Guest Author - Emily Wilska
Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, and whether you’ll be away for a few days or a few weeks, you’ll need to stash some personal care products—from shampoo and conditioner to toothpaste and a toothbrush—in your luggage. A few simple tips can help make traveling with toiletries a less stressful, less mess-full experience.
Full-size toiletries and personal care products tend to be bulky, take up a lot of space, and are potentially messy to travel with. Besides, unless you're planning to be away for several weeks at a stretch without access to a drug store or supermarket, you probably don't need the entire box or bottle. The idea is to take only as much as you’re likely to use while you’re away; this will help save space in your luggage, help prevent full bottles of toiletries from leaking all over the other things in your suitcase, and help make packing and unpacking less of an ordeal.
Many toiletries come in trial or travel-size versions that pack easily, provide just enough product for a trip of a week or so, and can be left behind when you're done with them. In addition to the trial sizes available in your local drug store or supermarket, you can also find products sized just right for travel at online retailers like Minimus.biz.
Another option is to make your own travel-size products by emptying small amounts of your everyday toiletries into reusable plastic bottles. (Nalgene, the company known for its durable water bottles, makes a series of high-quality and reasonably priced toiletry bottles.) This can be a great option if you need to take along specialized products or those that might not be available in trial sizes, such as baby care toiletries or kids’ shampoos.
When packing toiletries, be sure they’re in bottles or containers that close securely, especially if you’ll be traveling by plane. The air-pressure changes on planes can cause bottles that are too full to overflow; make sure not to fill bottles more than ¾ full to prevent leaks. Also, pack all of your toiletries together in a Dopp kit, large Ziploc bag, or other plastic-lined container. If any of the bottles do spring a leak, your clothes will be spared, and you’ll be able to rinse up the mess quickly and easily.
A final option, if you're staying in a hotel, is to call ahead and ask what products they supply. Many hotels--even those on the budget end of the spectrum--provide shampoo, lotion, and soap automatically, and will also hand out products like toothpaste, razors, and deodorant if you ask. Knowing the toiletries you need will be waiting for you when you arrive means you don’t have to worry about packing them.
Whatever option you choose, make it a goal to come back with less than what you bring, whether that means reusable bottles emptied of their contents or, better yet, nothing at all. All of those mini hotel soaps and bottles of shampoo may be tempting, but unless they're truly special or luxurious, they're probably not worth the clutter they'll cause in your bathroom at home.
