This luggage, it vibrates?

August 2, 2006 6:11 AM

What are the hassles, legal or otherwise, involved in travelling with sex toys in Western Europe? My partner and I will be taking a vacation in Europe shortly. We'll be travelling through Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. Some of these countries are Catholic and none of them are the United States, so we're wondering about potential problems carrying sex toys through customs and in countries where we don't know the laws and customs.

We won't be carrying anything *too* unusual. There will be no handcuffs, restraints, or pointy, weapony looking things. There will be an assortment of lubes, dildoes, dongs, and harnesses. We're willing to accept that it'll be embarassing when our luggage is searched. Our concerns aren't limited to the airport and customs, we'll also be travelling by train and on public transportation. What we're nervous about is if we'll be arrested or charged with indecency or anything like that (fined, ticketed, whatever). Is it likely that luggage of this nature will single us out for more intense scrutiny? Will we receive less intense scrutiny? Will sex toys be subject to confiscation? Is there anything we should be aware of?

If this were our own country, we'd be more willing to take chances, but travel in foreign countries is different and we'd like to adhere to the letter and spirit of the law as much as possible.

Thanks in advance, hive mind. If followup is needed, one of us will register a sockpuppet.

posted by anonymous to Travel & Transportation (21 answers total)

if you haven't noticed yet, the Europeans are a lot less up tight about sex toys than the US of god fearing A.

You shouldn't have any problems.
posted by Funmonkey1 at 6:18 AM on August 2, 2006

Agreed with funmonkey1... you'll be travelling through an area with generally a far more laidback and liberal attitude toward sexuality than the US. That's not to say, of course, that there are absolutley no prudes in western Europe, but you certainly won't have any legal problems.
posted by modernnomad at 6:23 AM on August 2, 2006

Yeah, I'd be more worried about traveling with that stuff in the Puritan US. Most of the countries you mention have full frontal nudity in prime time, after all. It's not just toys - Europeans are a lot less uptight about sex period.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:25 AM on August 2, 2006

I would agree with everything said above. You will not have a problem.
posted by fire&wings at 6:27 AM on August 2, 2006

Travelling into your first European country, your luggage *might* be searched - but travelling between countries, it's highly unlikely, as all EU countries apart from the UK are part of the Schengen agreement which facilitates cross-border travel. You might get a wave from a border official but that'll be it.

and what everyone else said - I really really doubt you'll have any problems at all.
posted by altolinguistic at 6:27 AM on August 2, 2006

Not exactly Eastern Europe, but there might be some helpful info in this thread.
posted by dead_ at 6:37 AM on August 2, 2006

My concern would be in whether all that stuff will make it out of the US in the first place. And, if it does, whether it would be confiscated upon return.
We gotta think of the children, after all.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:41 AM on August 2, 2006

Don't worry -- we here in Europe are working on that whole freedom thing. I mean, we might not yet be as free as the almighty USA, but we're doing OK.

LOL! I was reminded of those stories in the USA where in some states you can go to jail for selling a vibrator, like this Texas woman.

Meanwhile all over Europe and Scandinavia its not uncommon for most towns to have at least one adult shop right on the high street.

Crikey, even Selfridges got in on the act when they started displaying the upscale Myla made "The Bone" vibrator (at a paltry £200 a go) right in the street level display windows.
posted by Funmonkey1 at 6:45 AM on August 2, 2006

I like that one of the tags for this is "batshithorny". Ha!

I don't think you will have a problem. As many said, Europeans are far more open about sex that USians. Boobs! In the newspaper! It's fantastic.

Most of that stuff won't even show up on the x-ray, unless it's battery-operated or the harnesses have metal bits. I wouldn't worry about it.
posted by bedhead at 6:49 AM on August 2, 2006

You will only go through customs once, when you enter the EU. And the last two times I have traveled to Europe (this year), there was no customs at all, even upon entry to the EU. No one opened my bags, or even asked me if I had anything to declare.

Getting back into the US, well that's another story.
posted by Nothing at 7:26 AM on August 2, 2006

You might not realize it but good old school Catholic countries like Spain have legal gay marriage now. I wouldn't worry about it, unless the sex toys are shaped like bombs.
posted by JJ86 at 7:30 AM on August 2, 2006

And you can buy lubrication too. One less thing to carry.
posted by A189Nut at 7:52 AM on August 2, 2006

In Madrid last year, I walked by two separate sex toy shops (and nice ones!) on the same street - will try to remember where this was and post back. LOL - don't worry about it - you'll probably be pleasantly surprised by how easygoing these countries are compared to the US.
posted by meerkatty at 8:26 AM on August 2, 2006

meerkatty posted: In Madrid last year, I walked by two separate sex toy shops (and nice ones!) on the same street - will try to remember where this was and post back.

Probably the ones on Calle de Atocha, up the street from the Museo de Reina Sofia?
posted by JJ86 at 8:32 AM on August 2, 2006

JJ86: Yes! We had just seen Guernica in Museo de Reina Sofia and I remember thinking it was bizarre going from masterpiece of the 20th C. depicting the horrors of war to these cool little sex shops promoting pure pleasure. Thanks for the info, it would have bothered me all day otherwise!
posted by meerkatty at 8:49 AM on August 2, 2006

Italy is the only place you mentioned that I'd be at all concerned, and as others have pointed out, you won't be searched between countries.

To all the snark, sheesh, they're asking because they are unfamiliar with other countries, not because OMG!? Europe is like old world and stuff?!
posted by desuetude at 10:18 AM on August 2, 2006

I'd definitely worry about getting out of and returning to the US - a Canadian friend of mine was held for two hours in the US for having a large metal dildo in his luggage, on the grounds that it could be used as a weapon. The fact that he got the giggles when told this probably didn't help...
posted by jack_mo at 11:34 AM on August 2, 2006

Might be an idea to place them all in one bag, too?
posted by DrtyBlvd at 11:37 AM on August 2, 2006

If you're still worried, bring along an electric toothbrush. Works in a pinch, I've found.
posted by Gordion Knott at 3:06 PM on August 2, 2006

Yeah, you probably don't have to worry about things like this
posted by baylink at 3:15 PM on August 2, 2006

Having made over 20 border crossings by train a few summers ago, my passport was checked exactly once (Germany/Switzerland border) and my luggage searched zero times.

The only place you might be searched is the point of entry airport. And they'll probably be more uncomfortable than you are realizing that your sex life sounds a helluva lot more exciting than theirs.
posted by spatula at 12:33 PM on August 3, 2006