Cigar Travel

AS YOU may know, El Jeffe Laurence Davis has been on his travels and this time, he is venturing deep into new territories.

He has ventured forth into both Honduras and Nicaragua for the first time, and it got us thinking about cigar travel; how many of you do it? Would you be interested in it? Is it something some of you plan to do at some stage?

The truth is, it’s easier than ever to combine travel and cigars. While you may not find London-style hotels in many of the places where tobacco is grown and rolled into cigars, there are clean, basic, pleasant and affordable accommodations and plenty for you to enjoy while you soak up some sun.

Of course, one of the great boons of the cigar world is that its formative processes are all based in warm weather countries. And who doesn’t fancy a week or two in the Caribbean when the UK is no warmer than your fridge for months on end?

So, if you have ever fancied a spot of cigar travel, who better to advise you than Nick Hammond, the author of the Around The World in 80 Cigars series and a man who has travelled around the cigarmaking world more than most.

“First thing I would say, is bring your patience,” Nick tells us. “When you do enough travelling, something will go awry and you will find yourself somewhere with time to kill. So, bring a good book! The good news is, though, you can almost always find yourself somewhere to enjoy a smoke in Central America, so things are not all bad.”

“Make sure you have contacts on the ground who you can turn to for advice and help where needed. Bring plenty of suncream and mossie repellent and a hat for when you’re in the tobacco fields; it can get blisteringly hot. Food is basic but good. Make sure all fruit and salad is washed in bottled water, not tap, and drink only bottled water (and refreshingly cold beer!)”

“Places like Cuba and Nicaragua can easily be combined with a more ‘normal’ holiday – there will be plenty your spouse can do if he or she is not into cigars like you are. Most places are safe, with the usual warnings; be careful where you go, particularly at night and don’t flash your expensive jewellery and watches etc. Remember these people are often living on the breadline, so be generous to those who look after you well. Your tourist dollars go a very long way. Embrace the cultures and people, they are both wonderful and you will come away with a completely changed view and appreciation of cigars.”

“You may think you already know about cigars – but you’ll realise how little you actually know when you visit the home of the experts.”