Stop Wasting Money on Travel Toiletries with These 4 Organizing Tips from a Pro

Those bins of travel-size toiletries at the drug store can be tempting. It seems like they would make packing more convenient and lighten your load, right? But think again. Do you really want to spend money on miniature versions of toiletries you already own? And do you feel OK about throwing away all that plastic and packaging when you're done? Travel expert Jess Field of @travelmomsquad doesn't. Here, she shares how you can be smarter and more efficient about sourcing and packing your toiletries for a trip.

1. Use Your Home Supply

Invest in a set of reusable travel-size bottles and fill them from the toiletries you use at home. "It saves plastic because you're not buying a little shampoo and a little conditioner and throwing them away once you're done," Field says.

Whatever you need to bring, there's probably a container for it. You can get lidded bottles, squeezable tubes, spray bottles, or sets with multiple styles. Most are sized to hold 3 ounces or less, so you can carry them on a plane. They work great for shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, eye makeup remover, nail polish remover, and other essentials. (A small funnel can be helpful for filling bottles.) There are even small canisters with twist-off lids for transporting just a dab of that expensive moisturizer or eye cream.

2. Be Strategic About Buying Minis

While Field does not suggest replicating your whole toiletry routine from the travel aisle, she agrees that some things do make sense to buy in travel sizes. For example, you probably don’t want to lug your huge aerosol can of hairspray on a trip. In that case, go ahead and buy a travel size or, better yet, switch to a hairspray in a pump, then decant the amount you need into a travel-size spray bottle. 

Also, you probably won't go through a full-size tube of toothpaste on a trip, so it makes sense to source a mini. Field's hack: save the tiny tubes you get at a dentist visit to use for travel.

Sunscreen is another item that makes sense to buy in miniature. Field says she finds it difficult to find sunscreen in 3 ounces or less, so she stocks her favorite brand in both a big tube for at home and a 2.4-ounce tube for travel.

3. Be Less Picky

Take advantage of the toiletries supplied by your hotel. You'll usually find shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, body wash, and lotion waiting for you. They might not be the same as what you use at home, but they'll likely work just fine. "Body wash and soap are things I never bring," Field says. "I just use whatever's at the hotel." Of course, if you simply cannot be without your favorites for the length of your trip, go ahead and bring them (in reusable travel-size containers, naturally). But if you can get by with the basics that your hotel stocks, you'll save a little money and the hassle of bringing your own.

4. Buy It There

Field says the biggest packing problem people struggle with is bringing more than they need, and that goes for toiletries as well as clothing and shoes. "People think they need to pack for every possible situation," she says. "I'm a recovering overpacker, so I totally get it." For toiletries and clothes, she suggests bringing only the things you know you're going to use every day and leaving the just-in-case stuff at home. If a pressing need arises, remember that you can very likely buy what you need at your destination.