A tie has two problems: it creases easily and it can get stained. If you want your favourite ties to have a long life you have to look after them.
Meal times are the most dangerous moments for a tie, soup stains for example. Also, before a dinner, be careful if you put on perfume.
Stains on a silk tie are almost impossible to remove completely.
If you can rush the damaged tie to a professional cleaning service there may be special products to save it.
After stains, the other difficult thing to avoid is creasing. Ties do not generally survive well under a hot iron. A better way is to let the creased tie hang peacefully in a damp environment to lose its creases slowly and gently. Ideally, creases should be avoided by only lightly forming the knot. When a tie is taken off it should be hung up. It can also be gently rolled up or stored flat.
When travelling, your ties will be well protected if you keep them rolled up in a solid box. Better still, treat yourself, and your ties, to a specially designed tie case.