Board games are a fun way to relax and bond with your family. They’re also great for cooking, exercising and learning together. However, some people are concerned about bringing board games on airplanes because they want to avoid being searched by security. The good news is that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has simplified its rules around bringing board games onto planes, and they are no longer considered hazardous materials by law.
Size and Weight of the board game
Contents
Before packing your board games for an overseas holiday, check with your travel agency or airline. Depending on the airline you fly and the location, the board game will vary in size and Weight. Some board games are relatively innocent, but some are heavy.
Most board game boxes appear innocent, although some weigh quite a bit.
| Game | Item Weight |
| Catan | 2 pounds |
| Pandemic | 2.3 pounds |
| 7 Wonders | 2.8 pounds |
| Ticket To Ride | 2.8 pounds |
| Pandemic Legacy | 4.6 pounds |
| Dead of Winter | 4.1 pounds |
| Scythe | 7 pounds |
| Gloomhaven | Weight 20 |
Security Issues
If you plan to bring a board game on an airplane, be prepared to be stopped by security. Due to their uniqueness and rarity, board games appear very strange when scanned by an x-ray machine, which causes them to be flagged. Additionally, there are few reports of security wanting to search board games for illegal explosives or drugs.
Let security know if you plan to bring an electronic game like Operation on the plane is probably best. Going through the X-ray machine, a box with various electronics and wires inside might appear suspicious.
Games with small pieces that can lose. Games with dice and cards, such as Scrabble, are not allowed on board flights because of the risk of causing damage to your fellow passengers’ luggage.
Unable to fit in the overhead bin due to size. Board games can easily exceed the dimensions of most airlines’ carry-on baggage limit (the maximum size allowed), so you’ll want to check ahead of time whether or not your game will fit into their allotted space.
Playable board games on a plane
· Monopoly – It’s one of the most popular board games out there. This game has been around since 1935, when Charles Darrow created it at Parker Brothers (a company that still makes Monopoly today).
The goal is simple: collect assets by landing on specific spaces on the board while avoiding being taken over by other players or buying them yourself!
· Settlers of Catan – This German-style game features resource management through trade goods between cities that correspond with different cultures throughout history (for example, spice trade between Europe/Africa). Players need to build up their settlements before attacking other players’ settlements to win this epic battle!
Ticket to Ride – This train card game has been around since 2000. But it still sells well every year because it’s easy to learn how to play without any prior knowledge about trains. Even better if you’ve never played before, try Ticket To Ride Junior instead since younger kids prefer more specific titles like this one rather than something more complex like Settlers Of Catan.”
· Hive (with magnetic tiles) is a fantastic game to play on a flight. The magnetic nature of the tiles makes it less likely that they will fly off the tray table. The game is very entertaining, small in size, and portable.
· Mind- The Mind is a fantastic game to play in the plane’s “quiet time” (because no communication is allowed in the game whatsoever).
Ways to bring board games to airplane
Pack them Properly
I discovered a few tips on packing board games for a trip that will help you maximize your bag weight, save space, and improve your overall travel experience.
Ways to pack the game
· Punch-out money
Make sure to punch out the cardboard chits and discard the extra cardboard if you’re bringing a new game. The cumulative weight of these is surprising.
· Things made of paper to put in your carry-on
Boards, rulebooks, and other paper products can be taken and packed in your carry-on. Paper products can weigh a lot and can pack pretty tightly. You can reduce the weight of your checked luggage when you travel by putting these in your carry-on.
· The portable scale
Bring a fold-up hanging scale with you. These attach to your luggage with a hook and show you whether your bag weighs more than the allowance for checked bags. To avoid additional fees, a scale can help you decide whether you want to ship a game.
· Plastic bags
If you typically store your pieces in plastic containers, bring plastic bags to replace those for the trip. Plastic bags are lighter than containers and keep your pieces arranged and together, preventing loss if the box is opened. It will help if you put anything you can fit in a bag, especially cards. Additionally, bring extra bags for any games you purchase while traveling.
Finally, You are free to bring board games onboard a flight; however, security may stop you so they can check your bag. The tradeoff between traveling with a carry-on and when you check your luggage should be considered while taking precautions to protect your games.
