Survey - Do You Pack Health/Beauty Items or Buy Them Upon Arrival?

I refuse to take more than my 3-1-1 bag because I am a carry-on fanatic. So my strategy is to take a small quantity of essentials and buy refills there. I also take dry or powdered anything that I can. So... - smallest travel toothpaste - Olay Daily Facials instead of liquid face cleanser - Tiniest bottle (1 oz) of toner to last 3 weeks - travel size deodorant - small hand lotion - Purell sheets for laundry (not liquid; cut them in peices for sink washing)
- Mineral makeup (non-liquid) ...and so on; you get the idea. I use hotel shampoo, buy body wash there, as well as replenishing toothpaste and other items as needed. I also park a couple of my 1 or 2 oz items with my husband's 3-1-1 becasue he is lower maintenance. :-) Best place to buy is NOT a farmacia. (My husband paid dearly for shaving cream in Venice.) Try a department store for a better selection of reasonably priced items.

Same as Laurel, we take the travel size portions that we often get in the travel/sample section at Walmart, Target, etc. Everything you need can be purchased in Europe but maybe not your favorite brand.

"Is anyone familiar with the average cost of any of those items?" I found that it's generally more expensive in Paris and Venice (our usual places) than here in San Francisco. The biggest culprit is the weak dollar. Since we are usually in Europe for 90 days, we end up bringing some and buying more. There are items that we are particular, so we try to bring enough of those for the entire trip. That said, it is fun to go to shops to find and compare.

I carry on, so I am limited in the sizes I can bring. I do bring travel sized hair products, small bottle of moisturizer, etc. I try to substitute dry for liquids when I can. Our last trip we only brought one small toothpaste, then went to a euro store (their version of a dollar store) to buy a larger tube when we needed one. We do bring tylenol, etc. from home. Our trips are up to 4 weeks. It would be more difficult for a longer trip.

I packed much like Laurel, taking only the 3-1-1 bag and substituted alternatives for liquids whenever possible. I use Forever New powdered laundry soap and really like it. My husband uses powdered toothpaste. I did have to purchase two items on a 34-day trip. I used tiny containers for cosmetics so that saved space. Stock up on small items in the travel section of Walmart. Also be flexible, our hotels had great soap and shampoo and I didn't miss my body wash. Carole

Thanks everyone so far! I think my biggest issue is cost (which is resolved by The Euro Store) and also ingrediants that I may have an allergic reaction to. Any comments?
..call me stupid, but what is a "3-1-1" bag?

Monque, here is a link that describes the 3-1-1 bag. http://www.tsa.gov/311/311-carry-ons.shtm Basically it says liquids have to be in 3.4 oz. bottles or smaller, 1 quart size bag and 1 bag per person placed in the bin for x-raying.

The Basin stores (Basin.com) sells shampoo and conditioner balls (consistency of handmade soaps). They last a long time and don't take up anyroom in the 311 bag.They also have a deodorant ball...contains no aluminum.

Elaine - Great source (Basin.com). Just placed my first order.

I agree - I just looked at the Basin.com website and I'm loving everything I see. I'm trying not to spend my trip money on all those specialty soaps (A caffeine bar??? Who knew!!!)

BTW, Monique, I bring Imodium, Advil, a little hydrocortisone cream, Wet Ones (individual packets) mosquito wipes (depending on season and location), Tylenol PM for the flight, a few band-aids, moleskin. If I wake up with a headache or an itch or blister, I want to deal with it NOW, not after I limp to a farmacia.

