If you like to vape and love to travel, it’s important to make sure the country you’re visiting is vape friendly. You’ll no doubt want to enjoy a vape while visiting tourist spots, sampling the local cuisine or topping up your tan on a foreign beach - without the risk of a fine or prison sentence.
While there aren’t currently a lot of completely vape-friendly countries, as more evidence of its benefits emerge, a small number are embracing vaping - with some governments actively promoting it as an alternative to smoking.
Here are 3 of the world’s most pro-vaping locations.
New Zealand: Vape friendly government
Popular with tourists who love amazing landscapes (and Lord of the Rings), if you want a vape-friendly country to visit then New Zealand should be on your bucket list!
Not only are vaping products widely available (to over 18’s) and allowed in most outdoor spaces and some indoor establishments, New Zealand’s government actively promotes vaping to aid smoking cessation.
Alongside helping to educate residents and dispel myths about vaping and encouraging employers to consider making workplaces vape friendly, New Zealand’s Ministry of Health has funded many studies in their efforts to prove vaping is an effective aid in quitting cigarettes.
This is all part of their plan to make the country smoke free by 2025 and it seems to be working, with cigarette sales dropping and vaping on the rise in recent years.
NZ’s stance on vaping greatly differs from neighbouring Australia, which is not only one of the most expensive countries to vape but also bans nicotine e-liquid.
Florida, USA: Vape friendly state
Travelling the US as a vaper can be confusing. In one state you could be enjoying a delicious fruit or dessert-flavoured vape, yet cross a state line and all you’ll have access to is tobacco-flavoured e-liquid.
While many US states have introduced e-liquid flavour bans, with only tobacco flavoured e-liquid available, ‘The Sunshine State’ of Florida has bucked the trend thanks to their vape-friendly governor.
After considering scientific evidence Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill banning the sale of flavoured e-liquid, saying:
“hundreds of thousands of Floridians” rely on tobacco-free vaping flavors “as a reduced-risk alternative to cigarettes, which are more dangerous”.
Anyone over the age of 21 can purchase vape products in Florida and e-cigarette use is allowed in most outdoor areas - meaning you can sit back and enjoy a vape on one of their many famous beaches.
The United Kingdom: Most pro-vaping country
Walk through any city centre in the UK and you’re likely to see at least one vape shop and someone puffing away on an e-cigarette.
The UK has earned a positive reputation in the vape community thanks to its vape-friendliness.
Vaping is widely accepted in the UK with a reported 3 million e-cigarette users and is allowed in the majority of outdoor public spaces.
The UK is still subject to the EU’s TPD regulations (although these are due to be reviewed) and there are restrictions on advertising. But vape products are widely available everywhere from specialist stores to supermarkets and even corner shops, and anyone over the age of 18 can buy them.
Many of the world’s biggest e-liquid brands hail from the UK and there are currently no restrictions on e-liquid flavours - with a huge selection available.
In recent years the UK Government has championed it as a healthier alternative to smoking. They’ve even funded research into the health effects of vaping in comparison to smoking. These studies resulted in Public Health England announcing that vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking.
The UK’s National Health Service also recently announced plans to trial giving free e-cigarettes to patients as part of their smoking cessation service.
Why are there only 3 entries?
You’ll notice this is a short list, and even the locations listed come with their own restrictions. The science may demonstrate that vaping is helping to reduce smoking, but misconceptions that vaping is a new ‘Big Tobacco’ product are slowing down the journey to a smoke-free world.
Countries like Canada, who actively promote vaping for smoking cessation and the Netherlands, renowned for their relaxed and liberal attitudes, would normally be included. But with rumours of upcoming flavour bans in both countries, this could quickly change.
On the other side of the coin, the constant change in the vaping landscape and the emergence of new evidence means more countries could become increasingly vape friendly in the future. To do so will take sustained effort by the scientists and vape advocates who have already invested so much time and energy into proving and promoting the benefits of vaping.
Are there any other best places to vape that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments.
