Travel Toiletries: Pack Less, Miss Nothing

Packing toiletries for carry-on travel sounds simple until you’re staring at a quart-sized bag and a collection of products that definitely won’t fit. As a regular traveller, I’ve tried many options and have steadily reduced my kit to something I’m genuinely happy with. I pack a bag, or live out of one, most weeks – my life for the last 30 years – so a quick and easy system is essential.

So here’s everything I need for around a month on the road, in one small pouch. No decanting. No travel-size bottles. No last-minute panic at security. This is what I pack, why I pack it, and the 10 rules that got me here.

Pictured: Comb and Nail File Set. Soap dry bag with sucker, Shampoo bar, Dry Oil for hair, face and body oil, toothpaste tablets, mini floss, folding toothbrush, Deodorant Balm (decanted). tinted moisturizer/foundation, Mirror, mascara, lipstick, eye pencil, pouch

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Carry-On Travel Toiletries – My Packing List

✅Keep it Simple • ➖Less is More • 🎒Baggage Freedom

I honestly don’t have the time or the patience to organize and decant before every trip, and, as I aim for zero/low waste in everyday life, I prefer not to rely on ‘travel size’ either. This tiny toiletries pouch weighs around 340g / 12oz when filled. It’s sufficient for about a month. I use the same pouch for both short and long trips. It works for both trips where I fly and those where I don’t.

The ‘noise’ around skincare and the products we should and shouldn’t use can be overwhelming. Harsh chemicals and long routines have never appealed. For me, a ‘less is more’ approach works better on my sensitive skin and scalp in the everyday. This simple approach pays dividends when deciding what to pack for travel too.

So let’s get straight into my personal packing list and how I choose the products I bring, and then I’ll share my ten tops with you. While the exact products are personal to me, vary over time, and may not be suitable or available to everyone, I still hope that sharing them will give you a few ideas if you want to pack lighter.

These are the toiletries in my toiletry bag. There are a few more personal care items, including a razor, nail care items, and a travel towel, that I pack separately. (just in case you were wondering!).

You’ll notice there aren’t many liquid products. This is deliberate, to keep the weight and volume down and ensure toiletries easily fit within TSA and other airport limits. I frequently try new solid toiletries, as there’s an increasing number coming to market.

My pouch is one I picked up in Sostrene Grene, a Danish brand with lots of keenly priced travel accessories and many shops across Europe. I’m travelling mostly in Europe right now, where there is no need to use a clear bag for liquids in airports with new scanners. Your experience may be different. It’s similar to my pouch for travel tech, just in a different colourway, and I use another one for ‘Just In Case’ Items.

10 Tips for Packing Toiletries for Carry-On Travel

Over the years, I’ve refined my travel toiletries to something simple, lightweight, and genuinely useful. Everybody’s needs will be different, but here are the key lessons I’ve learned. I hope that by sharing it here, it helps you to pack less, enjoy more, and still feel like yourself on the road.

1. Simplify your daily routine before you leave

If you use a huge number of products on your skin and hair in daily life, then packing toiletries for trips away is going to be more of a struggle. Experiment before you leave and see if everything you use is definitely helping. It’s easy to get sucked into the latest ‘must-haves’ if you can find products or processes you can eliminate from the ‘everyday’ while still feeling like ‘you’, then it’s a win.

2. Check the products at your destination

Your accommodation may provide the basics or more. I have my regular toiletry kit packed regardless, and I’m picky, so I normally stick with my own products, but it can be nice to use the ones at your accommodation if they are decent.

3. Bring multi-purpose products

If you question whether there really is a difference between face wash, body wash and shampoo, you’re not alone. I do too! The truth is, most of the time there genuinely is, and one product generally doesn’t do it all. But I’ve found that if I stick to gentler, quality, pH-balanced products, there are options. This is my favourite solid 3-in-1 cleansing combo.

The same principle applies to hair conditioners, detanglers, and treatments for the face and body, too. I’m amazed this isn’t recommended more often, but the traveller’s best friend is dry oil. One pretty little luxury bottle filled with a fragrant oil does it all, and brilliantly. No other lotions and potions required.

4. Switch liquids for solids (where you can)

Solid toiletries are better than ever. Don’t give up after one dud. Some trial and error pays off. With solid toiletries, I avoid traditional soap bars; these are too alkaline for your face and too harsh, disrupting the skin’s natural balance. They don’t work on most hair types either.

These options work well in a solid / more compact form:

• Shampoo bars and 3-in-1 bars: I’ve already mentioned, I don’t usually gamble with hotel shampoo. I pack my own. L’Occitane bars are gentle and effective. Kitsch, KinKind and Ethique are also good places to start. Personally, I avoid the brightly coloured ones and those containing sodium lauryl sulphate to avoid itching and flaking.
• Deodorant balm: Technically a paste, so it counts as a liquid at security – but it’s compact, long-lasting, and my favourite smells gorgeous.
• Toothpaste tablets: These are a great alternative to toothpaste tubes. They’re tiny, ultralight, and you’ll never worry about airport liquid limits or burst tubes in your bag. Take as few or as many as you need. My favourite has fluoride and is ‘dentist approved’ – Sonisk Toothpaste tablets.

