Traveling with Cremated Remains & Sacred Stones: What You Need to Know

There is often travel involved with the loss of a loved one. If the person you have lost lived somewhere else, you’ll need to visit that location to take care of matters and have a service that properly honors their memory. This all means that you might have to be traveling with ashes at some point along the way, which does come along with some rules and regulations that will need to be followed. 

This page will help you understand how flying with cremated remains works. There are TSA rules for ashes, along with countless other items, but these rules can easily be navigated once you understand how they work. Let’s take a closer look below.

 

TSA Guidelines for Traveling with Ashes

In general terms, the Transportation Security Administration allows you to travel with cremated remains. With that said, there are some things you need to know to avoid running into any trouble along the way. Specifically, TSA agents aren’t allowed to open cremation containers, so they need to be able to be scanned by the X-ray machine properly. 

If the container holding the ashes can’t be scanned by X-ray, you likely won’t be able to proceed. That means containers such as plastic and cardboard are best for your journey. Later, the ashes could be moved into a more permanent solution, such as a metal container or one made with heavy ceramic.

 

Planning Ahead to Avoid Delays

While you are allowed to travel with cremated remains, you should still plan ahead to make sure you don’t run into any surprises along the way when you arrive at the airport. There might be additional rules in place that have been added by your airline that you’ll need to consider. So, try contacting the airline directly before the day of your flight, or look on their website for information. It’s always better to be prepared than to find yourself scrambling at the last minute to get approved and onto the plane.

 

Rules for Cremation Stones

You shouldn’t have to make any kind of special accommodations for shipping cremation stones, or for traveling with them. Since they are solid in nature and no longer in powdery form, it’s unlikely that they will raise any concerns. You should be able to put these small stones in your carry-on or checked bag just like any other personal item. In this way, cremation stones are a very convenient option, and you won’t have any trouble bringing them to a memorial event or family gathering.

 

Connect with The Sacred Stones

Whether you’ll be taking ashes on a plane or making other arrangements, you’ll also want to consider what to do with those ashes over the long run. If you are interested in creating cremation stones to permanently memorialize the person you’ve lost, The Sacred Stones is ready to serve you. Get in touch today to get started.

FAQ

Why Stones?

Stones speak to us.

They are beautiful solid reminders of connection and dependability.

They provide a way to hold and be close with your loved one in a tidy and touching way.

We spend a lot of our free time outdoors, particularly around water - trout fishing, kayaking, camping, hiking. Often, we collect rocks and stones as reminders of these adventures.

Believing in the power of stones as a part of nature, we began crafting ashes into their shapes. Starting in 2023, we developed a process that we believe gives people a beautiful alternative to the traditional ways of storing or scattering ashes.

Why Not Scatter Ashes Or Keep Them In An Urn?

  • While scattering ashes is a very common way to say our final goodbyes to a departed loved one, there are negative environmental impacts from this practice. Cremated human ashes contain very high levels of salts and highly alkaline components - these can cause damage to plants, soil microbes, soil nutrient balance, and leaching of salts into groundwater. Salt Stress in Plants and Mitigation Approaches
  • Everyone handles grief, loss, and death in their own way, and that is why we are here. Personally, we feel that transforming ashes into a form which can be touched and held close or returned to nature feels less confining than an urn or columbarium.

How Long Does The Process Take?

Our current order time is 4-5 weeks from when we receive your loved one's package in our workshop.

How Do I Ship The Ashes To You?

  • Currently the only legal method of shipment for cremated remains is via USPS Priority Express with appropriate labeling:

How to Package and Ship Cremated Remains

  • We will mail a package of shipping materials and instructions to your home once your order is received through our website. These should arrive within 5-10 business days from USPS.
  • *The buyer is responsible for the shipping cost of sending cremated remains to Sacred Stones*
  • We will keep you informed about the status of the shipped ashes and stones.

Are They Environmentally Friendly?

  • Our process involves the careful removal of excess salts and highly alkaline components of cremated remains prior to formation of the stones.
  • After the removal of these components, our stones and the solidified ashes within may be placed in nature without the concern of damage to the soil, water, and ecosystem.
  • Our stones include a protective shellac coating for increased longevity when exposed to the elements, without any risk of plastic or chemical contamination.

How Long Do Our Stones Last?

  • Our stones will last indefinitely indoors - outdoors they will break down over time due to normal wear and tear due to weather conditions. Over time meaning months to years (not days or hours).
  • Our stones are water-resistant but not waterproof, we use shellac as an environmentally friendly exterior coating (versus epoxy/plastics which would be waterproof but result in plastics being released into the environment). 

Do I Have To Order Online?

  • No, you are welcome to pay over the phone and we will confirm order detail with an itemized invoice.
  • We try to be as flexible as possible during such a difficult time of loss - we can process your payment through email or you can send us a check.

What Size And Color Are The Stones?

  • Each stone is approximately 2-4 inches wide.
  • Our collections of Sacred Stones use a variety of shapes and sizes so that each stone is unique. Each stone is modeled after a real stone collected from nature, so each one is perfectly unique.
  • Generally the stones are white to tan in color. But the color of the stones will be unique due to the natural variations in pigments contained within the cremated ashes of your loved one, reflecting their own unique characteristics and life to be remembered.