LIGHTEN your travel toiletries kit

Are you attempting one bag travel or just wish you could reduce the size of your travel toiletries kit? My travel hacks will help you travel light and minimize your travel size toiletries. No more worrying about the 3-1-1 rule!

Now, let me be honest—I’m not someone who travels with just a carry-on bag. I usually check a suitcase. However, over the last couple of years, I’ve been working hard to lighten our luggage, particularly when it comes to toiletries.

You might be wondering why I’m so focused on packing light today. Well, we’re gearing up for a six-week adventure in North America and Bermuda! We’re incredibly excited—we’ll be cruising from Montreal to New York, spending two fantastic weeks in New York City, and then enjoying a seven-day round trip cruise to Bermuda before heading back home to Australia.

But there’s been a little twist that has influenced our packing strategy—Michael recently had a fall at home! He tripped over a step (nothing spectacular) and ended up dislocating his shoulder and fracturing the humerus in two places. Ouch! He’s recovering after surgery, but since he’ll be in a sling until we depart, we need to keep our luggage light to make things easier for both of us.

The bulk of our packing reduction starts with liquids. Most liquids pack a heavy punch due to their high water content. So, I want to pass on the benefits of my research to you! We’ll cover the rules for taking liquids onboard the plane, explore alternatives to liquids, discuss what to leave behind, and finally, how to pack everything effectively.

Onboard liquids

I’m Australian, but the TSA rules in the USA often come to mind when I think about onboard liquid regulations. Most countries have similar restrictions but remember to check the specific regulations for the country you’re visiting. For instance, the UK has different requirements for the size of clear bags!

Leaving Australia on an international flight, the rules relate to powders, liquids, aerosols and gels. I won’t go into details but certain powders, such as washing powder and salt need to be under 350g but don’t have to be packed in a special bag. Liquids, aerosols and gels must be under 100ml and packed in a zip lock bag that measures 80cm or less around the perimeter. All powder, liquid, aerosol and gel products must be taken out at security. You can have one liquids bag per person.

Personally, I’ve had good luck getting through without having to pull them out, but it’s always best to follow the packing guidelines just in case.

Flying in the USA you have the 3 1 1 rule – each product must be under 3.4 ounces, which is 100ml, be put in a bag that is 1 quart or less (just under a litre) and one bag is allowed per person.

I’ve included links in the text above, but I found this information quite easily by searching “flying liquids Australia” and “flying liquids USA” so do the same for the country you’re visiting to ensure that you know what to do.

Now, we get to the tricky part—what actually counts as a liquid? Items like mascara and lipstick often cause confusion. A handy tip is to think about whether the product can hold its shape without a container at room temperature. Mascara would definitely be considered a liquid, whereas a lipstick would not—although lip gloss? Yep, that’s a liquid!

Don’t forget, there are exemptions for things like medications and baby food, but it’s wise to check the regulations specific to the country you’re visiting.

Of course, none of this applies to liquids in checked in bags, but if you are going to travel carry on only you will need to have a really good understanding of the rules!

Replacements

Why bother with liquids when you can replace them with solid alternatives? Liquid products tend to be heavier, simply because they usually have a higher water content. For example, when I weighed a litre of milk, it clocked in at about one kilo (35.27oz). Meanwhile, the milk powder to make one litre weighed only 130 grams (4.59oz).

You can see it by looking at the ingredients list on any product – the ingredients are listed from highest to lowest percentage and the first one is nearly always aqua – that’s water!

Take shampoo, for instance. I carry a mini shampoo bar instead of liquid shampoo when I travel. I’ve been using a sample sized bar for six weeks of travel all up, and it’s barely any smaller. I can still see the embossed pattern on it, which tells you just how little has been worn away. If I’d taken liquid shampoo I would have used a fairly large bottle over the same period, and the whole bar must be worth at least ten bottles!

There are two more reasons I prefer non-liquid alternatives, and they don’t relate to travel – one is environmental – producing and transporting a shampoo bar instead of ten bottles has a much lower impact on the environment. The second is frugality – it costs a whole lot less for that one bar instead of ten bottles of shampoo! So, at home I use a shampoo bar and toothpaste tablets and plan to replace other items as I run out of the liquid versions.

