Personal care

This page doesn’t include personal health items, such as a first aid kit and medications.

If you’ve just struggled off the country bus after trekking for three weeks, nobody expects you to be pristine. If you’re going to a posh restaurant, nobody expects you to be dressed and groomed as if for a business meeting or a night at the opera. But if you want the respect of immigration officials, cops, hotel reception, restaurant servers and people on the street, try to be as clean and groomed as you can be (under the circumstances).

Toiletries and grooming tools are highly personal. Consumers in rich countries are accustomed to hundreds of choices and have bathrooms full of tools and toiletries, from toothbrushes to curling irons, from shampoo to cosmetics. Suppose you have a certain skin cream or deodorant that you’ve used daily for years. Perhaps you color your hair, but only a specific brand and tint. Maybe you’ve found the perfect gel or mousse to tame and style it.

You can’t take all those tools and toiletries with you on your trip. You’ll have to simplify, although simplifying does not mean letting yourself go. It means choosing what’s important for basic grooming, minimizing the make-up, teased hair, fragrances or other habits from home. It’s actually liberating to spend less time and effort on grooming.

You can bring toiletries from home, but if you’re going on a longer trip, you’re going to run out of some of them. In rich countries, you might be able to replenish your supply, but in middle or poor countries you might have to compromise with local products or do without.

Grooming tools list

Grooming tools are the implements you use for personal care. They are not tools to work on your appearance, but for normal body functions. There are, of course, many options, but your initial task to to make them few.

To start with, forget about carrying any electric appliances with you. It’s not so much a matter of matching an electric appliance with the power supply at your destinations, but of the bulk and weight of hair dryers, curling irons, electric shavers, stubble trimmers, electric toothbrushes etc. If you really have to carry such appliances, then pay attention to voltage and cycle matching. You might have to use check-in sized luggage as well.

For one bag travelers, the issue is blades and pointed objects. If you’re carrying your luggage into the cabin of aircraft, even tiny nail scissors and cuticle clippers risk confiscation by avaricious baggage inspectors. Modern razor blades are not a problem.

The list of essential grooming tools required for travel is short:

• Tooth brush — If you’re using a conventional toothbrush at home, get a new one just before you depart. If you’re using an electric brush at home, experiment with types of ordinary toothbrush to find one that suits you. For hygiene, get a protective plastic cap that snaps shut (the slip-on caps often slip off in your luggage). Replacement brushes of acceptable quality are available anywhere.
• Hair brush or comb — Find the smallest brush that is suitable for your hair type and length, since it will have to compete for space in your day bag. For travelers with short, fine hair, a comb should do.
• Nail cutter — Clippers are preferred, because scissors are vulnerable to confiscation by airport security. If you must use scissors, get the tiniest pair you can use and hope they slip past the baggage scanners.
• Razor — A good razor with spare blades is best, although basic Bic-type disposable razors are individually lighter weight and available everywhere. (Men with beards: even if you don’t carry a razor, keep your whiskers looking like you care.)
• Soap dish — No, you won’t be carrying a jug of liquid body soap with you. It will be bar soap. Some of the sink or shower surfaces you encounter won’t be clean to your standard, especially in the very budget accommodations that don’t supply soap. Do you call housekeeping, wipe the surface clean yourself or just protect your stuff? Many times when you prepare to check-out, your soap won’t be dry. For both situations, the humble plastic soap dish is your answer.

Optional tools:

• Tweezers — Some feel the need to pluck hairs. Tweezers are more important in your first aid kit, so they’re discussed there.
• Menstrual cup — As a substitute for or as an alternate to tampons or pads.
• Menstrual sponges — Another re-usable alternative to tampons or pads.
• Go Girl — This small and simple silicon device allows women to urinate standing up. Budget travel in poor countries brings up situations where this is useful. 

There are many “travel grooming kits” on the market. They’re fine if you’re checking in your bag on every flight, but one bag travelers risk having the scissors and other pointed metal tools seized at airport security. That said, you could get a travel grooming kit because the tools are small and well-packaged. If you lose the scissors and maybe other pointed tools, you’ve still got the other stuff.