Here's another point of view from someone who just can't master the carry-on only deal - at least when traveling for more than a week. I check my bag with half-full bottles of my shampoo, conditioner, etc. I love my brands and don't want to try something new while on vacation, so when the bottle gets down to where it's just enough for vacation I put it aside and put a new bottle in the shower. Then I can use my brand on vacation, toss what little remains at the end of the trip and have extra room for wine in my checked bag! Um, I mean souvenirs. :)

IMO, if you are checking your bag, bring your own products. Just make sure you don't bring the king sized version. Pare down as much as you can, be realistic as to what you will use in the time you are traveling. I always travel with my 3/1/1 bag, my husband brings his normal sized toothpaste,( we both use this) but never shampoo, he's not picky so he uses what's at the hotel. We never bring our own soap, there is always some in the bath/shower. We don't bother with body wash either, soap works. I always have Advil, band aides, stomach aides, etc with me as well. Travel sizes of these are plenty. My husband brings his vitamins in a plastic case that has divided pockets so he can tell them all apart. I bring my multi-vitamins in a travel size bottle. While it is fun to shop for these items in Europe, it can also be expensive, and it takes time to find what you need Why waste money on stuff you already have? Use that money for Gelato or chocolate! If you run out, you can go spend money on basic needs.

Um, Elaine, is it too forward of me to say I love you? I've been using the Lush brand of shampoo/conditioner bars for travel for years, but have never liked their strong, "earthy" scents. I had no problem finding shampoo bar alternatives, but could never find the accompanying conditioner bar. Enter Basin.com! I'm gonna give them a whirl - thank you thank you thank you!!

Do B&B's and Convents have soap and shampoo? I thought I would need to bring them.

My wife and I bring the little travel size items to get us started. Sometime in the next few days we find a dept. store and buy regular sized items to get us through the rest of the trip. Part of the fun is trying to figure out what toothpaste or shampoo to buy. On a side note, on our trip last year to Ireland my wife had a heck of a time trying to find womens shaving cream. Everywhere we went there was only mens shaving cream and nothing for women. We finally found some at a gas station of all places. Weird!

A little tip I learned from my hairdresser. On my first trip to London, I packed my own shampoo and conditioner. I noticed my hair was really dry and hard to manage. When I returned home, I mentioned this to my hairdresser. She said it was probably due to the difference in the ph in the water and it wasn't compatible with products from the US. She suggested that I buy shampoo and conditioner at my destination in Europe. I subsequently did this and solved the problem of dry unmanageable hair. I know the guys on this board probably don't care about this, but many of the women will. I also take one carry-on and a small day bag so I am limited on what to pack. I do pack Tyleonol and Imodium (which I've never needed.) I usually buy beauty products at the local supermarket,and have found the prices to be no higher than here in the US.

I'm planning a 90-day trip so "just a carry-on" isn't really in my vocabulary hahaha. So I know I will have to check a bag but after all the comments and suggestions here, I definately feel more confident about packing. I think I am going to go with the travel size items and buy more once I get there. That will give me time to check out various locations and prices, and oh yea, to track down a Euro Store (must find one!!).

We got some great shampoo and conditioner at a pharmacy at Termini station in Rome. It was really cheap and worked well. I didn't want the weight in my bag. We also picked up some great stuff from the friendly pharmacist which got rid of a nasty canker sore my son had developed on the plane ride over. Wish we could get that here! It was a product that we had to toss before coming home, unfortunately.

We most often go in summer and the one thing I always bring is enough sunblock. From my experience they don't sell as high of SPF or if so a line like Lancome. I also bring high end shampoo and conditioner as it's more concentrated. I bring hand sanitizer in my purse and start using it as soon as I get on the plane wiping down the armrests, seat belts, and light and air nozzles.

I didn't take most personal hygiene products. I needed the room in my suitcase on the way over, as I was taking a bunch of things to my friend in Verona. I bought things once I got there. I found most things to be much more expensive than here, in smaller sizes, and not the same quality as I am used to here. However, I needed specialty haircare products for my at-the-time over-processed hair and found it difficult to find what I really needed. If you do buy there, be sure to write down the words for "shampoo", "conditioner", etc so you know what you are buying! I took some "feminine hygiene products", but ran out slightly too soon, so I bought some there. I could only find cardboard applicator type... ugh. (sorry if that grosses anyone out!)
Have fun!