10 Travel Sized Essentials To Pack Into Your Carry-On
When it comes to traveling, all I have to say is thank goodness for travel sized essentials. Especially when you have a skincare regime you want to continue to follow even on vacation or when you want to take your favourite shampoo and conditioner without the weight of a full bottle, travel sized essentials come in handy. Below I’ve shared 10 essentials that are tried and true (by yours truly!) and that will making packing a piece of cake (not travel sized).
1. Leakproof Silicone Bottles
My cousin gifted me these for my birthday before I left for a month in Greece and, let me tell you, they were amazing. These leakproof silicone bottles are TSA-Approved, BPA-free and FDA-approved, and are perfect for bringing some of your favourite liquid products (think shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc.) along without the weight of heavy, full-sized bottles.
When you look at them, they don’t look as if they’ll hold up; at first, the malleable silicone worried me that one unintentional squeeze of the tube and, boom, shampoo and body wash all over my clothes. However, I was pleasantly surprised. They held strong to their promise of being leakproof. With 3 layers of protection, I’m willing to bet these silicone bottles will be a new travel sized essential in your carry-on. They come in an array of colours and, now that I think about it, look like colourful lightbulbs. Guaranteed to lighten your load and brighten your day.
2. Facewipes
Perfect for those moments you want to freshen up, whether it be on a plane or in the middle of the day in-between exursions, bringing some facewipes along to get rid of excess dirt, oils, and makeup are one of my most recommended travel sized essentials. On flights, I rarely get a chance to wash my face, so these facewipes allow me to freshen up without feeling like I have to wash away the residue from the wipes afterwards. Now that’s a pain. What are facewipes for if not to make you feel fresh when you need it most?
Similarly, when I’m traveling, roaming from place to place, I like to know I can just clean my face at a moment’s notice. Maybe it’s just a weird quirk of mine, but I love feeling fresh-faced; when my face feels oily or splotchy, the rest of me feels less confident and motivated to take on the day. That’s when First Aid Beauty’s Hello FAB Caffeine Matcha Wake Up Wipes come in!
These wipes are meant to revive, cleanse, and hydrate so that you not only get that fresh cleanse I was talking about from the hyaluronic acid but you also get a boost from the caffeine and matcha green tea combination. Your skin will be revived to its beautiful, bright self so that you’ll be — and feel — picture perfect for those Insta photos. 😉
3. SPF Moisturizer
If there is one thing that I hope inspires you in this article, it’s going out and buying an effective, multi-tasking moisturizer with SPF in it. Dermologica’s Prisma Protect fits that bill, not only because it acts as a shield against the sun’s harsh rays but also because it uses the sun’s glow to your advantage, allowing you to glow from the inside out.
Using an advanced technology using what Dermologica describes as ‘intelligent drones,’ the moisturizer’s formula activates in visible light and starts to work on a cellular level, allowing the skin to glow from within. This kind of technology, then, begins to change our relationship to the sun; using the sun’s glow to seek radiance within our skin while still protecting against its harmful rays takes what we often consider as a negative into a positive light (no pun intended!). To think all of this can be done in a moisturizer. Let that sink in for a second…
4. Lip Balm
I don’t know about you but when I’m traveling, my lips get so dry. From the moment I get onto the plane to my day-to-day travels wherever I am, I am always searching for my lip balm. It’s a little thing but, trust me, when your lips are burnt, burning, chapped, dry or all of the above, you’ll be dreaming about the moments you had lip balm and could quench your lips.
I lied when I said that if you take anything from my article, take the recommendation to buy a good SPF moisturizer for your travels. Do that but also buy a good lip balm, preferably one with SPF in it. If I was on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean and could only have two skincare related products it would be an SPF moisturizer and lip balm duo.
Try Fresh’s Sugar Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15 for a translucent lip treatment, or opt for COOLA’s Mineral Liplux SPF 30 (pictured below, in a few shades) if you want your spf lip balm with a tint. What’s cool about COOLA’s Mineral Liplux is that each shade comes with its own hint of a flavour — honey peach, fig, creamy caramel, to name a few. Bonus: they can also be worn as blush or cheek highlighter! Yes please!
5. Handwipes
With all of the germs on a plane and moments spent exploring rather than washing your hands during your epic travels, keeping these babies in your purse or backpack are lifesavers. I swear by Wet Ones to keep my hands free of germs and moisturized with vitamin E and Aloe. When I’m traveling, I make sure I have them in my carry on and/or handbag, since I’ll never know when I need to use them in a pinch (hello snack cart).
This travel sized essential is easy to find and very reasonably priced; You can purchase them at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, Walmart, Costco, or online if you choose. You don’t have to spend a lot of travel too far to ensure you germ-free for your travels. What I also love about these is that there is a Wet Lock Seal, which makes sure the wipes stay moisturized between uses. An underrated essential, Wet Ones are the perfect addition to travel sized essentials packing list.
6. A Facial In A Bottle
A (baby) facial in a bottle, this travel sized essential is all you’ve ever wanted in a face mask during your vacation. I consider vacations to be a practice in T.L.C., first and foremost. So, why not add a little bit of Drunk Elephant’s T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial Face Mask to the mix? On those moments of downtime give yourself some extra love.
