The Best Travel Skincare Routine: What Products Do You Need?

Taking care of your skin while traveling can be a challenge considering the changing climates, long flights, and busy schedules, which can all take a toll on its health and appearance.

But, with the right products and a few maintenance tips, you can ensure your complexion remains clear, healthy, and radiant, no matter where you are.

In this guide, I will outline the best travel skincare routine and recommend essential products that are easy to carry and effective in keeping your skin at its best.

From hydrating cleansers to protective sunscreens, let’s explore the best travel skincare routine and what products you mustn’t forget back home.

How Travel Affects Your Skin: Common Issues and Solutions

From the dry air of airplanes to the humidity of exotic destinations, your skin faces a barrage of challenges while traveling.

Here are some common issues and solutions for maintaining healthy skin on your journeys:

Dehydration: High altitudes and recycled airplane air suck the moisture out of your skin, leaving it parched. Carry a hydrating facial mist and apply a hyaluronic acid serum to relieve discomfort and keep the skin hydrated.

Dryness: Traveling to cold and dry destinations can strip your skin of its natural oil and cause dryness. Use a replenishing moisturizer to reinforce your skin barrier and prevent discomfort.

Acne: A change in environment, diet, and pollution in the air while traveling can lead to unwelcome acne flare-ups. Stick to a familiar skincare routine that includes a gentle exfoliant, benzoyl peroxide, or a retinoid to keep pores clear and free of bacteria buildup.

Sunburn: Increased exposure to UV rays without adequate protection can cause immediate and long-term skin damage. To prevent this, apply and reapply broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, and consider wearing protective clothing.

Pollution: Traveling to urban destinations can expose the skin to pollutants that dull the complexion, clog pores, and exacerbate texture. Use an antioxidant serum to fight free radical damage and prevent cellular degradation.

Jet Lag: Lack of sleep disrupts the skin’s natural repair cycle, leading to dullness, puffiness, enlarged pores, rough skin texture, and acne. Prioritize sleep when you can and use hydrating eye creams to combat puffiness and dark circles.

7 Skincare Products You Need To Pack For Your Travel Skincare Routine:

Those are the seven skincare products I suggest you bring while traveling, and not all are a must.

You need nothing more than the above, and these will easily fit in one small bag, so you don’t have to worry about moving things around and making room for many things.

Let’s go through each one in more detail and why you need it!

Cleanser

Cleansers are a travel essential as they keep your skin clear and healthy by removing accumulated dirt, pollution, and grime from your skin to prevent clogged pores, acne, and cellular damage.

Best Travel-Friendly Cleansers

iS CLINICAL – Cleansing Complex

Best travel-friendly cleanser for oily and acne-prone skin.

The iS CLINICAL Cleansing Complex is a lightweight cleansing gel formulated with nutrients, antioxidants, and mild resurfacing ingredients.

It is the best travel-friendly cleanser for oily and acne-prone skin due to its deep-cleansing properties and its ability to remove dead skin cells, oil, dirt, and impurities inside the pores while soothing redness and inflammation associated with acne on the skin’s surface.

Vanicream – Gentle Facial Cleanser

Best travel-friendly cleanser for dry and sensitive skin.

The Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser has a soap-free, pH-balanced formula that removes dirt, oil, and makeup without disrupting your skin’s natural moisture balance.

It’s the best travel-friendly cleanser for dry and sensitive skin due to its gentle yet effective cleansing properties that leave skin feeling clean and soft, making it ideal for maintaining healthy skin while on the go.

Face Mist

Thermal water mists are a fantastic way to keep your skin clean, hydrated, and refreshed while traveling.

Mists are simple, contain nothing but water, and you can use them as many times as you want to give that much-needed hydration.

Additionally, by keeping your skin moist, face mists can help the rest of the products in your skincare routine absorb better, improving results.

Best Travel-Friendly Face Mists

Avène – Thermal Spring Water

Best travel-friendly face mist for all skin types.

The Avene Thermal Spring Water is a light and hydrating mist that helps keep the skin plump and refreshed.

It’s available in various sizes, including a travel size of 50ml (1.6 fl. oz.), so you can bring it on a plane to give your skin a quick and convenient hydration infusion when needed.

Caudalie – Grape Water Moisturizing Face Mist

Best travel-friendly face mist for dry and sensitive skin.

The Caudalie Grape Water Moisturizing Face Mist is an all-natural, antioxidant-rich face mist formulated with grape water to intensely hydrate, relieve skin sensitivity, and soothe the skin.

It’s the best travel-friendly face mist for dry and sensitive skin due to its compact size, ability to deliver intense hydration, and soothing properties, making it ideal for on-the-go refreshment and relief.

