The hardest thing about traveling with only a carry on is packing our all our toiletries. While we’d love to bring all our skincare, haircare, and makeup with us, here is how to pack liquids in carry on to avoid having to check in a bag or, even worse, holding up the airport security line.
Pick the Right Bag
Domestically in the US, we’ve been able to get away with this clear toiletry bag that is a tad larger than a quart size bag. But internationally, they’re much more strict. We like to bring our own quart size bag and make sure all our toiletries fit in there because we’ve noticed the plastic bag they give at the airport is tiny.
Only Pack What You need
First we pare down our skincare routine. We don’t bring every single skincare product we own and every step. Bring your necessities.
Additionally while you are allowed to bring containers that are 100 ml or about 3 oz each, you don’t need 3 oz of every single product. So we’ll bring what we need and put them into a smaller container.
This is why sample size products are the best for travel. But don’t hoard them because they expire faster! But we do especially love samples in refillable containers we’ve gotten from Sephora since we can clean and reuse them.
Tip: Use an empty contact lens case for products you only need a little bit, like retinol.
Find Solid Alternatives
For products we use more often, like face cleanser and sunscreen, we’ve found solid alternatives.
We love this Cerave solid cleanser because it can double as a gentle face cleanser and body wash. Additionally, we love sunscreen sticks, like this AHC one, because it’s easy to apply and reapply throughout the day.
Additional Tips for How to Pack Liquids in Carry On
If you’re going on a trip with friends, see what products you can share like toothpaste or contact solution.
Remember that you can always buy some toiletries as you travel! For example, since we use a lot more sunscreen for body, we’ll buy one at our destination, but we’ll always carry one for our face.
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While you can buy all your toiletries when you arrive at your destination instead of packing it all into a single quart size bag, we like to bring our own products due to skin sensitivities and having color-treated hair. Check out all of our travel necessities and essentials!
Share with us your packing tips & hacks! If you like this, check out our blog post on Carry On Only Travel.
– Jo & Grace
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