Toiletries Checklist For Traveling

Toiletries Checklist For Traveling

Traveling is fun, but sometimes it can be stressful especially packing. There are so many things to consider like how long you’ll be there, the climate, temperature, activities you’ll be doing, etc. Even if you have everything you need, the convenience of getting to your home to grab what you need doesn’t exist when packing. Then there’s the issue of overpacking or under packing. This is why it is so important to have a packing checklist.

You want to know what I dread packing the most? Like seriously dread and can’t stand doing. I can’t stand packing toiletries. I get so overwhelmed because there are so many things to consider! In order to make it less stressful and less frustrating, I learned to create a toiletries checklist for traveling. I want to make sure my list of toiletries has all the essentials I will need on my vacation and ensure I have room for them in my luggage.

Toiletries Checklist For Traveling

First travel tip is to take out any toiletries that you currently use. And I mean EVERYTHING. Then you will purge and make adjustments. That way you can prioritize what are the essentials. I’ll also share product recommendations.

Facial Skincare Products

So this category could be multiple things but I kept it high-level because everyone has different needs for their face. Bare minimum, you should bring face cleanser and face moisturizer. For me, I use face cleanser, facial toner, eye cream, moisturizer, and if there’s room, I bring a facial oil. I highly recommend bringing a facial toner that is in a spray bottle. That way you can spritz your face on the plane to prevent your face from being dehydrated. I also really love the Summer Fridays jet lag mask. I love to use this moisturizer after a long flight!

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is essential regardless if you are going somewhere warm or cold. I have a few favorite sunscreens that use clean ingredients and are less harmful to the environment. I recently used the Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen and I swear it is the best face sunscreen.

Travel Face Sunscreen:

Travel Body Sunscreen:

Shampoo and Conditioner

We all have to wash our hair and a solid shampoo and conditioner is a must! Unless I know for sure that the hotel or whatever place I’ll be sleeping in has really good hair products, I usually bring my own shampoo and conditioner. Having bad hair days during vacation is not something I want haha. I also like to bring a leave-in hair conditioner. It gives my hair extra conditioning and helps detangle.

Body Wash

Some type of body cleanser is for sure needed. Of course, if you know where you are staying has good body products then you can skip this. But most of the time I’m not so sure about them, especially since I use clean products. I usually like to use body washes but occasionally I bring a bar of soap.

Body Lotion

Again, moisturizing is so important! I have especially dry skin and if I skip a day without using a body lotion, my skin is gross.

Toothbrush

We all know we have to clean our teeth. My life hack is storing all the free toothbrushes I get from my dentist and I use those as my travel toothbrush. However, I do use an electric toothbrush at home and recently I’m looking to invest in a travel electric toothbrush. My teeth just feel cleaner! I also bring a travel size dental floss and dental picks (they come with a travel case too!).

Toothpaste

You can’t brush your teeth without toothpaste!

Makeup

So this part I kept generic because everyone’s makeup routine is different. But my makeup routine only takes 5 minutes and I use the Beautycounter Flawless in Five. It has all your makeup essentials. The only thing I don’t like from that set is their mascara. However, I am obsessed with the ILIA Limitless Mascara and they come in a travel size too!

Lip Moisturizer

I don’t know about you but my lips get so dry when I travel and it has made it on my must-have list. To save some space, I also like to use a tinted lip balm. That way I don’t have to bring a lip conditioner and a lipstick.

Lip Conditioner (colorless):

Tinted Lip Balm:

Hair Tools

At bare minimum I need to have a hair brush. My favorite is the Wet Brush. Their brushes are amazing and you can use it on wet or dry hair and it can instantly detangle your hair. I swear my hair is shinier because of their brushes. They also have a travel size brush too. But to be honest, it doesn’t work as well as the regular one. If the hotel I am staying in doesn’t have a hair dryer, I bring a travel-size hair dryer. I also love to bring a hair wand and travel size flat iron. If I’m cramped with space, I only bring the flat iron because I can curl my hair with it too.

