Rick Steves Says Buying This Travel Essential Is A Waste Of Money In Europe

Packing for a trip is an art. No matter how far you're traveling or for how long, being able to pack only the essentials takes practice — and lots of it. While Rick Steves emphasizes the importance of packing light when traveling in Europe, there is one thing he's pretty adamant about not leaving behind: your toiletries. As Steves recommends, "Bring toiletries from home to save both time and money." After all, scouring the city for your favorite and most familiar products isn't the best way to spend an afternoon.

As he points out in a packing list post, many hotels offer soap, shampoo, and conditioner, but packing your own is still a good idea, especially if you have sensitive skin. Other essentials to bring from home — and what you'll find in his personal toiletries bag — include oral hygiene items, deodorant, sunscreen, a hairbrush or comb, and razors. A first aid kit (or at the very least Band-Aids), a sewing kit, face masks, and hand sanitizer can also come in handy. And stocking up before you get to Europe is budget-wise. Your local CVS will have better prices than the pharmacy down the street from the Colosseum in Rome.

Things like prescribed medication and vitamins should also be part of your toiletry collection but packed in your carry-on, as opposed to your checked luggage, in case the airline loses your bag. Having a pre-packed, travel-ready toiletry bag is an easy way to make sure you don't forget anything.

As much as Rick Steves is an advocate for bringing your own toiletries, and his hanging toiletry bag is one of many things he never forgets for a trip to Europe, he does concede that long trips may require you to buy toiletries abroad. After all, it's one thing to pack a small bottle of shampoo if you're traveling for a week or two, but lugging a full-sized shampoo bottle for two months in Europe — or anywhere else, for that matter — takes up valuable space and is pointless when it's widely available. However, should you end up needing to buy toiletries in Europe, you don't want to do it at a pharmacy.

As someone who currently lives in Spain and has lived in both France and Italy, I can attest to the fact that Western European pharmacies are pricey. European pharmacies are a hotbed of high-end products and brands. But if you're not in the market for those specific items, you're better off going to a Carrefour, Aldi, or other chain supermarkets for essentials like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, and deodorant. Marvis, a luxury Italian toothpaste brand, may have beautiful packaging and is found at most pharmacies, but Colgate, which you'll find at chain supermarkets, is cheaper and can mean the difference of about $10 (or more!) depending on the size. Of course, you can always give the unusual way Rick Steves packs his toothpaste a try — squeezing two tubes into one — but if not, chain stores are the next best thing.