Travel toiletries rip-off revealed: The ‘minis’ with a MAJOR price tag

I’ve been doing some digging and discovered travel-size toiletries – mini bottles of shampoo, sun cream etc – can work out as much as seven times more expensive (per ml) than a standard full-size version of the same product.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to beat it… just don’t buy minis. If you’re worried about hand luggage rules (100ml of each liquid), decant from the bigger, cheaper bottle into a small one – see cheap reusable bottles below.

Of course, this won’t work with everything, eg, aerosols, and does take a bit of effort. Though if you’ve already paid for a baggage allowance, you might as well pack the cheaper full-size products in your suitcase and save the faff of decanting - just be sure to tape them shut as 300ml of shampoo makes more mess than 100ml.

What have I found?

I've tried to pick brands available at most supermarkets, Boots, Superdrug etc, but also a practical list of items most of us would take on holiday. I looked for the cheapest travel mini and compared with the full-size equivalent in the same shop to highlight how easily you can switch size and save. A few items on the list – including toothpaste and roll-on deodorant - were actually 100ml or under in their full-size versions:

So you could be paying far less for your holiday toiletries if you can ditch the convenience of miniatures.

What are the rules on liquids in hand luggage?

With tonnes of toiletries dumped at UK airports each year, it's obvious many of us are still confused. If you're bringing liquids in your carry-on luggage, you can't take any one item over 100ml – even if it's partially empty – and you'll need to fit all your items inside one clear plastic 20cm x 20cm bag per person, zipped shut. As some airports charge £1 for the plastic bags, it's worth bringing one from home or reusing an old one.

If you're still not sure about what you can bring, check full Government guidance for more information. 

Cheapest refillable and reusable bottles

If you're looking for cheap refillable and reusable travel bottles, and don't have any from previous travel-sized items you can reuse, I found the following when I looked on Tue 30 Jul:

• 100ml travel bottle, 50p at Wilko*

• 50ml travel bottle, £1.10 at Boots*

• 60ml travel bottle, £1.69 at Superdrug (these are the ones I've personally been using for 10ish years - your experience may differ!)

• 3x 50ml travel bottles, £1.80 (60p each) at Sainsbury's*

Obviously, if you've already bought minis then the most MoneySaving and eco-friendly thing to do is to use them up and refill 'em. You'd be surprised what you can refill with a little effort – even mini toothpaste tubes. Just make sure when you're refilling you're doing it over a sink, and remember to recycle any larger bottles you empty.

What are your top MoneySaving travel tips? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter.