Handy hair dryer

Elize, most of your hotels in Italy will probably provide those unless you're staying in hostels. Some may offer them for checking out at the front desks. In the interest of keeping packing to a minimum, I'd check the amenity list at your individual accommodations to see what they include?

Leave the hair dryer at home and check with your hotel. If you do bring one make sure it works on the European Voltage or is Dual Voltage. You stick an american hair dryer in the plug and turn it on and you'll blow up the device.

If you really must have your own source of hot air, search for cheap and small, with a folding handle. I've found them for $15. The key feature is that it can switch from 110 to Europe's 220. However, in the 220 mode it will only operate at low speed. Mine now stays at home and I follow the advice in the previous replies.

Also an excuse to go shopping in Italy. It will have the right plug and the right voltage and it will make you want to come back so you can use it.

Years ago I purchased a little tiny Babyliss travel hair dryer (dual voltage) at Bed Bath and Beyond. It wasn't more than $15. Though it seems flimsy, it's actually held up remarkably well and is still going strong after 10 years. The only down side is it only works on "high" in the dual voltage setting. As others have said, if you are going places that you know have a dryer, don't cart an appliance with you. Or consider a travel hairstyle that requires less maintenance.

I didn't believe everyone when they said not to bring your own hairdryer from home.....do I bought a very small one with us. It stayed in my hubby's suitcase the entire trip.

Ladies and their hair, being one myself I understand your conundrum.

For my very first trip I bought a dual voltage dryer. Let's just say it was a bad idea. It lacked power and ran hot. I had extremely short hair and still worried about frying my hair.

Then, I got the brilliant idea of purchasing one in Italy. I got tired of the press and hold button to make run, or the dread vacuum hose type dryer, why??? It was a fun shopping experience in Padua, But, guess what, I never bring it!! Just got tired of it taking up space in my suitcase.

Now, I have learned to wash my hair at night and let air dry, nor do I wash my hair every night. The next morning, I break out the flat iron to get rid of the bed hair. I accidentally lucked out and purchased one that works on all voltage. I bought it at Wally World (AKA Walmart) for less than $25 bucks. When checking, to add link, I noticed there are numerous flat irons all with dual voltage. The automatic kind, not ones with a switch.

Omg, those vacuum hose hair dryers are awful! There was one in our hotel in Positano and I just gave up and tried the best I could in the evenings to look nice. I cringe at the thought of that, Thenkfully the other 2 hotels on our trip had nice ones. My suggestion is not to buy one and take up space. If, by chance you run into bad luck at a hotel....just go and buy one there. That's what I plan on doing next time.

If by chance there isn't one in your room--ask at the desk. I've found that some of the budget/moderate-priced hotels keep a few at the front desk for loan rather than supplying one in each room.

I spent 4-1/2 months in Italy, Germany and the Balkans last year, mostly in $40 to $70 rooms. Only once did I not have a hair dryer. It was an apartment in Bulgaria. This year I'm in Spain, staying in 2- and 3-srar places. Over a period of eleven weeks, I've only once had no hair dryer in my room, and when I asked at the desk, they loaned me one. Definitely don't lug a hair dryer around Europe.