You’ve planned a holiday with your best girlfriends; accommodation and flights are sorted, and all there is left to do is to get all the essentials you need. The problem is: where do you begin? It can be quite overwhelming thinking of the different things you need for your holiday. You can end up overspending and not using half of things you bought, or you end up not buying enough and regretting it whilst you’re on holiday.
Depending on the type of holiday that you’re going on (girls’ holiday to Ibiza, or a month-long trip with your bestie to Asia) it’s easy enough to make a list of the key essentials such as your passport and clothes, but what about packing cubes and organisers?)
We’ve compiled a list of some of the best travel essentials for women. From cool gadgets to cute accessories to look your best, you’re sure to find something to inspire you…
1. Vaschy Lightweight backpack
If you’re going out on day trips on holiday, you’ll want to take all the essentials with you (water bottle, sun cream, camera, snacks). You’ll also want a comfortable yet compact bag to carry those things in. This lightweight rucksack is a perfect fit for everyday essentials and it comes in a variety of different colours, too!
2. Waterproof Phone Pouch
Let’s be honest, we all like to use our phones by the pool and take photos with our girlfriends to share on social media. But equally, we don’t want to get our phones wet and even worse, drop them in the water! Waterproof cases are a must to protect your phone, so you can continue to snap away, worry-free. How else can we can share our holiday snaps on Instagram with a strawberry daiquiri in hand? You can use it to take underwater photos too!
3. Compact mirror
Holidays are generally all about that sun-kissed look and wearing minimal makeup; but ladies, what happens when you need to check to see if there is any spinach in between your teeth? Or you need to get out that stubborn ingrown hair on your eyebrows? A Compact mirror is a one of the travel essentials for women that you can use everyday back at home too. You can pop it into your bag and it takes up very little space.
4. Sand Free Beach Blanket
We all love days out at the beach, feeling the sand in between our toes. However, it does get extremely annoying when the sand goes on your towel and sticks to your body. It’s definitely not a cute look, is it girls? Sand free towels can help with this and we thoroughly recommend this one by Dock and Bay. They have some really cool designs to choose from!
5. SUPER SPARROW Reusable bottle
We all need to keep hydrated on holiday but buying endless bottles of water can become quite costly, especially if you purchase them from corner shops. It’s also extremely bad for the environment! We recommend taking a reusable bottle and this one by Super Sparrow is fantastic (I’d recommend the pink or purple one as it’s nice and girly!) The bottle will keep your water cold (or hot if you want to carry round a hot drink). They come in a variety of colours.
6. Pop Socket phone stand
You’ve downloaded your favourite chick-flick to watch on the plane but you want to be able to sit and watch comfortably on your phone, without having to hold it for hours on end. We recommend purchasing a pop socket! They’re great for propping up your phone on the tray and you don’t need to worry about aching wrists! Pop sockets have a huge array of different colours, patterns and designs.
7. Fast & high capacity Portable charger
We all rely on our phones on a daily basis, and they’re more important than ever when you’re going on holiday. A lot of portable chargers are quite bulky and heavy, but this one from Anker is the right size. It’s compatible for all phone brands and electronic devices, so you’ll never need to worry about losing battery whilst on the go! Unlike other cheap portable chargers, it allows you to fast charge and has a huge power capacity.
8. Mini portable Hair straighteners
After days outside in the sun, your hair will naturally become quite frizzy and could do with being styled. If you have a limited amount of space in your suitcase, you may want to consider buying a pair of mini portable straighteners. They’re much more compact and generally cheaper (if you don’t want to take your GHD’s). These straighteners from Babyliss make great travel essentials for women that get frizzy hair when it’s humid outside. Don’t forget that you’ll need your travel adapter, girls!
9. Anker Soundcore Wireless speaker
Speakers are a great addition to your packing list; for days lazing around by the pool or to listening to throwback tunes whilst getting ready for a night out with your girls. Speakers can be quite pricey, but this one from Anker is extremely affordable and has excellent reviews. Connect the speaker to your phone via Bluetooth and you’re good to go!
10. Makeup travel bag
When going on holiday, most girls want to take the kitchen sink and pack their whole makeup collection. We need different types of blusher, foundation and not to mention our false lashes! It’s always best to keep all of your makeup and toiletries in one bag to avoid things getting lost, damaged and to reduce the chance of any spillages if they’re left in your case. This travel case from Amazon is light-weight and compact, with a secure zip compartment. There’s plenty of room for you to include all of your makeup needs and keep them safe and secure. We don’t want our powder to get cracked!
11. Luggage Packing Cubes
Raise your hand if you just chuck all of your clothes in your wardrobe into your suitcase? Some of us ladies would rather pack more things than we need, than not pack enough! Chances are, you’ll take a large suitcase on holiday with you, which allows you plenty of room to pack whatever you want. Even then, space is always an issue! Packing cubes are the answer to your problems. Neatly bundling your clothes into packing cubes will not only stop your clothes getting creased, but it’ll make more room for other things in your suitcase.