5. Review Hair Tools

I’ve stopped fighting my hair and decided to roll with it. For me, I know my thick straight hair does best with long layers or one length. Let a hairdresser cut it shorter, and I’m reaching for the hair tools. In my dreams, I’d have cascading curls, but I’m keeping it real and sticking with a look I can achieve at home and on the road without effort.

Avoid them if you can. It’s worth remembering:

• Most places provide a hairdryer (sometimes from reception).
• No hair tools = no stress with plugs, adapters, or voltage.
• Without them, your hair will be healthier, and your bag lighter.

6. Simplify makeup

Yes, you can still travel light and wear makeup if you want to! Just rein in the choices – one lipstick, one nail colour, one eye colour, etc., is enough. Multi-use products are your friend. If you’re happy to wear tinted sunscreen instead of foundation and use light lipstick as a blush/bronzer substitute, and so on, then you can reduce further. If you can practice a more minimal look with fewer products, at home, things will be easier when you’re away.

7. Decant Larger Quantities

Personally, the last option I consider, as I really don’t like the faff. But it goes without saying that if you’re only away for a week or less, you’re unlikely to need a big bottle of anything.

8. Weigh and make swaps

Small changes add up. Here’s what I’ve swapped recently to save space and over 200g from an already minimal setup:

• Electric toothbrush → Folding toothbrush: I also don’t need to worry about batteries or charging. I need to pay a little more attention and brush more thoroughly to be effective.
• Hairbrush → Comb: I find a comb works as well, provided I don’t leave too long between haircuts and let the ends get shredded.
• Regular Toiletry bag → Ultralight pouch: The sections were overkill once I downsized. The pouch is simpler and lighter.

9. Use a Dry Bag for Solid Toiletries

Game-changer. I don’t think I’d travel with solid toiletries without it! It’s especially useful if you need to pack things up before your solid toiletries have had a chance to dry out.

10. Buy Airside or On Arrival

If you’re anxious about baggage weight and liquid limits, this is definitely an option. Trying different products in your destination can be quite fun. Check whether there’s a ‘click and collect’ service airside or at your destination. Boots offers an airside click-and-collect service at several UK airports. Sunscreen is the one thing I often buy airside or at my destination, if I’m going somewhere sunny.

Other Personal Care Items

I have another pouch where I keep a few more personal care items, including those listed below. I store them in another pouch for ‘just-in-case’ items. I roll the travel towel with my clothes, and the Swisscard stays in my wallet.

• Ultralight towel
• Sunscreen
• Victorinox Swisscard – Swiss precision mini tools stored in a credit card-sized case. This includes tweezers, nail file, toothpick, mini scissors (no issues so far with airport security and passed through many times).
• Travel razor
• Loop Earplugs – reusable earplugs, which I much prefer to wax or foam ones.
• First aid supplies and emergency medicine

Pictured: Ultralight Travel Towel, emergency medicine and first aid, mini razor, loop earplugs, Victorinox Swisscard. small sunscreen

Pick The Right Toiletry Bag for You

The more minimal your toiletries, the lighter and more minimal your toiletry case can be.

Hanging toiletry bags can be a great option for travel, especially if you are staying in hostels or budget accommodations where counter space may be limited. These are two I’ve used in the past, which worked well for me, but now I travel with fewer toiletries; they are overkill, and I stick with a simple pouch.

TSA And Other Airport Toiletry Rules

TSA rules get all the attention – but they only apply in the US. Elsewhere, things may vary.

My experience is across Europe, where airports are introducing new scanners, and at many airports, you no longer need to place your toiletries in a clear bag and take them out of your main bag to go through security. The rollout is not complete, though, so it’s important to check for every airport.

Some European airports have gone one step further and also removed the 100ml liquid limits. I’m happy with sticking with it. I like a lighter bag, and many of the trips I take don’t involve flying, so I’d rather travel in the same way and keep things minimal, regardless.

Packing Everything Else

Travelling with less gives you more freedom to enjoy the trip and toiletries aren’t the only area to look at when you’re trying to pack light. I tend to look at each part of my packing separately and work on improving each area separately. All the little incremental changes soon start to add up.

For more inspiration, here’s my travel capsule wardrobe for all seasons (fits in a small bag),  ultralight travel tech, and some small, mini but mighty, travel accessories. All these fit in my one small bag.

How do you minimize your toiletries? Do share your ideas in the comments. If you’re interested in more tips on packing light or trips in Europe, many off the beaten track, then I have a monthly newsletter, and I’d love it if you joined.

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