TRAVEL HACKS FOR: LADIES

Step up your travel game! In this episode of the Travel Hacking series, I share tips for my fellow ladies. It is no secret that girls may need an extra thing or 5 no matter how short a trip they plan, and my experience is no exception to that. Even though wardrobe is one of the most difficult parts of traveling for me to compromise when going away (tough life, I know), there are certain "beauty" things I am not willing to leave behind simply because they provide me that level of comfort I need to go conquer the world (and because they can turn a long-haul flight into a spa break). Plus, if you travel to expensive countries, thinking this through beforehand will help sustain your budget.

Taking full-sized products is always never an option no matter how much I love the product. They are heavy, take up a ton of space, and are not allowed in carry-ons. Not to mention there is always a risk that something will spill or break. So what do you do?

One solution to this first world problem is using smaller bottles/containers like pill bottles. Otherwise, finding a good set of travel bottles for liquids and gels is quite easy wherever you are.
You can also buy the same products but in travel size or in travel kits like this one.
If you do not have a strong preference for skin, hair, and makeup products and would like to try new stuff, I highly recommend looking into beauty boxes: random or themed sets of full- and travel-sized care and makeup items. They aim to provide you with samples of brand new or interesting products available on the market while not spending that much money at all - I am completely hooked! There are quite a few beauty boxes out there to choose from, though that depends on your delivery country. I always keep an eye on this website as they review boxes available in the UK, but my absolute favourite is the one from Look Fantastic. Once you run out of the product, just wash the bottle and refill it with whatever you like!
Make-up stores are often happy to give you free samples of items you are interested in. I am not sure how it works in other countries, but I used to do it in North America (Sephora has proved to be very generous with their samples) and do it every now and then in Europe. You get one week's (or more) worth of the product and keep the containers: win-win!
Hair straighteners, apart from being a hair tool, make good irons - just in case you need to have another excuse to take one with you.
Dry shampoos are truly amazing if there is no way to wash your hair properly. Going on a camping trip does not mean every day has to be a bad hair day, does it?