12. Infinity travel scarf
It can be quite annoying carrying around a bag with you – especially if the bag you own doesn’t have a handle. Clutches are cute, but not very convenient!
This Infinity Travel Scarf from CADITEX removes your need for a bag entirely! It has a zipped pocket for you to include your small personal belongings, such as your phone, money, credit card, car keys. It’s especially great for the evening, when the weather turns a bit cooler. It’ll keep you warm and there is no need to take a bag!
13. Travel shoe bags
Depending on the type of holiday you’re going on, you may need to take several different types of shoes (high heels, trainers, sandals, flip flops, ballet pumps). You’ll also want to keep them safe and free from damage. These handy travel shoe bags keep your footwear safe and compact, and you can even use them to store other travel essentials. They’re very multi-purpose!
14. Jewellery organiser case
Jewellery can get tangled really easily and we end up spending hours on end trying to untie the knots in our necklaces and bracelets. If you’ve got a lot of jewellery to take on holiday with you, this organiser from Teamoy is the one for you. It has separate sections for your necklaces, bracelets, watches and earrings, where they’ll stay safe and secure whilst you’re on the move.
15. Tangle Teaser Travel hairbrush
After days out on the beach and chilling by the hotel pool, our hair can become very tangled and can be a pain to de-knot with a regular hairbrush. I personally love the Tangle Teasers, as they not only get the stubborn knots, they are really compact and great for you to pop in your bag to use, as when you need it. Hooray for smooth hair days on holiday!
16. Travel umbrella
No matter your destination, it’s always handy to pack a travel umbrella. The worst thing is when it starts to chuck it down with rain, when you’ve spent hours perfecting your makeup and blow drying your hair. You don’t need to carry an umbrella around with you all of the time, but be sure to check the weather forecast so you can be prepared to avoid looking like a drowned rat! This umbrella on Amazon is really compact and comes in a range of different colours!
17. Moisturising Aloe Vera Face masks
After spending many hours in the sun, our skin can become really dehydrated. We also want to make sure that the sun kissed face for as long as possible. So… how do we do it? Thanks to my Korean mother, she introduced me to Aloe Vera face masks! They’re incredibly hydrating and refreshing and are even better when you put them in the fridge before use. Be sure to take a couple with you on holiday to keep your skin hydrated, ladies! They’re an item on our list of travel essentials for women that you’ll take home and use throughout the year.
18. Travel diary
If you’re going away for a while, you may want to consider taking a travel diary with you to document your time out there. No doubt you will take lots of photos, but it can be hard to remember every little detail. This Leather Journal Notebook from Amazon is a great size for you to just pack in your suitcase. Just make sure you dedicate some time at the end of each day to write in it, so your memories are captured whilst they’re fresh in mind!
19. Vichy Face sun cream
Whilst we need to make sure we keep topping up on Suncream throughout the day, it’s important to choose a good sunscreen with SPF 50. If we use normal sun cream on our face, it can leave it feeling really greasy and can cause blocked pores. I always use a separate sunscreen that is specifically designed for the face to avoid this. The Ideal Soleil Mattifying Touch Face Cream from Vichy is light, easy to apply and also smells nice!
20. Multivitamins
The sun is great for that healthy glow, but the sun can also cause damage to your skin over time, so it’s important to look after it. These vitamins from Nutrivita are not only tasty, but they’ll help restore your skin, hair and nail health. This is really important if you’re out in the sun all day long!
21. A stylish beach bag
One of the best things about being on holiday is having a good old beach day with your girlfriends! You want to be practical but look stylish at the same time. This personalized beach bag from Esty is just the right size, so you can include your beach towel, sun cream, speaker, book, hat and a bottle of water!
22. Travel safety alarm
If you’re going out in the evenings with your girls on holiday; whilst you’ll have each other to look out for you, some countries aren’t that safe, especially in the evenings. Safety alarms are discreet and can attach on to your keys, your purse, or can be simply kept in your bag for peace of mind. This is one of the must-have travel essentials for women travelling alone.
The list of travel essentials for women mentioned above may not be an absolute necessity but will definitely make your travels easier and more comfortable. It’s most important to remember the essentials when packing your suitcase. Below are some of the main things that I couldn’t live without whilst on a trip.
Our complete travel packing list for women:
- Sun cream
- First aid kit
- Sanitary towels/ tampons
- Makeup/ toiletries
- hairdryer/ hair straighteners
- Clothes
- Tweezers
- Razor
- Shaving gel
- Pajamas
- Shoes (sandals, heels, trainers, flip flops)
- Swimwear
- Wash bag
- Dry shampoo
- Sunglasses
- Hat
- Headphones
- Crossbody bag
- Perfume
We hope you enjoyed reading our list of the best travel essentials for women. Please leave a comment down below if you’re as much of a fan any of these as we are! We’d also love to know if you have any of your own must-have essentials that you couldn’t live without 😊.
By Susie
Author bio:I’m is a passionate traveller that loves a sunny beach holiday, but also appreciate the cultural side to a trip and checking out undiscovered destinations. I’m the go-to Toucan Traveller for great holiday stories, cool photos and foodie recommendations.
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