Travelling Cheap: Save Now, Splurge in the Caribbean

Vacations aren't cheap.  That's a fact.  Even when you purchase a Groupon for a four-night stay at a resort in the Bahamas with a free breakfast buffet and a $10 "gaming" credit, it's not cheap.  (Who knew resorts had five different taxes that guests have to pay for each night?  Not I.)

Aaaaahhh.

So maybe my trip was just a little bit worth it.

Whether you went on an impromptu beach trip with your roommate to Freeport, Bahamas; a well-planned Vegas vacation, The Hangover style; or a "I need to go home NOW" mid-semester-crisis-mode trek back home (this was my back-up plan), you most likely hit up your local CVS/Duane Reade/Target for those teeny-tiny travel-sized toiletries.

Smaller toiletries are always the way to go because they make more room for necessary shoes and purses, are reasonably priced and hold the perfect amount of whatever the product is for the length of a week-long vacation.  Unless you're going away with a few people who will split the cost of larger toiletries, travel-sized bottles are a godsend.

To me, the travel aisle is the most daunting aisle in the entire convenience store.  I immediately think, "I NEED EVERYTHING!!!!" and load up my basket with every miniature bottle I can find.  Luckily, for my impulsive and panicky brain, the travel aisle only has a few different options for shampoos, conditioners, hairsprays, deodorants, bath washes and other girly necessities.  Men have it even easier - either they pretend that pool water equates to bathing and don't shower on vacation or they buy a mini toothpaste and call it a day.  At least, that's what I assume they do.

I've been on enough trips to know my local convenience store's travel aisle inside and out (insert swanky diva cigarette here).  Because I'm chic and cheap and knowledgeable about chic and cheap things, I've compiled a list of my favorite travel-sized toiletries fit for any type of getaway you might plan.

THE List:

1. The Shampoo and Conditioner:  Nexxus Ultimate Moisture, $3.59 for shampoo, $3.59 for conditioner.  I used this set of shampoo and conditioner for the first time this spring break, and I've never been more impressed with a travel-sized combination.  True to the description on the front of the bottle, the shampoo and conditioner leave your hair "luxuriously soft and lustrous" and "irresistibly silky, hydrated and more manageable" (respectably).  Even with sun-damaged, stringy hair in the Bahamas, I felt as if the shampoo and conditioner rehydrated my hair and resulted in hair I was able to style.  It's a bit more expensive than other travel-sized shampoos and conditioners, but the bottles are slightly larger while remaining under the 3.0oz flight limit.
2. The Body Soap:  Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash for Dry Skin, $1.49.  Dove products have always impressed me, and this miniature body wash proved no different.  After a salty bathe in the Caribbean Sea as well as many days of baking out in the sun, my skin needed as much moisture as I could possibly get.  This body wash does just the trick.  It's super soft and gentle in the shower, like all Dove products, and left my skin feeling less pealed and dried.  Side note: If you're never seen the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, I suggest you check it out.
3. The Deodorant:  Irish Spring Original deodorant, $1.49.  Yes, it's men's deodorant; I am more than happy to admit that I use it on the reg.  This deodorant helped me through three summers of dance team camp - three days of non-stop exercise, mentally and physically - when other girly-smelling women's deodorants could not.  I like Irish Spring the best because it doesn't smell TOO manly and one deodorant application in the morning is all you need to last the day.  The travel-sized deodorant will last you many many trips and keep your armpits smelling so fresh and so clean (clean), even after an 8:00 a.m. workout class with Phyllis and ten-pound kettlebells.
4. The Toothpaste:  Colgate Total toothpaste, $1.49 for the travel set with toothbrush.  Toothpaste is toothpaste, I hear ya.  The Colgate vs. Crest debate will forever be THE toothpaste debate.  Colgate has been my go-to toothpaste for quite some time now, and this mini toothpaste is just too cute to pass up.  The tube is about three inches long, and it took up almost no room in my monogrammed toiletries bag this past vacation, whereas a normal-sized toothpaste would take up about 50% of my bag leaving barely enough room for everything else.
5. The Hairspray:  Tresemme Tres Two Spray Extra Hold aerosol hairspray, $1.99.  You've already heard my rant about this travel-sized hairspray as a tool for runs in tights, but it's fantastic.  Don't let it's small size fool you - three quick spritzes of this hairspray with hold whatever hairstyle you come up with on vacation.  For me, a messy low-bun, because I don't do well with humidity or hotel blowdryers.  If you're all green and into the environment and whatnot, Tresemme also makes a Two-Spray Extra Hold spritzer bottle, but I like holding down the aerosol hairspray bottle nozzle and just letting it rip.  I'm from Jersey, it's just what we do.
6. The Body Lotion:  Eucerin Calming Creme Daily Moisturizer, $0.79.  Eucerin products kind of remind me of old ladies, but this moisturizer was perfect for my skin that burned to a crisp on the very first day of my vacation.  It's "Dermatologist Recommended" for those with sensitive skin, and fragrance free for those (like me!) who enjoy nice perfume over heavily-scented lotions.  This water-based lotion is pretty thick, but it's soothing qualities really helped my skin get over the first-burn-of-the-season phase of my vacation.  And it's DIRT cheap.
7. The Face Soap:  St. Ives Fresh Skin Invigorating Apricot Scrub, $1.49.  Many people are against face scrubs, but I believe that one use of this face scrub each night before you go to sleep will leave your skin feeling clean and blemish-free throughout the night.  The apricot smell is so fresh and sweet, different than all of St. Ives face soap competitors, and it smoothed out my poor pealing face by scrubbing away the dead skin.  I would suggest using a gentle soap in the the morning to wake up with and St. Ives face scrub at night, especially for girls who need help removing that excess makeup that may stay on after using a makeup wipe.

Total cost of travel necessities: $15.92.  Never have I ever spent under $20 at CVS, so this set a new personal record.

And here they are:

           

    

                       

              

Feel free to splurge all you want on vacation (isn't that what they're for?), but a cheap and resourceful way to buy toiletries for travelling is the petite essence of travel-sized toiletries.  Buy them.  Embrace them.  And don't share them with your friends... tell them to go buy their own!

Do you have any personal favorite travel-sized toiletries, or do you agree with my findings?  Comment away!