Travel toiletries list

Basic travel toiletries are available for purchase in almost all destinations. In rich countries, you will find a wide variety of global, national and local brands, although the exact product you use at home may not be available. In middle and poor countries, you may not be able to find a familiar brand, let alone the specific product you use at home. Quality of local products in poor countries ranges from low to acceptable.

Among the products you can get at home are what we call “specialized travel toiletries.” These are made to be compact, light weight and long-lasting. For products like shaving oil and solid shampoo, a tiny amount could last for your entire trip. Because of these properties, they save on packaging waste. Especially for one bag travelers, specialized travel toiletries can be very effective.

Finally, there are the “hacks.” These are simple and super-cheap solutions using common materials. You might find the common people using them at your destinations.

• Body soap — Most lodges will provide you with soap, but at the budget end of the market, you often have to provide your own. You can obtain bar soap anywhere. Liquid soap is not only impractical for travel, but hard to find and expensive in many places.
• Shampoo — Shampoo or a combination shampoo-conditioner is usually supplied by your lodge, but it may be poor quality. Budget lodges and hostels tend not to supply it at all. You can get shampoo anywhere. In poorer countries it can be bought in tiny single-use sachets… not a great price for volume, but certainly compact in your luggage and well sealed against leakage. Some shampoos can be quite soapy and dry out your hair. Conditioners are less common.

• Conditioner — Conditioner is less commonly supplied by lodges from mid-range down. Global brands are usually available, but they are also less frequently sold by small shops in middle and poor countries than shampoo.

• Toothpaste — A few global brands, such as Colgate, are widely available, but one bag travelers need tubes small enough to pass airport security. Niche toothpaste, such as Sensodyne, can sometimes be found in supermarkets, tourist traps or fancy hotel tuck shops.

• Dental floss — If you normally use a coarser floss, unwaxed floss or dental tape, bring it from home. A small container will last for months. Dental floss is available, but hard to find in countries where flossing isn’t common. In middle and poor countries, you might find the fine, waxed variety only. Note that dental floss can also be used as a heavy thread to repair luggage or footwear.
• Mouthwash — Any amount you bring in your carry-on luggage is not going to last long with daily use. Popular global brands such as Listerine and Scope are widely available, at least in tourist traps and luxury hotels.
• Shaving lubricant — While foams and gels are common, the global brands can be quite expensive. The cans are bulky, too. An old-fashioned shaving mug and brush takes too much space and weight.

• Deodorant or anti-perspirant — The best by far are sticks, since they’re non-liquid, non-aerosol and long-lasting. While deodorants and anti-perspirants are available in all countries, local versions often come with powerful fragrances. There’s also no guarantee that they won’t irritate sensitive skin.

• Hair styling products — From gel to mousse to color, you might find global brands, especially in rich countries. But you might not find the precise product you use at home. Unfortunately, since these are all gels or liquids, you cannot bring enough for more than a short trip. You will have to adapt to whatever products you can find locally or do without.

• Hair color — Color has the same problem as styling products, only more so. You might have trouble finding your exact tint. If your tint is on the lighter end, even an approximate substitute might be hard to find in many countries. And these, too, are liquids and gels, so you can’t bring enough for a longer trip. If a substitute won’t do, you’ll have to go with your natural color.
• Ear buds (Q-tips) — Depending upon how often you use them, buds are small enough that you can bring a reasonable supply from home. They’re not too difficult to find abroad, although many local brands have weak sticks and sparse cotton.
• Tampons or pads (napkins) — Global brands are often available. Local brands may not have the fit or comfort of your usual brand.

• Sunblock — Again, global brands are widely available, but maybe not the specific type you use at home. In poor tropical countries, SPF 30 to 50 sunblock is increasingly available in tourist trap beaches or hotel tuck shops.
• Insect repellant — Repellants are usually available anywhere biting insects are a nuisance or health hazard. Local varieties where the bugs are nasty may contain high levels of DEET or other potent chemicals. Some are quite greasy.
• Toilet paper — Always carry a roll of toilet tissue (reduced to a smaller amount in your day bag). Especially in poor countries, paper is rarely available in public washrooms. It is widely available, although quality can be poor.

