Packing your toiletry bag for a weekend getaway: travel sizes, refillable bottles, and the 100ml rule
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
What fits and what doesn't in your carry-on, and how do you decant your own shampoo without making a mess? A practical guide to travel sizes, refillable bottles, and the 100 ml rule.
You're at security and the queue behind you is getting longer. Your 200-milliliter bottle of shower gel is three-quarters empty, but that doesn't matter: it's going in the bin. The annoying thing is that this could have been completely avoided, with a two-euro bottle and five minutes of preparation at home.
Packing a toiletry bag seems simple until you combine it with air travel. Below are the current rules, followed by the practical side: what to pour it into, how to prevent leaks, and what to take with you for a weekend trip in the autumn.
The rule is about the packaging, not the contents
Schiphol states that you may carry liquids in your hand luggage in containers of no more than 100 milliliters each. This is where most people get stuck: it's about the size of the container, not how much is still in it. A half-full 200-milliliter bottle is not allowed, but a full 100-milliliter bottle is. In addition, Schiphol asks travelers to place these containers in one resealable, transparent plastic bag of one liter, and to bring no more than one bag per person. These restrictions do not apply to your checked luggage.
The rules regarding liquids have been adjusted several times in recent years and sometimes vary per airport, as not all airports have the same scanning equipment. Therefore, check the website of your departure airport shortly before your trip; for the Netherlands, the current explanation can be found on schiphol.nl. Do not rely on what applied last year.
Decanting: which bottle for which product
Buying travel sizes in stores is expensive per milliliter, and you're stuck with the brand that happens to be available in that size. Decanting from your own bottle is cheaper, and you can keep your own shampoo. Where it goes wrong is the choice of bottle: a thin liquid in a pump with a wide opening will leak during travel.
Thin liquids such as facial toner or hairspray: the Spray Bottle 100 ml - 13 cm at €0.95 is precisely at the 100-milliliter limit, making it the maximum you can take in hand luggage.
For frequent travelers: with the Empty Bottles 100 ml - 16 pieces for €19.95, you'll have sixteen bottles at home and never have to search for something at the last minute again.
Decanting itself is often when things go wrong on your counter. The Mini Funnels - Set of 10 Pieces at €9.95 are designed for this; ten pieces mean you can keep one per product type and don't have to rinse between shampoo and oil.
Preventing leaks without plastic bags full of tape
At altitude, the air pressure in the cabin changes, and in the luggage compartment, your suitcase slides back and forth. Both can cause a cap that seemed fine at home to start leaking during travel. Three things help:
Don't fill to the brim. Leave about an inch of air in the bottle. This allows the contents to expand instead of pushing out past the cap.
Tighten the cap again after filling. For a pump: firmly secure the pump in the closed position if it has one, or replace it with a regular cap during travel.
Place bottles upright in one compartment. Keep all liquids together, separated from clothing. If something does go wrong, the damage will be confined to your toiletry bag.
The rest of the bag: small, dry, and complete
Besides liquids, there's a category of items you never miss at home but immediately miss when traveling. Cotton swabs, for example: the Cotton Swabs with Paper Sticks - 300 pieces cost €1.99 for a box of three hundred; just take a handful instead of the whole box. For cotton pads, the Plastic Cotton Pad Holder - 2 colors at €8.00 does the same job: it keeps them dry and together.
A comb is one of those things you only miss when your hair has been in the wind. The Hair Comb Especially For Tangles costs €5.95. If you're traveling with multiple people or just want to make sure you don't forget anything, the Shaving Cream Set & Dental Kit 10 pieces at €4.00 is a cheap way to have a complete basic set all at once.
The downside of travel sizes is that you're left with a half-empty large bottle at home. Keep it in a fixed place and use it to refill your travel bottles, so you don't buy new ones every time. A Refillable Soap Dispenser 500 ml for €9.99 in the bathroom works on the same principle: one large supply, small bottles that you continuously refill.
Get started
The bottles, sprays, and personal care items from this article can be found in the collections All In Drugstore, Daily Care and Soap & Dispensers. Wondering which bottle is suitable for a specific product, or want to know if something is available in larger quantities? Feel free to email info@verpakkingdeals.nl, and we'll help you out.
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