People travel halfway around the world to eat at a renowned Japanese restaurant. They board transcontinental flights for the privilege of stepping onto the soils of French cru vineyards to sample their finest vintages. And, in more recent times, some people even travel to far-flung destinations to sample the local cannabis (where it’s legal, of course). 

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But there’s a grand tradition as old or older than these trips: traveling in search of the finest tobacco. If you’re a cigar lover with itchy feet and a thirst for adventure, consider taking your passion on the road. This article lists four of the top destinations for cigar lovers – which just so happen to be lovely destinations in their own right, conveniently located here in North America.  

An important side note before beginning: When traveling for cigars, always carry a Boveda humidor bag and humidity control packs to keep your purchases safe in transit. These items help preserve your cigars and ensure that the local humidity doesn’t spoil them. 

The Dominican Republic is one of the world leaders in cigar production, a powerhouse nation that consistently churns out critics’ top picks and aficionado favorites. Of course the destination was going to make this list. 

Here, we offer two points of entry. The first is DR’s capital and largest city, Santo Domingo – a focal point of Dominican culture that’s home to several quality tobacconists. The second is Punta Cana, a world-renowned beach destination with swaying palms, white sand beaches and (yes) a fair number of fine cigar purveyors. 

Cuba is basically synonymous with fine cigar culture. When people talk about "Cubans," it's generally a coin toss whether they mean the people or the cigars! Understandably, this mecca of quality tobacco isn't reachable for some people, owing to a tourist prohibition statute from the State Department. But if you can manage a workaround, it’s well worth the trip. 

Like the DR, we're offering two options: Havana and Varadero. Havana is a beautiful, locked-in-time city with brilliant colonial architecture and a strong, bustling cigar culture close to the source. Varadero is a resort city with several cigar stores that, like most tourist destinations, may charge a premium for cigars. 

If you can’t get to Cuba, the next best place is Miami, a long-time safe haven for Cuban immigrants and newcomers. The Cuban culture is deep in the South Florida city, which means you’re never too far from a great cigar shop. 

Head to the Little Havana neighborhood in east central Miami for a dizzying concentration of tobacconists, cigar experts and smoking rooms. As mentioned in the introduction, bring your humidor bag and Boveda packs because South Florida can be quite humid, especially in the summer. 

Finally, if you don’t want to head to the source, at least head somewhere with cigars in abundance. Las Vegas is a cigar lover’s paradise. The city contains innumerable cigar shops, smoking lounges, cigar promotions, cigar bars and even casinos that let you light up inside. It’s a notoriously dry place (it is the desert, after all), so those humidity control packs are a must. 

This article doesn’t even mention places in Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador and Mexico – each worthy of their own article. In summary, a cigar-loving tourist has plenty of places on their bucket list here in North America.