• Contact lens solution — We would urge you to switch to eyeglasses, because of the bulk of supplies as well as the hassle of replenishing your solution in poor countries. 
• Foot powder — Your need for this depends upon your susceptibility to fungal infections, what kind of footwear you use, where you’re going and when. If you use foot powder, get the anti-fungal type, not the powder that simply keeps your feet dry.
• Lip balm — If you’re going to middle or poor countries, consider bringing lip balm from home, especially if you need sunblock lip balm.

Other toiletries, such as wet wipes and hand sanitizer, are either bulky or use some of your liquid allowance. They are also difficult to replenish in many countries.

Eyeglasses & contact lenses

If you need corrective lenses, there are several considerations for travel.

You should carry your optical prescription with you. If you’re using contact lenses, make sure the prescription says it’s for contacts or dispensing opticians in some places may not be able to fill the prescription.

You can have an optometrists appointment before leaving home, although getting a simple optical test is free or cheap at optical dispensaries in many countries. In SE Asia, for example, go to an optical shop that has an in-house optometrist. Make sure he or she has a certificate on the wall, so that you’re not in the hands of an ambitious sales clerk. Choose the frames first (many international brands are half or less the price charged in rich countries). If you can’t find what you want, move on. But when you decide to purchase the frames (or contact lenses), the in-house optometrist will test for your prescription on the spot.

While you can get eyeglasses almost anywhere, the options such as progressive lenses may not be available in some middle and poor country optical shops. Contact lenses are widely available in rich and middle countries. They’re often available in the big cities of poor countries, too, but the prices are high.

Simple single prescriptions for both eyeglasses and contact lenses can be filled quickly, but more complex prescriptions (progressive, astigmatism etc.) may take several days to a couple of weeks to fill. That might put a crimp in your itinerary — no big deal if  you planned on spending the time in that city anyway, but what if you’re anxious to move on?

It’s best if you don’t have to get new glasses or contacts en route.

Eyeglasses

Of course, you want to go out on your trip wearing the glasses you already have. We hope they’re optimized for travel! If not, think about a backup pair or buying a new pair in a low cost destination.

• Durable — Above all, you want glasses that can survive the rigors of travel, getting knocked off your face, dropped of your bedside table and sat upon. Breaking that delicate pair of rimless glasses is really going to be a bother to repair or replace. The strongest glasses have full plastic frames and spring-loaded earpiece joints flex when bashed. Fortunate are those whose noses fit glasses with the moulded plastic nose piece. It’s almost impossible to bend or break, whereas the independent wire nose pieces are susceptible to bending, breaking or the pad falling off. 
• Lens coating — Be sure to get anti-scratch and anti-glare coatings on your lenses. 
• Tint — Since you need sunglasses for travel, you might consider the lens treatment that darkens under UV radiation. The more UV, the darker the glasses get. While they darken fast, they lighten much slower. They darken much less inside vehicles, since the vehicle window glass blocks much of the UV. Whether this solution works boils down to whether you’re okay with the time it takes to revert from dark to clear. 
• Backup pair — If you’re going where repairs or replacements are not available, it’s a good idea to bring a backup pair, perhaps an old pair that you tossed in a drawer. Even if the prescription has changed, it’ll be close enough for backup.

Glasses accessories

• Glasses case — If your glasses are on your face all day, every day, you don’t need a case at all. Maybe you need one on those rare occasions when you have to take your glasses off (swimming in the ocean). For those infrequent occasions, all you need is a soft case that closes completely to keep the sand out. If you have a backup pair or are commonly switching between clear glasses and sunglasses or glasses and contact lenses, get the smallest hardshell case that will hold your glasses (and sunglasses, when switched).
• Safety strap — You never know when you’ll be involved in an activity that could whip your glasses off your face. Maybe your vision is quite poor and you need your glasses when you swim in the sea. What happens if you roll your kayak? It would be a total shame to bungy jump and not see the whole thing clearly. Take a safety strap that holds your earpieces and cinches tight around the back of your head. Good for sunglasses, too, of course.
• Clip-on sunglasses — Okay, many of these look really geeky, but they’re a very compact “shirt pocket” alternative to tinting or separate prescription sunglasses.
• Repair kit — Something as minor as the earpiece joint screw falling out might render your glasses next to useless. Any optical shop will put a replacement in for free, but you will have to spend time finding that shop. Instead, carry a tiny glasses repair kit.

