It’s that time of year where everyone is flocking to the airport to head abroad on a relaxing sunny holiday. But before you get excited about spending the duration of your holiday lounging by the pool or soaking up the sun, you need to pack first… and pack properly!
Even with the best suitcase or the best carry-on luggage at hand, there always seems to be some kind of casualty, and normally, that’s your perfume. I’ve been on countless holidays where both myself and the person I’m travelling with have dealt with exploding deodorant cans or leaky fragrance bottles, due to the air pressure in the plane.
Not only does this mean your luxury perfume has gone to waste, but its smell and substance is everywhere – all over your clothes, chargers, books and other toiletries. To avoid this problem, here are 5 ways you can properly pack and travel with perfume.
For tips on what perfume is best for you, check out our guide to the best women’s perfumes and the best men’s fragrances.
1. Buy travel size fragrances
The easiest way to bring your perfume with you on holiday is to buy travel size fragrances. Retailers like The Perfume Shop, Superdrug and Selfridges have a dedicated section on their website and in stores for travel sized perfumes. In particular, The Perfume Shop offers smaller bottles, travel atomisers and portable pocket sized options, so you can find compact bottle options for both your main luggage and hand luggage. Most perfume brands will also send miniature versions of the perfume that you’ve purchased, which makes for the perfect travel companion.
2. Decant your perfume into an atomiser
If you have a specific fragrance you want to travel with and you’re only taking hand luggage, you can decant your current perfume into an atomiser. Travel atomisers can easily fit into your luggage and they’re designed to adjust to the changing air pressure to prevent any spills. They’re also refillable, leak-proof and surprisingly affordable, like this 5 piece travel perfume bottle set at Amazon. With hand luggage, you can only take 100ml of liquid with you on a flight so this is a handy way to bring your perfume with you… just remember to put them in a plastic bag before going through security.
3. Choose roll-on scents
Roll-on perfumes are seriously underrated and they’re the perfect size to pack and travel with. Depending on the scent you choose, you can find roll-on fragrances from 1ml - 10ml, so they fit easily into any kind of bag you’re taking with you. Roll-ons also tend to last longer on the skin and body than spray perfumes, so you don’t even have to take too many with you to smell great throughout your holiday.
4. Soak cotton balls with your perfume
For those trying to pack lightly, you can bring your perfume with you by soaking cotton balls in perfume. To do this, take individual cotton balls, saturate them with your scent of choice and seal them in an airtight bag. Use a different bag for each scent, and when you want to, you can dab a cotton ball on your neck, wrist and other areas of your body to apply the perfume. Not only is this an effective way to retain your scents, but it takes up hardly any space in your luggage and it’s cost-effective. This tip might sound strange, but it’s actually travel expert-approved, as shown by Samantha Brown on The Today Show.
5. Bring scented moisturisers and lotions
If you don’t want to take the risk of exploding perfume bottles, you can pack scented moisturisers or lotions instead. While moisturisers can also leak and spill, if you’re going to a hot location, you’re going to want to bring a bottle or two with you to make sure your skin isn’t dehydrated or sunburnt. By picking a scented option, you can take care of your skin and make yourself smell nice, too.