Packing toiletries for an overseas trip can sometimes be challenging, especially if you are travelling for any great length of time. You want to bring your regular skincare products and keep up your daily routine, but let’s face it, ladies – that means bringing a lot of stuff!
What I’ve found works for me is to determine the most important steps in my beauty routine. For example, I can skip using my serums in the morning but I really do need a moisturizer. Instead of packing two, I bring one that works for both day and night. If the container is compact enough, I will just pop it into my bag; otherwise, I’ll scoop some out and transfer it to a smaller travel container. I used to worry that the smaller containers wouldn’t hold enough, but I’ve learned that a little goes a long way.
Dental care is pretty straightforward. Instead of buying travel-sized toothpaste and floss, I ask my dentist for samples—they’re free, compact, and perfect for travel. I also keep a separate toothbrush in my travel bag so I don’t have to remember to grab my everyday one.
As for my makeup, I keep it simple with a foundation or BB cream with SPF 30, a blush stick, one eyeliner, one mascara, and an eyeshadow palette with several different colour options. It covers all the bases without overfilling my bag.
Haircare can be problematic because, honestly, who wants to lug around bottles of shampoo, conditioner, gel, mousse, and hairspray? For my hair, I’ve found that as long as I use a very moisturizing conditioner, I can get away with using hotel shampoo or even no shampoo at all. I buy conditioner by OGX, as their products are high quality, and the bottles are compact enough to bring with me. When we visit Cuba or other hot weather destinations, I typically bring the Coconut Curls product and just let my hair air dry. For other destinations, I’ll take one travel-size tube of Aveda Smooth Infusion or the Aveda Be Curly, depending on my mood. Rather than bring a curling iron or straightening wand, I can get away with blow drying my hair using a small round brush that I pack with me. If that doesn’t work, I usually bring a hairband or two to tame unruly hair.
Perfume samples are perfect for travel, especially if you can snag some higher-end fragrances. Sephora also offers a number of high-quality travel-size scents, and while they are a bit pricey for what you get ($26 and up for 10 mL) it’s worth the splurge if you want to make your vacation feel a little bit more special. Try to match the scent to the vibe you are hoping to capture on your vacation.
Apart from beauty necessities, I also pack a small bottle of Advil, Band-Aids, wet wipes, a sewing kit, tweezers and nail clippers. A corkscrew often comes in handy as well. These are permanent fixtures in my bag – I don’t remove them when I get home. If I’ve used up something during the trip – such as Advil or wipes – I will replace it as soon as possible once I return.
I like to pack my essentials in a trifold toiletry bag that opens up and can be hung up on the back of the bathroom door. Clear plastic pockets allow you to easily see where your items are. One tip I’ve picked up from the Internet is to bring an overdoor hook (you can buy them at the dollar store), just in case your hotel room doesn’t have hooks on the back of the bathroom door. This is also useful for hanging wet bathing suits or bathrobes.
For overnight or weekend trips, I have a separate smaller toiletry bag that I keep stocked with the bare minimum – deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, mini perfume, small container of moisturizer. On these shorter trips, I’ll usually throw my full makeup case in my bag, but sometimes I’ll pull out a few backup products to lighten the load.
As you can see, packing toiletries doesn’t have to be complicated. A little planning goes a long way toward keeping your routine intact while you’re away from home.
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