Contact lenses

Our first recommendation is to ditch the contact lenses and get eyeglasses for your trip. They are so much less hassle.

But if you insist on using contact lenses, there’s a debate about what kind of lenses to get for travel. The trade-offs are pretty clear.

Daily 

• No need for contact lens solution, which will consume part of your liquids limit and could be a hassle to replenish in some countries. (You may keep a small bottle for moistening when dry and dusty conditions make the lenses uncomfortable.)
• Best for parts of your travel where hygiene could be an issue. If you can’t clean your hands adequately, dailies are safer. (Where hygiene is a problem, hand sanitizer is amazingly hard to find.)
• Good for activities like swimming, where losing one is no big deal. 
• Taking enough of them for a long trip will take space in your bag (weight is negligible).
• More wasteful packaging than monthlies.

Monthly

• Many wearers think that the breathable silicone hydrogel is more comfortable.
• Replenishing the contact lens solution required can be a challenge in poor countries, but if your trip is mainly in rich countries, you’ll be fine.

There are other types and wear durations, but you get the idea. Comfort aside, it mainly comes down to whether the hassle of contact lens solution for the monthlies is worth it to you.

As a contact lens wearer, you should have a backup pair of eyeglasses, just in case you develop irritation in your eyes or get an infection. Glasses will be useful on aircraft (where the air is too dry for contacts) and in destinations that are excessively dry and dusty.

How to choose what you bring from home

You will leave home with at least a complete set of toiletries. But which ones should you bring in small “start up” quantities and which in quantities meant to last? If you need to replenish toiletries en route, what can you expect to find in your destination countries?

Your choices will be constrained by the type of luggage you use and the places you intend to go.

Your type of luggage

Don’t let your personal care tools and products determine what kind of luggage to use, but be aware of how that choice affects what you can carry.

• Carry-on luggage — You cannot take any bladed or pointed tools in it (except razor blades). You are also limited in the individual container size and overall volume of liquids, gels, creams, pastes and aerosols permitted by airport security.
• Check-in luggage — With check-in luggage, you can take bladed grooming tools and as much liquid or gel as you’re prepared to carry. Some travelers might think it’s worth it.

Our recommendation: discipline yourself and go with carry-on only. The advantages of carry-on outweigh a big supply of personal care products and a pair of nail scissors.

Your destinations

Toiletries can be split into three types, based on your ability to replenish your supply while traveling:

• Available at your destinations — In almost all destinations, you can buy an acceptable product, such as a global or local brand of toothpaste or shampoo. 
• Not available at your destinations, but supply from home will last the trip — Maybe you are picky about your stick deodorant and it may not be available in Bolivia, Kenya or Indonesia. Yet two sticks from home can last for a year. Many specialist travel toiletries are made for long use from a small volume and weight. Specialized travel toiletries can also last a very long time.
• Not available at your destinations, but supply from home won’t last the trip —You can do your best to maximize your supply when you leave home, but you’re going to run out. It certainly applies to local products from home and probably to national brands, too. And it will apply to many global brands you buy at home because they don’t offer their full line in every country.  

If you plan to travel only in rich countries, the problem of replenishing your travel toiletries as they run out is half-solved. You might not be able to get the exact product you use at home, but chances are you can get something close.

In middle or poor countries, a limited variety of global brands are usually available, at least in upscale stores serving the local elite, tourist districts and luxury hotel tuck shops. Some global products, such as Colgate or Crest toothpaste, are available almost anywhere. 

How do you know whether or not your favorite product is available in one of your destination countries? Is there a suitable local substitute?

Global brands

If it’s made by a global company like Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive or Johnson & Johnson, there’s a good chance you’ll find their products in any country. The product range may be limited though. For example, you can get Colgate toothpaste in Kenya, but not Mennen Speedstick deodorant, also a Colgate-Palmolive product. 

Try a search: [product name] [country] …to see what comes up. Some of the manufacturer’s global websites also cite brands in different countries. Proctor & Gamble has 80 global websites, so you can see which P&G brands are offered in each country. Again, variety within the product range is often limited. There’s not much demand for blonde hair color in many countries.

