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Recently while planning an overseas vacation, I got to thinking about whether or not I should pack a few board games and if so, should I do it in my carry-on or checked luggage.
I have taken card games on the plane before but never a full-sized board game.
So I set out to do a bit of research.
Can you take board games on a plane?
Yes, you can take a board game on a plane with you in either your carry on or checked luggage. However, there are exceptions for certain games and there is an increased risk of a security check at border control.
There are multiple other tips and considerations with regard to taking them on to a plane. I will list these below and go into them in a bit more detail later in this article:
- The size and weight of the board game.
- Being stopped by security.
- Games not to take on a plane.
- Board Games you can play on a plane
- Purchased Board Games – Mail home or take on plane
The Size and Weight of the board game
Weight of the Board Game
When packing board games to take on a flight, an important and easily overlooked consideration is the actual weight they take up.
While the boxes of most board games look innocent enough – some actually weigh a decent amount.
Examples popular board game weights:
Catan: Item Weight 2 pounds
Pandemic: Item Weight 2.3 pounds
7 Wonders: Item Weight 2.8 pounds
Ticket To Ride: Item Weight 2.8 pounds
Pandemic Legacy: Item Weight 4.6 pounds
Dead of Winter: Item Weight 4.1 pounds
Scythe: Item Weight 7 pounds
Gloomhaven: Item Weight 20 pounds
If you want to find a rough estimate of how much a board game weighs, a neat trick is to head on over to Amazon (Links to Amazon) and find the product – go to specifications and the weight will be right there!
As you can see above. Catan might fit into your luggage just fine – but Gloom Haven would take up a huge chunk of your allowance.
Size of the Board Game
This is a judgment call – if the board game comes in a very large, awkwardly shaped box, you need to ask yourself “Will this fit in my carry-on luggage” or even “Will this fit in my suitcase?”.
Older games like Monopoly, Clue, and risk can come in some pretty long awkward boxes. My suggestion is that if you are wanting to take these onto the plane – ditch the box!
Simply put the game pieces into a ziplock bag and the board into your carry on or suitcase.
This allows you to easily manage to fit the board game on the plane.
Being Stopped by Security
If you are going to take a board game on an airplane – be prepared to be stopped by security.
Board games show up really weird on an x-ray machine. Essentially what security see’s is a box filled with all sorts of strange stuff. It’s different and not something they see often – so it gets flagged.
Decks of cards and ‘poker chip’ style play pieces show up as large shadows on an X-ray, they are unidentifiable – again another flag.
When you travel on a plane with board games – expect to be stopped at least a few times by security.
It is also worth noting that there are also very rare stories of security wanting to search board games. This involved using a knife/scalpel to essentially open the internals of the board or pieces of a board game to search for illicit narcotics or explosives.
The above circumstance is very rare – but it is a risk worth pointing out.
Generally though, as soon as security see’s what it is you are carrying – they will send you on your way.
HINT: If you are going to be taking a game with electronics like Operation on the plane – it is probably best to give security a heads up. A box with all sorts of electronics and wires in it could look a bit suspicious going through the X-ray machine.
Games NOT to Take on a Plane
While it is perfectly fine to take the majority of board games on a plane. There are a few exceptions to this rule. I will give a few examples below – but really you need to use your own discretion when deciding whether or not you want to take the risk.
Certain games have ‘themes’ that are just a red flag for security at an airport.
War games that have ‘Nazi’ swastikas or board pieces that resemble weapons for example. These are just big no-goes when traveling through customs.
In fact, in some countries these could land you in a lot of hot water.
Games that have themes that are pretty tongue in cheek when playing at home can become pretty serious when taken through security.
For example I would never ever take the board game ‘War on Terror’ on a plane. Ever.
Certain board games are a gray area. They are okay to take on planes – but should be packed into your checked luggage.
These include games that have pieces that could resemble weapons.
An example of this I found was that a family was stopped by security and searched due to packing a ‘Spin-4-it’ game in their luggage. The X-Ray technician flagged the hand of the spinning wheel (which was metal) as a 2-inch razor blade.
They considered this a weapon and confiscated the game.
Board Games you CAN Play on a Plane
There are plenty of board games that you can play on a plane. The tray tables of modern aircraft are relatively large.
However, not every board game is suitable for playing while in the air.
Generally you are going to want to play a board game with not too many small pieces – if you drop them they can be an absolute nightmare to find/pick up.
Rolling dice is also a big no. Not only are they easy to lose – but the sound is incredibly annoying to other passengers.
You are also limited to playing the game with 2 or 3 people (depending on who is sitting right next to you).
3 Examples of games that are perfect to play on a plane
- Hive (with magnetic tiles) – This game is perfect to play on a plane. The tiles are magnetic – so they are less likely to fly off the tray table. The game is a lot of fun, very portable and does not take up much space.
- The Mind – A great game to play during ‘quiet’ time on a plane trip (because there is no communication allowed in the game whatsoever).
- Zip-It – From the makers of Bananagrams. Designed for 2 players and small spaces. It can fit in your pocket and is great fun to play.
Two of these games are also included in our article ‘The best date night board game’. You should check it out to find brilliant two-player games to play with your significant other – Especially if that’s who you are going to be playing with on the plane!
You have Purchased Board Games on Vacation – Take on a Plane or Ship Them?
So you have purchased a few board games while you have been away on vacation or at a convention you’ve attended.
Should you take these on a plane or ship them to your house?
This is a great question and it really depends on a few different things:
- The cost of shipping the board game or games to your house.
- Whether you want to risk having to deal with security at the airport.
- Do you actually have the weight allowance in your luggage?
- Using common-sense – is the games ‘theme’ and pieces okay to take on a plane?
Board games can cost a lot of money – some being multiple hundreds of dollars. Personally, I wouldn’t feel that comfortable mailing the board game to my house. It is a viable option – particularly if it is cheap.
But in my experience – board games that are shipped are generally mistreated by the shipping companies and end up arriving damaged in some way.
You need to weigh the factors above and make the decision that is right for you.
Final Thoughts
Can you take board games on a plane? Yes.
Should you – it depends.
It was interesting to find out – just how much trouble board games caused at security in airports. I never would have thought about being pulled up for something as innocent as a board game.
Although 99% of board games will pass security once they see what they are – having to deal with delays is something that a lot of people probably can’t be bothered dealing with.
Personally, I am going to opt for taking a card game or two or on the plane for those long haul flights – this is something I have never had issues with before.