Face Wipes

I love to use face wipes to remove my makeup before I use a facial cleaner. Not all face wipes are great. There are only a select few (and trust me I tried a lot) that I really like and have clean ingredients. They’re also great if you need to freshen your face midday without risking your mascara.

Shower Sheets

If you are short on time, then shower sheets are a great way to freshen up your body without showering. I love these after a long flight. We usually book our flights to arrive at our destination early morning and we want to explore as soon as we land. I quickly use shower sheets to cleanse my body. Or they are also great for a quick freshen up midday. When we travel to warm places, we would sweat but of course I don’t want to go through the effort of taking a shower. This resolves that problem!

Medications

If you are like me and need to take tons of medications then you know this is high on the list. Just make sure you bring enough plus a little more just in case you accidentally drop a pill, etc. I also consider the location. For instance, if I know I might be exposed to allergens, then I bring allergy meds like Claritin.

Electronics

I now consider my electronics as part of my travel toiletries because they’re a necessity. For instance, I would bring my phone charger, portable phone charger, AirPods, outlet converters, laptop (if going international), etc.

Personal Versus Carry-On

As you noticed, most of the items I recommended are travel size. In my opinion, you never need the full-size even on longer trips. But there are also a few items that I like to keep in my carry-on luggage and personal bag. My carry-on luggage is stowed away in the overhead compartment. Which makes it slightly inconvenient to get to. So my personal bag has items I would need during the plane ride.

• Book – so I have something to do
• Moisturizers – lip balm, face mist (face toner), face moisturizer
• Electronics – phone, phone charger, AirPods, laptop,
• Sometimes makeup

Otherwise, the rest are in my carry-on luggage.

How To Pack Toiletries For Traveling

When packing toiletries, don’t pack the full size even if you are checking a bag. Most of the time you don’t need that much and it only takes up space. So when it comes to packing I consider traveling carry on only for my toiletry packing list.

TSA’s 3-1-1 Rule

Make sure all your liquid products follow the TSA 3-1-1 rule. All liquids must be under 3.4 oz including the container size. All containers must fit in 1 clear quart sized plastic bag and each passenger is allowed 1 bag only. This is especially important when traveling to Europe! I learned the hard way and had to get rid of my products.

Travel Kits

It’s a good idea to consider getting a toiletry kit. Toiletry kits / travel kits have your basic travel essentials and usually their bottles hold well in the airplane (i.e. no leaking or explosion of product). There are facial kits and body kits, and they will guarantee to follow the TSA 3-1-1 rule.

Travel-Sized Containers

If none of your toiletries come in a travel size, definitely put them in travel-sized containers. Remember that the container size should be less than 3 oz. I recently received the Palette by Pak. It’s the perfect compact size to fit your necessary beauty products. They’re great for makeup and skincare and their containers are known to prevent leaking.

Resealable Bags

Make sure you have a good clear / transparent bag for your toiletries. As a reminder, they should fit in 1 clear plastic bag. If you want to be environmentally friendly, I have been using the Stasher bags. They’re AMAZING! And when you’re done using them, you can rinse them. They come in different sizes and colors.

Prevent Leakage

Due to the air pressure in a plane, there’s a chance of your liquid toiletries leaking.

1. First make sure your container is made for travel. As mentioned earlier, the Palette by Pak is made for that and so are toiletry kits.
2. If possible, try replacing any of your liquids into solids. For instance, maybe go for a sunscreen stick, foundation stick, bar of soap, etc.
3. Cover the lids with plastic wrap.
4. Remove as much excess air as possible. Open the lid/cap and squeeze out the air and quickly put the lid back on.

So there ya go, this is my toiletries checklist for traveling. While I still get a little stressed packing toiletries, the checklist makes the process smoother. I always pack as if I’m only doing carry-on even if there’s a high probability I’ll check a bag. This prevents overpacking and makes you only bring what you need!

Toiletries Checklist Items

xo RD