Keep in mind that although global products are available in many countries, demand may be limited, so they can still be hard to find. If the product you’re looking for is hard to find, you can expect a high price, too.

Local products

Many experienced travelers get along entirely on local products. In rich countries, that’s not too hard. In middle and poor countries, it can be an adventure.

Many such products are totally okay, although there’s no accounting for local tastes and preferences. Chemical contents of these products may not be regulated as stringently as at home. You will never know if whether or not the product was developed with animal testing. Only when you break out in a rash will you realize that a local sunscreen is not hypo-allergenic. 

In our opinion, you shouldn’t stress too much about local products. Most of them will be okay, even if the fragrance in that deodorant knocks you over and that hair gel make you look like a brilliantined movie star from the 1930s. Besides, they all have the benefit of being cheap compared with global brands. Be brave and try them! 

How to maximize your priority products from home

What’s a high priority product? It’s one that you really want to use, but is difficult or impossible to find after you leave home. It’s the one that you want to allocate to your limited space, weight and  liquid / gel / cream / paste allowance for carry-on. Your choice is more important if you travel with carry-on luggage only. But, even if you take a check-in size bag, you don’t want to lug around a huge supply of toiletries. 

How much will you need for your trip?

Common quantities may be fixed (a tube of toothpaste), set by airport security limits (all liquids, gels, creams and pastes) or sub-dividable for individual use (a package of feminine napkins).

Except for single use items, you’re probably not too clear how many days a container of your favorite toiletry will last with day-to-day use. So, find out! Well before departure, measure your consumption so that you can decide how much of high priority products to take with you from home.

Trip duration in days / No. days per package = No. packages required for trip 

How long does 1 unit of volume or 1 package last?

Get test quantities of your most important travel toiletries. Keep a list noting the start date for each product and use them as you normally do. Mark the date when you run out and count the number of days.

• Solids and powders — Start a new unit of each type of solid and powder (such as a stick of deodorant) and see how many days it lasts.
  • Solids and powders do not have airport security limits, but will be restricted by available space and weight in your luggage.
  • While it’s possible to repackage powders into smaller containers, an unlabelled powder risks the attention of airport security and customs officers. Stick with the smallest unit you can find in original packaging. Once you’re out of the airport, you can minimize the volume if you wish.
• Liquids, gels, creams and pastes — Measure 100 ml (3.4 oz) portions. Use as you normally do and see how many days you can go on that amount.
  • No worries about repackaging these products into unlabelled containers. Since the introduction of limits by airport security, officials have become accustomed to seeing anonymous liquids and gels in rule-compliant bottles.
  • Eliminate aerosols from your list; they are bulky for the amount of product and count against your allowance for restricted carry-on. And they produce a large quantity of waste for the quantity of product.

Now you know how many days a unit or package of each travel toiletry will last. 

How many units or packages will last your whole trip?

For each high priority product, divide the number of days you expect your trip to last by the number of days the volume or package of product lasted. That will tell you how much volume or number of packages you would need for the entire trip. For a longer trip, it’s doubtful you’ll be able to take enough.

Allocate available space or liquid volume among your high priority items. If you’re traveling one bag, choose how much of which liquids, gels, creams and pastes add up to one liter (quart) and what total volume and weight you want to allocate to all toiletries. If you’re using a check-in size bag, you don’t have to limit liquids, but don’t go nuts carrying too much stuff. 

Multiply the number of days per unit time the number of units. The result is the approximate travel time before you run out of the product.

If you can’t take enough for the whole trip

It could be impossible to take enough of a product to last your whole trip. You can spread out the usage or go with whatever products you can find at your destination.

Suppose you color your hair once a month at home. Your trip will be 9 months, but you can take only 2 kits. So, color your hair just before you go, then do it again after 3 months and 6 months. Or use whatever nearest color you can find at your destinations. Or simply revert to your natural color.

Adjust how much of each product according to your own priorities.

Another option is to look for specialized travel toiletries. While there’s no specialized option for hair color, you could replace such items as shaving lubricant and shampoo with smaller or solid products, creating more space or liquid limit for high priority products that can’t be substituted.