Now, you might have stumbled upon YouTube videos where some travellers have gone completely non-liquid with their toiletries. While I admire that approach, I’ve learned that there are some items I prefer in liquid form—like body lotion, for example. However, even if you switch out just half or a quarter of your products, you’re already making a substantial difference!

For my hair care, I use a full-sized Ethique shampoo bar at home. For travel, I have a travel-sized Superzero shampoo bar—thank you, Sephora, for that gift with purchase! I’ve been using the Ethique bar for about 18 months, and I’d estimate it’s just over half used. I wash my hair only twice a week because I’m super protective of my colour and want to avoid stripping it out too quickly. The two shampoo bars I use are gentle on my colour.

Moving on to tooth care, I typically use DENTtabs toothpaste tablets with fluoride. Admittedly, when I travel, I tend to take those mini tubes of liquid toothpaste, simply because we’ve accumulated so many of them from international flights over the years. But once I use those up, I’ll switch over to the tablets—although I have to convert Michael first since he hasn’t warmed up to that idea yet!

I have some other substitutions that help too. I take a few hand sanitiser wipes, but I buy a small bottle of liquid sani when I arrive at my destination. Between us we usually use it all up before we leave and then revert back to wipes until we get home.

For a hydration boost, especially on long flights or if I’m feeling under the weather, I take hydration sachets. Instead of liquid concealer, I prefer using a pencil or pan-style product. And while you can find foundation in powder form, I don’t particularly like how it feels on my skin, so I opt for a foundation stick—the Hourglass Vanish Stick is good, and it’s cruelty-free! For sheer coverage, I recommend Charlotte Tilbury’s Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick (why such a long name, Charlotte?)

I have a Kate Somerville eye balm in stick form, which I don’t think is available anymore, but I like the look of the Tatcha Serum Stick, which can be used on the eyes.

When it comes to deodorant, I prefer sticks, although they can be a bit bulky, and harder to buy in Australia. For longer trips, I’ll take a full stick, but for shorter trips, I tend to cut off a portion and pack it in a small pot. It’s compact and easy to apply with my fingers.

I take a lip balm stick instead of a pot or tube, and a compact solid perfume – Michael bought me a lovely Diptyque one!

If you’re wondering whether there’s a solid alternative to your usual liquid products, just do a quick Google search for “product solid form,” and you might be surprised by what you find! And don’t hesitate to share any recommendations you might have in the comments below!

My goal in creating this video isn’t to provide specific substitutes; it’s really about helping you shift the way you think about your packing choices. For your convenience, I’ve included links to the products I’ve personally used or am considering trying out in the future in the description below.

Now, as you check off your packing list while I’m sharing these tips, you might have noticed that I haven’t covered every single item yet. There are three main reasons behind this:

I still have quite a few products in liquid form that I want to completely use up before I consider replacing them with solid versions. I haven’t researched them yet and I won’t recommend anything without at least having read up on it! I always buy cruelty free and sometimes it can take some time to track down a suitable cruelty free substitute.
There are items I’ll probably never switch to non-liquid forms of, or will probably never be offered in non-liquid forms. Think nasal decongestant sprays, pillow sprays, eyebrow gels, liquid eyeliners, mascara, facial cleansers, eczema creams, hydrating masks, sunscreen, and hand creams, just to name a few. These products are essential for my routine, and I prefer sticking with what I know works for me.
There are products that I simply don’t pack, so it’s worth evaluating whether you truly need them! For example, I used to rely on hairspray every day, but now I never use it, and I haven’t noticed any difference in my hair. Of course, everyone’s hair is different, but what I’m trying to say is think about if you really have to have a certain item, perhaps stop using it at home, and you may find you don’t need it!

