Hello lovely readers.  How are you today?  I really hope you are well.  It’s a really grey day here and my thoughts always turn to holidays when the weather is like this.  My mission this year is to have you feeling totally prepared for any trip you might want to take, whether it’s with the family, as a couple or maybe your first solo trip.

If we feel in control of the organising and packing, it’s one less barrier out of the way and you will feel a step closer to your next holiday or short break.  Packing the toiletries and cosmetics for a trip seems to be one of the biggest issues for people.  It’s something I get asked about a lot.

suitcase and passport

In this post I want to help you understand what toiletries and liquids you can pack to take on a plane.  Once you have it nailed what you can take, you can completely remove this stress from getting ready for your trip.

Top Tip: I have a clear bag filled with toiletries under 100ml in my bathroom storage that I can grab at anytime if I’m travelling with hand luggage only.  I just need to make sure I refill any empty items when I return.

If you are travelling solo or with hand luggage only it’s really important to remember that only one clear bag filled with toiletries is allowed through airport security.  If you have more than one bag, or you buy some extra cosmetics before you go through security you will probably be told these can’t travel with you.

If you are travelling with hold luggage, it’s a good idea to pack your toiletries in here to avoid any issues. You are able to take items larger than 100ml in your checked bags also, which can be a big help for families and long trips.  If you do, my advice to you is to seal them in plastic bags to avoid any leaks or spills during the trip.  Opening a suitcase to shampoo everywhere generally isn’t the best start to any holiday.

Packing toiletries for flying - what you need to know before you fly and for airport security #traveltips #traveladvice #packingtips

What Items Are Classed As Liquids

This might sound obvious, but there are somethings you might not have thought of.  I packed some yoghurt for my daughter once and it didn’t make it through security:

  • any drinks, including water
  • liquid or semi-liquid foods, for example soup, syrups and yoghurts
  • cosmetics and toiletries, including creams, mascara and lip gloss
  • sprays or aerosols, including shaving foam and deodorants
  • toothpaste and similar items
  • gels
  • contact lens solution
  • any other solutions and items with a liquid or semi liquid consistency

What You Need To Know If You Pack Liquids In Your Hand Luggage

  • the container itself must be 100ml in size
  • bottles and containers must be placed in a clear resealable plastic bag, approximately 1 litre in size
  • contents must fit comfortably inside the bag so it can be sealed
  • The bag cannot be knotted or tied
  • only 1 plastic bag per person allowed
  • you must present the bag at airport security

There Are Some Exemptions

Sometimes, you can take liquid containers larger than 100ml through security if they:

  • are required for medical reasons
  • you have special dietary requirements
  • you need to travel with baby food or milk, and the baby is travelling with you

Make sure you check with your airline if there are any special restrictions in place or you are flying from another country as the rules could be slightly different.  The guidelines shared here apply to flying from UK airports.

It might all seem like a lot to take in, especially if it’s your first trip but once you’ve got your head around it it does make sense and the rules are in place to make air travel safe for everyone, which is super important. If you follow this summary, I don’t think you can go far wrong:

Summary of How to Pack Your Toiletries for Hand Luggage

  • pack one resealable plastic bag per person
  • both the container and the liquid must be 100ml or less
  • all liquids need to fit inside the bag so it can be resealed

selection of travel toiletries

Feeling lucky?  Check out my giveaways here.

Know someone who would enjoy this post?  Please do share it with your friends and followers, as it would literally make my day.  

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I’ve been provided with a set of toiletries to feature in this post.

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171 COMMENTS

  1. I’m going away this year with my family and my Godson and his family and this would be really useful.

  3. I would love to win as I travel a lot to visit family back home in the states and it’s always such a pain to hunt down travel size supplies

  5. We’re off on two trips this year – a few days in Blackpool and a short break to London for our wedding anniversary – so this selection of beauty products would be really useful :o)

  8. I’d love to win as I’m going to be packing my hospital/birth bag in the next two weeks ready for when my little one makes her arrival! Mini toiletries are a must!

  9. If love to win this prize because I’ll be traveling from NY to NC to visit my daughter this fall. This would be perfect to pack to take!

  14. Would love to win for me. Not even started to plan on what I’m taking on an upcoming trip but this was a great read. It’s been a long time since I travelled and it certainly made me aware of the changes that are now in place.

  15. I travel a lot with only hand luggage and it astounds me the amount of people who say they have to check a case in because of their toiletries! Omg most 100ml are more than adequate for a week and even if you took very little I’m sure the £50 charge to put your case in the hold would more than cover the cost 3 times over.

  19. i would love this bundle ready for when we go on honeymoon this year (we got married last year but family commitments meant putting it off)

  29. because i love trying new (to me) products, and this is a great way of doing so – products I wouldn’t otherwise think or know about them, to try out x

  32. It’s a great selection of products, ideal for taking on my travels. With 3 boys & a husband to pack for there isn’t always enough room for me!

