What to pack really comes down to your personal preferences for traveling, whether that is hardcore backpacking or luxury hotel going. There are things to consider when trying to decide if you want to take items such as straighteners and blow dryers, and we’re going to start with talking about the ins and outs of taking or not taking a blow dryer.
I would say I rarely use a blow dryer when I’m at home yet there were countless times on the road that I had wished there was one in my bag. There’s nothing quite like walking around with wet hair in the Baltic autumn weather.
Things to Consider
Your Accommodation Type: It is a trend for hotels to provide blow dryers of their own to guests, so it may become obsolete to pack one of your own. Hostels, however, will be less likely to provide such luxuries to guests, so I would suggest it more of a necessity to have one if this is your accommodation type. Still, there is the possibility of someone else in the hostel to have brought one that you can borrow, but that is not reliable.
Your Luggage Type: A blow dryer, no matter its size, is going to take up extra space in your luggage whether that be a backpack or a suitcase. Personally, I would be less inclined to pack a blow dryer if I had to carry it on my back (I’m lazy).
Your Destination’s Weather: If I travel somewhere when it is cold, I’m pining for a blow dryer to end my wet hair suffering. In that case, I have to plan when is the optimal time to deal with wet hair. Being stuck with wet hair in hot climates, however, is not really going to bother me since it just has some cooling properties. (Plus, you can also just stick your head out the car or train window for a few minutes- but be careful!)
Your Hair Type: Some people’s hair requires a bit of love from a blow dryer to look its best. If that is the case, and you’re somewhere in the world where you want to look fantastic, then packing a blow dryer might be more important.
Electrical Settings: Your current blow dryer might not be able to be plugged into electrical outlets in other countries. You will need to have a special travel blow dryer or one with adapters in order to use them abroad. It is just another thing to consider when you are thinking about what to pack.
Some Travel Friendly Blow Dryers
There are plenty of blow dryers out there specifically designed to be right for packing up and taking away! Check some models out on Amazon.
And be sure to share your favorite travel blow dryer in the comments below!
I love my hair dryer, and I love the way my hair looks after I use it, but the amount of time it takes to get it looking the way I want is just not conducive to the kind of travel I like do… An hour and a half just doesn’t cut it for me when I’m itching to get out and explore new places 🙂
I haven’t carried a hair dryer with me in years. Basically every hotel I’ve been in has one. Just to be sure though, I check their website or call ahead.
I should tell you about the story of how I almost set my friends house on fire using my dryer with an adapter in Spain….
Haha
I got a super tiny travel hairdryer from Muji, a Japanese brand that sometimes I see in big cities around the world. Very small, and weak too. I ended up not using it for my hair because I’m lazy and it weakness requires long time to dry. I used it more frequently to dry our laundry if they are still wet in the moving day. Putting the nozzle inside a sock will cause it overheats and “die” for several minutes. Unfortunately it was usually Ryan’s socks that’s not dry yet. He loves thick socks 🙁
I am not leaving for awhile, but the one thing I keep going back and forth on is should I bring a blow dryer and a straightener?! Thanks for all of the resources here!