Hydrating Serum

Serums have a light consistency and a formula packed with active ingredients that can penetrate deeply into the skin and deliver their hydrating and nourishing benefits.

Serums can also be fantastic tools for targeting specific skin concerns, such as inflammation, which can be exacerbated by dryness due to traveling.

Additionally, due to the number of active ingredients in serums, they almost always come in small bottles, making them convenient for traveling.

Best Travel-Friendly Hydrating Serums

Medik8 – Hydr8 B5 Serum

Best travel-friendly hydrating serum for oily and acne-prone skin.

The Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Serum is a daily hydrating serum enriched with vitamin B5 and hyaluronic acid, designed to improve skin’s water retention and leave the complexion feeling plump, hydrated, and nourished.

It’s the best travel-friendly hydrating serum for oily and acne-prone skin due to its lightweight, fast-absorbing formula that replenishes the skin’s surface without clogging pores, making it ideal for on-the-go skin hydration.

EltaMD – Skin Recovery Serum

Best travel-friendly hydrating serum for dry and sensitive skin.

The EltaMD Skin Recovery Serum is a highly potent formula enriched with vitamin B5, Cica, and a patented AAComplex technology designed to soothe inflammation, improve skin barrier function, and visibly reduce redness while enhancing hydration.

It is the best travel-friendly hydrating serum for dry and sensitive skin due to its ability to deliver essential nutrients, improve moisture retention, and repair a damaged skin barrier, making it an ideal solution for instant skin recovery on the go.

Moisturizer

Moisturizers seal hydration after applying your liquid products and help keep all that moisture in the skin rather than evaporating in the air.

The dry environment on a plane, airport, or a destination can take a toll on your skin, so a nourishing moisturizer is the best way to prevent damage and discomfort such as dryness, irritation, and flaking.

Best Travel-Friendly Moisturizers

La Roche-Posay – Toleriane Sensitive Fluide

Best travel-friendly moisturizer for oily and acne-prone skin.

The La Roche-Posay Toleriane Sensitive Fluide is an oil-free, lightweight moisturizer infused with glycerin, vitamin B3, and the brand’s thermal water, designed to hydrate, soothe and protect highly sensitive skin for up to 48 hours.

It’s the best travel-friendly moisturizer for oily and acne-prone skin due to its non-greasy formula that provides long-lasting comfort, reduces sensitivity over time, and helps relieve tightness and tingling without causing breakouts, making it ideal for maintaining balanced hydration on the go.

First Aid Beauty – Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer

Best travel-friendly moisturizer for dry and sensitive skin.

The First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer is a lightweight, quick-absorbing facial moisturizer that offers immediate hydration, leaving skin silky soft, and smooth.

It’s the best travel-friendly moisturizer for dry and sensitive skin due to its potent formula that provides instant relief and long-term hydration for parched and distressed skin.

Sunscreen

Although plane windows can block UVB rays, UVAs can still pass through, and given the elevated level, the UV rays can be much more intense at higher altitudes.

Even though pilots and cabin crew are at a higher risk than the average traveler due to prolonged stints in the air, all passengers – especially those in seats next to the windows should take the strength of the sun up there seriously.

It is always important to protect your skin from UV rays, but it is especially a must when you are on a plane or when traveling to hot, sunny destinations.

Best Travel-Friendly Sunscreens

La Roche-Posay – Anthelios AOX Daily Antioxidant Serum SPF 50

Best travel-friendly sunscreen for oily and acne-prone skin.

The La Roche-Posay Anthelios AOX Daily Antioxidant Serum SPF 50 is an innovative, all-in-one serum that provides advanced UV protection while visibly improving the appearance of imperfections.

It’s the best travel-friendly sunscreen for oily and acne-prone skin due to its unique antioxidant technology that combines UVA/UVB filters to deliver broad-spectrum SPF 50 and a non-comedogenic formula that won’t clog pores and cause breakouts.

EltaMD – UV Replenish Broad-Spectrum SPF 44

Best travel-friendly sunscreen for dry and sensitive skin.

The EltaMD UV Replenish Broad-Spectrum SPF 44 is a 100% mineral sunscreen formulated to restore moisture to dry, stressed skin while providing robust, broad-spectrum sun protection to prevent cellular damage caused by UV exposure.

Pimple Patches

Getting pimples while traveling is not uncommon, considering your skin is even more exposed to dirt, pollution, and impurities in the air that clog pores and cause bacterial overgrowth.

Therefore, pimple patches can be an effective and convenient way to keep zits at bay while vacationing.

These spot treatments have a multi-pronged approach and absorb the fluid from the pimple while creating a moist environment for faster healing.

Additionally, they provide a physical barrier between external aggressors and an inflamed zit that can accelerate healing and prevent the risk of infections.

