Five of the best: Bathroom travel bag essentials

Make sure these five bathroom essentials are in your travel bag. Photo / iStock.

When travelling you want to pack light — to save yourself some pain and to make maximum room for the memorabilia you’ll pick up along the way. So, as I prepare to pack for a five-week jaunt around Europe, I have been considering what makes the cut for my bathroom bag and what can stay behind. Aside from the obvious (soap, toothbrush, deodorant, etc) here are the five items I say are worth the space (please pardon my globetrotting gloating throughout, I’m getting excited).

Facewipes

Not only do I love these Dermalogica PreCleanse Wipes ($29) for removing my party eyes at the end of a long night out in London town, I also think they're awesome for swiping off the sunscreen, salt water and feeling generally refreshed when the Spanish sun is just too much. They come in a neat pack of 20 - just remember to keep them sealed to remain moist and effective.

A balm

There are two clever multi-purpose products I really love - Everything balm from Trilogy ($24.90 for a traveller's 45ml size) and Go-To's Execeptionoil ($54.95). Both of these moisturise, protect and heal so they can be used to ease chapped lips, soothe sunburn, reduce raging rashes and even flatten fly-aways. A balm will come in so handy, you'll be glad you brought one and so will your new travelling pals when they need to borrow some.

Sunscreen

Even if your holiday isn't a sun-drenched one you will probably be be out and about more than usual, walking around with your map and camera, creating memories. So it's extra important to lather up in a sunscreen every day, sometimes more than once. I like the Coola range - they're not all icky and greasy, can double as your body moisturiser, some smell like pina colada and others are organic.

A tinted moisturiser

BB, CC or maybe even EE - the wonderful thing about these kind of tinted moisturisers is they offer enough coverage to conceal spots, eliminating the need to slap on a heavy foundation every day. I'm a minimalist when it comes to makeup so don't wear heaps on holidays, however I like a little something to brighten my face for all the photos. This Estee Lauder EE Cream ($83) has an SPF30 and feels light and creamy - I even notice my skin is clearer for using it.

Dry shampoo

There is no way I want to wash my hair every day - not only does my massive mane take close to 24 hours to dry, I hate spending time on hair admin when I could be out sampling the wines of the Porto region. Welcome, dry shampoo to the bathroom bag. I like L'Oreal Professional Tecni.Art Fresh Dust ($34). I reckon a spritz of this stuff gives you at least three days without washing, it will absorb any oil and trick people into thinking your hair maintenance is high - even on holidays.