  35. Great prize. In need of toiletries, and hoping to be able to get away on short break later this year. With children and elderly toiletries, etc often very useful and convenient. Elderly have hospital stays at times, have periods of being housebound, have ill health which requires more care and can lead to less available time to shop for essential personal hygiene products :- Yet need is there, and can be increased due to ill health, vomiting, etc. Personal hygiene being done whether independently or by carer etc allows individual to feel clean, fresh and hopefully wholesome.

    Children want to be independent, and we need to allow them to gradually gain independence if possible, and develop a sense of self esteem. Yet they can and do, have accidents / mishaps such as dropping, spilling toiletries, etc.

  40. What’s not to love.. having beauty essentials ready to go is a must and it’d be great not having to rush out if somethings forgotten

  41. I’d love to win this to give to my daughter – she’s planning her first holiday abroad to visit a friend in Gibraltar – she’d find this prize so useful.

  42. Going to the Lake District again this year to catch up with some old time friends. Would be great to try something new and share it too

  52. Very helpful article thank you.I’d like to win as the products would be great for my holiday this year.Also I am off to London for a weekend and trying to pack light.

  55. we do homesitting for a living this would mean I always have what I need without raiding the bathroom at home

  56. We are going away on a few short breaks so it would be fabulous if I won. It would make my life so much easier to have this already to pop into out case.

  57. we are going on 3 holidays this year. one for my son’s 13th birthday and second one we are taking my Nan as a treat for her. so this set would be really handy to have x

  61. always great to have essential toiletries at hand to keep feeling fresh and feminine where ever you may be

  63. I’m going on a family holiday to Portugal in March and am a terrible over-packer, so this would be handy for me!

  64. Ooh this would be perfect for keeping me fresh and fabulous when travelling . Unfortunately nowhere exotic though …yet national rail is bad enough !! Would love to be your lucky winner

  65. What a fab blog and a great giveaway! This would be very helpful for this single mummy whilst taking my little one on a wee holiday this year! One less worry thanks for the chance great selection!

  70. These would really come in handy! I split my time between Nottingham and London, so having more than one of everything (and minis!) is essential 🙂

  79. I’d like to win because I travel solo and with hand luggage only so the prize would be very useful and perfect for my upcoming trips

  80. I do love to try new products, and smaller sizes are always great for trips and for checking whether products are suitable for my skin, thanks xx

  88. After a long period of being virtually housebound through illness, I intend to take every opportunity to visit new places this year. So this lovely prize with well-known, reliable brands would be very useful.

  90. I would love to win as I travel up and down the country every8 weeks to see my niece and I never have room for everything I need

  92. As you have said, these are perfect for travelling so would be an excuse to book a holiday but also this would be a great opportunity to try some new products! Fingers crossed! 🙂

  93. WEll my 2018 resolution was to visit new places as a family, currently have one alreaday booked and looking to book two more! This would be amazing 🙂

  95. I’m visiting China later this year and with 2 long haul and 3 short haul flights in 13 days I definitely need it lol

  103. It’ll be good to have a boost for the New Year, its all so boring at this time of the year so a good time to try something different.

  106. Planning our first trip away this year as an extended family would love to be able to gift these to the little one

  108. I would love to win because I love toiletries, I tend to buy something every week and have lots of different products

  109. I have got four trips planned this year so far and would love to win this pack which would last for my first two trips at least!

  118. I’d love to win for my daughter, this year she has a special birthday and has lots of travel planned so these would be perfect

  120. I am off on my honeymoon next month, and this would be one less thing I would need to worry about as it’s all done for me already.

  126. Some great ideas, thank you! Travelling to Iceland and Florida this year! Already counting down the days! love holidays!

  130. Would be perfect for me i travel alot from Wales to the midlands to see family so always need travel toiletries x thanks for the chance x

  132. I’m off travelling for 1 year in March; some of these are already on my list and some aren’t so it would be great to put them to the test!

  138. We have a couple of trips booked this year (one’s a cruise Yeah) so these lovely goodies would really come in handy, and the helping hints are brilliant as it can get very confusing on the liquid front

  144. I would love to win this prize because these items are essentials that everyone needs but often forgets to pack

  147. I’d love to win because the travel size toiletries would come in useful for when I’m going away to Llandeilo in Wales next month. Plus I like to pretend I’m a giant fiddling around with the tiny bottles and tubes 😀

  154. I’d love to win this for all my mini adventures I plan on going on with my little family this year! How perfect!

  161. I have to spend nights away a lot with work and I don’t find that I have enough time for general pampering – these are quick fix ways of being on the go and being able to stay clean and fresh 🙂

  165. This would be amazing as we are Travelling to Vietnam in April to meet our new Grandson who was born in November we are very excited but have never travelled to Asia before so it will be all new to us.

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