddle through her booked performance, she laments its loss. “I haven’t played [that guitar] since, and nobody wants to take responsibility,” she says. Although Akers tried to collect compensation, no one would accept liability because multiple airlines had handled her case.

Unfortunately, others have similar sad travel songs to share. Musician Fanny Lumsden, who’s had more than one of her own instruments damaged during transit, has a simple wish: “For airlines to acknowledge it’s a problem and give some assurances to what kind of training they’re giving their staff or crew, whether they’re outsourcing the work of handling baggage.”

But we’re not holding our breath that training will ever happen.

So, what should you do to better protect your instrument the next time you hop into a train, plane or automobile? Here are a few safe travel tips:

1. Pack it well. Invest in a high-quality hard-shell case that’s at least 2-2.5 millimeters (about an inch) thick and designed specifically for your instrument. If you travel frequently by plane or your instrument is out of your direct control during a trip, consider upgrading to a flight case, which offers more rugged protection against rough handling. With any case, look for features like reinforced corners, humidity control systems and foam interior padding.

Wrapping your case with bubble wrap is another effective tactic, and when you create a “pillow” or bulge on each side of the case, other items can’t be stacked on top of it. Making that case a bit awkward to move may prevent it from being tossed across a cargo hold as well. Feel free to add a liberal dose of “fragile” stickers to the outside as well, and take a quick snapshot to prove you did your part to protect your instrument before handing it over. In fact, you might have seen the Aeris bubble wrap system protecting a replacement cell phone, laptop, tablet and other items. We enthusiastically suggest and promote the Aeris Protective Packaging that specializes in inflatable air-chamber packaging designed to protect fragile items during shipping. Their products are eco-friendly, cost-effective, space-saving and 100% recyclable for your musical instrument shipments.

Some of Aeris’s key offerings include musical instrument packaging, custom-designed solutions and air-chamber packaging for guitars and most other instruments. Learn more about the system and where to buy it at the following links:

• Stew Mac YouTube video explaining the Aeris Protective Packaging System for guitars
• Purchase at Stew Mac
• Purchase at Sweetwater

We are in the process of seeking a wholesale purchase option directly from Aeris for Anderson insureds; however, presently, Stew Mac and Sweetwater are the best options for guitar shipping at this time.

• Carry on or purchase an extra seat. If your instrument is small, count it as one of your carry-ons. The best choice is to place it under the seat in front of you when you can. If this isn’t possible, recognize that there may not be enough overhead storage on full flights, so you still risk having it checked.

To eliminate this risk — or when an instrument is too large for overhead storage — many musicians simply invest in a second seat. While that may seem like an extreme expense, think of the alternative cost, including having to cancel a performance if your instrument is lost or damaged, which can harm your income and your reputation. Review this link from TSA that provides helpful insight into approaching onboard flight attendants and pilots when traveling with a larger instruments like guitars that you desperately try to carry onboard.

• Know your rights. There’s a reason most airlines encourage passengers to purchase additional insurance for valuable items. If you have to place your instrument in the cargo hold as checked baggage, be aware that the baggage liability for U.S. domestic flights is $4,700 for lost, delayed or damaged baggage. For international flights, it’s only $1,519. In addition, every airline has a list of excluded items in their “contract for carriage,” so read the fine print.

• Document your investment. Keep receipts, appraisals and photos of your instrument. When traveling internationally, carry any required customs documents and proof of ownership separate from the instrument itself.

• Be aware of import restrictions. If you are traveling with instruments subject to CITES Flora, fauna and endangered hardwoods, review the checklist for the 35,000 species that might cause your instrument to be seized by border agents. The same holds true for instruments containing ivory, even as small as ivory inlay, of all types, sometimes referred to the African Elephant Ivory Act.

• Avoid extremes. Protect your instrument from extreme temperatures or excess humidity. Never leave it in a hot car. Look into a case with humidity control or moisture-absorbing packets (also known as desiccant packs), which are used to keep products dry and prevent damage from humidity maintaining 45% to a max of 65% humidity levels

• Be proactive. Pack essential maintenance tools so you can handle minor repairs yourself without relying on an unfamiliar music shop in another town. You can follow up with the team you know and trust once you return home. Be sure to document any damages before making that temporary fix.

• Consider renting. Depending on the gig, you may want to rent an equivalent instrument or accessories in the performance location. Going that route allows you to simply relax and enjoy the ride.