Best Travel-Friendly Pimple Patches

Hero Cosmetics – Mighty Patch Original

The Mighty Patch from Hero Cosmetics is a hydrocolloid acne pimple patch that effectively covers zits and blemishes and extracts impurities while preventing infections due to picking.

It’s the best travel-friendly pimple patch due to its compact size and ability to visibly flatten pimples overnight, offering a hassle-free and efficient solution to handle unexpected breakouts during travel. 

Lip Balm

In addition to parched skin, the low humidity levels in airplane cabins can also cause ultra-dry, chapped lips that can crack and even bleed in severe instances.

To avoid any discomfort, be sure to pack a nourishing lip balm in your carry-on bag.

It takes little to no room and can come in handy in relieving that uncomfortable dry feeling on your lips.

Best Travel-Friendly Lip Balm

EltaMD – UV Lip Balm Sunscreen SPF 36

The EltaMD UV Lip Balm Sunscreen SPF 36 is an ultra-hydrating, creamy lip balm that not only soothes and protects dry, chapped lips but also provides UV protection to prevent lip damage caused by sun exposure.

3 Skincare DOs While Traveling

Between the dry and dirty cabin air, change in humidity level, lack of sleep, and a spike in travel-induced stress, your skin can become compromised.

Even though skin woes while traveling may ultimately be impossible to prevent, it is still worth trying to avoid as many of them as possible.

So here’s what you should do to prevent unwanted changes in your complexion and keep your skin clear while traveling:

Wash Your Hands Frequently

Washing your hands as much as possible is a crucial travel skincare tip because we tend to touch our faces much more while sitting exhausted at the airport, waiting for a flight.

Additionally, planes and trains are breeding grounds for bacteria, and you definitely want to avoid transferring these pathogens to your skin.

Therefore, to minimize the risk of infections, try to avoid touching your face as much as possible and wash your hands frequently to help keep them clean and free of harmful pathogens.

Stay Hydrated

Traveling, particularly air travel, often exposes your skin to dry environments due to low humidity levels in airplane cabins and the use of air conditioning in airports.

This lack of moisture can lead to dryness, dullness, and even increased sensitivity in your skin.

To counteract these effects, it’s essential to stay well-hydrated during your journey.

Therefore, always carry an empty, refillable water bottle, as this will allow you to easily access water once you’re through security checks, enabling you to maintain your hydration levels and ensure your skin remains vibrant and healthy on your vacation.

Bring a Sleeping Mask

We all know that sleep is essential for skin health.

However, it’s a rare luxury during travel, mainly because we are overstimulated by light, noise, and a change of environment.

Therefore, if you are a light sleeper and have difficulty falling asleep, a sleeping mask might be able to help you.

It won’t block the sound; however, keeping your eyes closed for a while without being able to open them at every little sound you hear might surprisingly have an effect on being able to fall asleep easier and get your beauty sleep even at loud and noisy places such as airports and planes.

3 Skincare DONT’s While Traveling

And here are a few things you should not be doing to your skin while traveling:

Don’t Use Makeup Wipes

If you like practicality, you are probably displeased at the idea of trying to fit more than one cleanser in your small toiletry bag; therefore, makeup wipes might be a simple solution to a space-related problem.

But as inconvenient as making more room in your carry-on bag may be, remember that makeup wipes aren’t nearly enough good enough to keep your skin clean.

Makeup wipes are loaded with harsh and irritating ingredients such as alcohol and fragrance, which will cause chaos on your skin when combined with dry cabin air and a dirty environment.

Additionally, makeup wipes are (ironically) the worst way to remove makeup as they tend to smudge everything around unless you scrub the excess grime away, which will undoubtedly result in redness and inflammation on your skin.

Therefore, make sure to bring a standard makeup-removing cleanser, at least if you can’t fit full-sized micellar water or an oil-based makeup remover.

Avoid Heavy Makeup

You absolutely do not need to have a full face of makeup while traveling, regardless if it’s only an hour’s flight or a longer journey.

The reason for this is that the dry, artificial air we face at the airport or on the plane will dehydrate our skin to a point where the makeup might start to feel uncomfortable and cause exacerbated skin texture and enlarged pores instead of minimizing these imperfections.

While you may be uncomfortable at the idea of going out of the house without your signature makeup look, a small sacrifice will decrease your chance of getting breakouts, cracked foundation, and an overall worn-out look while on the plane.

Don’t Experiment With New Products

Just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean your skincare routine has to be much more intense and over the top than usual.

No, you do not need a new serum or a moisturizer to use while on your vacation; you simply need to stick to your routine that already works for your skin.

This will not only help avoid unwanted reactions, such as breakouts and irritation, but will also ensure your skin remains clear, healthy, and glowy during travel.