Using all clean ingredients, such as matcha tea, apple fruit and milk thistle, this facial mask exfoliates and gets rid of dead skin cells while also replenishing moisture in the skin. During your travels, your skin becomes more receptive to dirt, grime, and tiredness, and depending where you are or what you are doing, perhaps spending a day at the spa isn’t in your itinerary. But take the Babyfacial with you and you have a spa day in a bottle, for whenever you’re feeling like you need a little extra T.L.C.
Since this is a treatment on your skin, it is recommended that you start using this product only once a week to allow your skin to get used to its effects. However, even if you use this mask once or twice during your travels, it’s worth bringing along for the ride. Bonus: if you purchase the Babyfacial travel sized bottle on Drunk Elephant’s website, it comes with a small Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil. Apply after Babyfacial and you’ve really got yourself a travel-friendly spa treatment.
7. Hair Care In A Kit
Make sure your hair is happy and healthy during your vacation and you won’t have to worry about anything else. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true, but it is important to keep your hair happy and healthy. Like your skin, your hair also has to adjust to the many changes that occur during your travels.
When I was in Greece, I opted not to bring any conditioner because I didn’t think my hair needed it, nor did the extra weight in my luggage. However, I was sorely mistaken. Floating in salt water, as much as I loved it, damaged my hair beyond belief without the necessary products to combat that damage. Trust me when I say your hair will thank you.
In comes Ouai’s ‘The Easy’ Kit. Ouai puts the easy in effortless, happy hair with these travel sized versions of three favourite formulas: Air Dry Foam, Rose Hair & Body Oil, and Wave Spray. With these three products your hair will remain frizz-free and tangle-free, as well as shiny and hydrated regardless of wherever the day may take you. Infused with key ingredients like kale and carrot proteins, rose hip oil, and speciality rice protein, The Easy kit offers effortless haircare on the go.
8. S’well Water Bottle
Not exactly travel sized, per se, but definitely an essential and one that will absolutely fit in your carry-on, the S’well bottle, or any type of resusable water bottle, will keep you nourished when you’re on the go. Just be sure to fill your bottle after you get through security.
I don’t go anywhere without a reusable water bottle during my travels. I’m bad at remembering to continuously drink water throughout the day, but I know and am more conscious of the fact that when I’m exploring and sightseeing, I really need to remember to stay hydrated.
Although S’well bottles are quite pricey, they are worth the investment, especially if you’ll be taking it traveling. Not only are you taking a sustainable approach to keeping yourself nourished (buh-bye plastic!) but you are given the gift of crisp, cold water on a sweltering hot day or a cozy hot tea on a frigid one. S’well bottles keep your water cold for 24 hours and hot drinks hot for 12 hours so you’re guaranteed nourishment on the go for as long as you need it.
S’well bottles come in a wide array of colours and patterns, making getting your daily intake of water not only good for you but making you look good. This S’well bottle pictured below is called ‘Golden Fury Traveler,’ which appropriately looks a little bit like a weathered partial map of the world.
9. Toothbrush (+Set)
What I love about this toothbrush is it comes in its own carrying tube, making traveling with a toothbrush a lot easier — and chic! I have taken many trips without a toothbrush carrying case and, regrettably, have used instead plastic Ziploc bags. No way, not this time.
This Terra & Co. toothbrush (pictured below) is made with bamboo and activated charcoal (yes, you heard me right) toothbrush to help remove stains from the teeth. Terra & Co. also sells a travel sized version of their Brilliant Black toothpaste, which is infused with coconut and tea tree oil to remove plaque. Each of these key ingredients, for both products, is combined to promote healthy gums and keep teeth pearly white.
On your travels, you want a set that will do all the good things for your teeth without the fuss. Well, these two Terra & Co. products will do all the things. Just brush away and be prepared for a happy, healthy smile. As an added bonus, both products are all natural (vegan-, gluten-, and cruelty-free) and are sustainable for the maintenance of our Mother Earth.
Terra & Co. does sell a set of both the toothbrush and toothpaste, but the toothpaste is over the 100 ml limit. Thus, I shared these products separately, but as a good choice to pair together, with the travel sized toothpaste as a substitute for its larger version.
10. Deodorant
I couldn’t complete this travel sized essentials packing list without adding a deodorant to the list. The one I have been using for the last several months is by a Canadian company, LoveFresh, that prides itself in making local, natural products that work.
The beauty of this sweet-smelling natural deodorant is that it comes in travel size, which makes it a perfect addition to round out your travel sized essentials packing list. The travel size versions are quite tiny, so, depending on how long you’re going away for, I’d recommend bringing two along. You might not even break open the second one, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
My favourite scent is Moroccan Rose (pictured below), which will keep you smelling, well, like a rose. All of their deodorants are made with entirely natural ingredients, which is a beautiful thing, given that you are putting this stuff on very sensitive and susceptible areas of your body. Feel confident that with LoveFresh you are using a natural product that is made entirely for the benefit of you, all living creatures, and the planet.
