5 Ways to Prepare Your Travel Toiletry Bag Efficiently

You are at the airport, waiting for the security check and suddenly you realize it just takes forever because the person in front of you just has to get rid of all the creams and shampoo and everything he shouldn’t have brought in his carry-on bag. This is a common scenario, isn’t it?

However, we wouldn’t be wrong to assume that getting prepared for a travel, especially deciding which personal care items to take with us and deciding how to put them in our bags takes even more time. In addition, we usually end up with thinking, “Oh, never mind. I’ll take whatever I need when I get there.”

This is not only not the most logical decision because you may not be able to find a place to buy shampoo, day cream, shower gel, nail clipper, tooth paste (shall I keep on?) right after you reach your hotel but also because it is going to cost you extra money. When we take into consideration the fact that you’ll not be able to take them with you because of the amount limitations on board, actually leaving your toiletries home and replacing them with new ones in your destination turns out to be one of the most wasteful things you can do.

In addition, changing your favorite shampoo and skincare product just because you have been too lazy to prepare an efficient toiletry bag may cost you more than you think.

It is not that hard to prepare the toiletry bag that would save you from a lot of trouble during your trip. Plus, it is not very hard to prepare one you can even fit in your carry-on bag.

Here are 5 tips on preparing an efficient toiletry bag for your trip while minimizing the risk of spilling, being have to thrown away or saying goodbye to them during the security check.

Try these or make use of them in your next travel and you’ll see the difference. You can thank me later.

Pour the liquids into travel bottles.

If you don’t feel like buying travel sizes of your liquids, this one will save you not only space but also money. Purchase a couple of travel bottles (don’t worry about their sizes, most of them are produced with keeping the on board amount allowance on board) and pour them into these little helpers. Don’t forget to put some stickers on in order not to mix the conditioner with the shampoo or the body wash with face wash.

If you are a typical worst case scenario person and cannot take the idea of the caps opening and find your bag all soaked up with types of liquids, use some plastic wraps. Just take out a small piece, place it on the top of the bottle and put the cap after. A great way to secure they stay where you put them in, right?

P.S: If you are still not convinced and determined to take the bottles for you, there is one more recommendation for you. Check out the cleaner bars you can use for washing your hair, body and face at the same time. You can save a lot of space and diminish the risk of being have to deal with cleaning spilled liquids.

Take the amount you need.

If you are to take some sun screen or moisturizer with you, don’t take the whole pack with you. The travel bottles usually have the little cups, you can use them. If you don’t have them, you can make use of a contact lens boxes; the amount they can take is just perfect for a week of travel.

Ladies, don’t hesitate to use the same method for your cream foundation or any other cosmetics that is cream-like. Another item that can save you from the trouble of taking all of them with you is the pill containers. They are small in size but just the right size for your one week travel. (If you are to stay longer, just double the pill boxes.)

Another method to carry the cream like things is more nomad like but definitely worth trying since they seem to be really efficient. Find a couple of empty straws, cut them in the size you’d like to. Close the bottom part with using a tape, fill it and close the top. You can put some stickers on, or even write what is inside on the straw. There you go.

Find the perfect bag for you.

This is where it all begins. Unless you have the perfect toiletry bag for you, filling it, packing it and carrying it will always remain as a burden. So what it the perfect toiletry bag? It depends on you and the amount of items you’d like to carry with you. Some prefer the regular box like, zipped bags whereas some never give up on the folded ones. I go for the folded one since it gives much more space and I can hang it behind the door so I don’t have to deal with its getting wet on the counter or having to put it on places where I have no idea about how clean they are. Plus, the folding versions don’t take much space in your bag.

Don’t take things you will not be using with you.

Okay, I know it feels like you are going to need every single item you put in your toiletry bag when you are preparing it. However, I also know that you are not going to use at least 30 per cent of those things. Because that’s so what every traveler does, because that is what I keep doing.

In order not to bring your bathroom cupboard with you, make sure to make a list before your trip and stick with that list. Keep in mind that you should take the things which are irreplaceable or indispensable for you. You don’t really have to put a needle and thread set to your bag because most probably there will be one waiting for you in the first drawer of your hotel room. If you feel like you’ll be just fine with the shampoo and the body wash given by the hotel, don’t take yours just for the possibility of changing your mind.

Pay attention to the hygiene.

Some of the most important items in your toiletry bag needs a bit more attention. If you are taking a razor blade with you rather than your shaving machine for example, you may have to pay more attention to its hygiene a bit more. The plastic caps may not be enough since for some reason they keep opening whenever they especially have to keep closed. You can actually get some help from the clips we use every day in our offices; the ones with the black plastic parts. Just put the clipper on the razor blade when the plastic protector is also on top. It will be tighter and the clip will keep the plastic top closed on the razor.

If you are carrying a bar soap and don’t want to carry a plastic box that is double as the size of the soap, you can use a small hand towel to wrap it after you use. If you use a towel instead of the plastic box, you will also not have to wait until it is dry to put it in your bag.

If you are carrying tweezers or nail clippers, that’d wise to put these in separate small zipped bags and place them in separate parts in your toiletry bag.