Then there’s products you’ll find at your hotel – I stay at reasonably good hotels, and they usually have a nice brand of body wash or soap, hair conditioner and body lotion that I am happy to use. I’d never use hotel shampoo, no matter what the brand, because I’m very fussy about what I wash my hair with due to the pink colour being easy to strip out, but any conditioner is fine. If you haven’t stayed in the hotel (or been on that cruise line) before you might want to contact them to find out what they provide and what brand they use.

And when it comes to washing clothes and even makeup brushes, I don’t pack any special detergents; I simply use the hotel’s body wash or shampoo. For longer trips where I use proper laundry facilities (a washing machine), I bring along laundry detergent sheets. I never use fabric softener – did you know it can ruin your clothes? It’s not really a thing here in Australia. Same with dryer sheets! Try giving those up, you’ll save money and your clothes!

All right, now that you’ve got some solid ideas 🤣, it’s time to get your packing list together and start preparing for your trip! Here’s where we get down to the nitty-gritty of lightening your toiletry load.

To begin, make a packing list and fine-tune it. A few years back, I went through a phase of having a ten-step skincare routine. Now, I’ve simplified it down to four essential steps: cleanser, serum or treatment, eye cream, and moisturiser. Recent readings suggest that our overly complicated skincare routines might actually be harming our skin. Think about what you use and what you really need on your skin to be comfortable on holiday.

Ask yourself, can any products multitask? For instance, could you use a body lotion that also doubles as hand cream? Or maybe a moisturiser that acts as an eye cream too?

Although I like to keep things minimal, I’m not against bringing along multiple products if I feel I need them in different locations, for convenience. For example, I keep one face cleanser in the shower for mornings and have a separate one at the sink for nighttime. I know it goes against my minimalist packing mantra, but it works for me! Just keep the next part in mind so you don’t end up with too much stuff…

How MUCH do you really need? Last year we spent three weeks in New York. I tried to keep my toiletries minimal, but I wasn’t sure just how minimal I could go, so before I left, I recorded all the products and the approximate quantities I packed. When I got home, I noted the amounts I actually used, and replacement products I’d had to buy. This showed me what I needed for three weeks. Now, I can easily adjust my quantities for future trips with confidence!

I have a dedicated box full of little containers for decanting my toiletries into—some are specially purchased, while others are the result of keeping pots from sample-size products from past gifts. I make sure to label these containers with a Sharpie so I know what’s inside.

For bar products, like my shampoo, I put it into a mesh bag – these bags are amazing because they help the bar really lather up – and then into the brilliant Matador FlatPak Soap Bar Case – it’s like a mini dry bag for soap and it allows the soap to breath and dry out, without the moisture leaking out of the bag. Magic! I put all my bar products in the one Matador bag, in separate mesh bags. If the bars are large, I cut a piece off and leave most of it at home.

To hold everything, I use a Bagsmart toiletry bag—it’s quite popular in the YouTube community, so I hesitated for a long time, thinking it was just another trend. Let me tell you, it’s super useful! I designate different compartments: one for skincare, another for hair and body products, and a small section for odds and ends like travel nail clippers, a sewing kit, and even matches—they’re handy for killing unpleasant toilet odours!

The other smaller compartment gets the things that I put in the shower – cleanser, foot file and scrub mitt – so they are easy to find when I want to jump in the shower when we arrive.

It has enough space for Michael’s items, too, ensuring that we both have what we need.

The outside compartment is plastic lined, so I put my microfibre hair towel in there – that way if I have to pack it up when it’s wet it won’t make everything else wet!

It can be bulky when packed full, but since all the individual compartments zip up it can always be opened out for packing if it fits better in the suitcase that way.

I have a small separate bag for makeup, and another one for bedside items – lip balm, hand cream, prescription medications, pillow spray, and tissues. I keep that next to the bed and I don’t have to unpack anything to have the things I need for a good night’s sleep nearby.

I end up with exactly what I need, and packed in a way that I can locate it when I need it. On a trip like the one we are going on soon, with three separate hotel stays and two cruises, it will make packing and unpacking much, much easier! Bonus!

Now that I’ve given you some things to think about when packing for your next holiday, you can learn about everything I take onboard the plane when flying long haul, here. Or check out this playlist for all my travel hacks.