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9 best travel electricals, from hair dryers to electric toothbrushes
The must have tools for travellers, tried and tested
Tested by Yanar Alkayat and Maria Kumar
When we travel, we still like to have access to all our home comforts – and that includes our favourite electricals.
Whether it’s a sleek two-in-one hair tool that will dry and straighten your post-swim locks in half the time, an electric toothbrush that won’t run out of charge, or a pocket-sized clothes steamer for a crease-free holiday wardrobe, the best electricals for frequent flyers are compact and lightweight enough to fit easily in your suitcase without compromising on performance. They also need to leave room for the 25 Breton tees, 15 swimsuits and 5 pairs of sandals you absolutely must have for a week in the sun.
Ready to get packing? These are the Good Housekeeping Institute’s top travel electricals at a glance but read on for our more detailed reviews.
Best travel electricals 2023
Best travel electric toothbrush
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 Pink Electric Toothbrush
Read review
What to consider when shopping for travel electricals
Weight: You don’t want your electricals weighing you down and costing you extra at the airport. So, look for lightweight gadgets that still pack a punch. With a travel hair dryer, for example, you want to balance weight and wattage. Our top pick from BaByliss offers a powerful 2000 watts but weighs in at just over 400g.
Alternatively, look for devices that can multitask and save valuable suitcase space such as ghd’s Duet Style 2-in1 hair tool that dries and straightens at the same time.
Charging: Unless your gadget can go for a week or two on one charge, you’ll probably have to plug them in while you’re away. For that, you’ll likely need an adaptor. We suggest investing in a universal travel adaptor, so you know you can plug in wherever you go.
You also want to look for products that are dual voltage. The voltage should be printed somewhere on the electrical – if it says 120/220-240V, that means it’s dual voltage and you just need to change it manually with a coin when you get to your destination.
Travel cases: When it comes to electric toothbrushes and razors, having a chic travel case to carry them in is a nice added extra, especially if it also acts as a charger.
How we test
Our experts at the GHI test hundreds of products each year across homes, beauty and health & fitness, using their industry experience, scientific knowledge and specialist equipment at our lab in Feltham, West London. For example, when we test hair straighteners, we use a Bossa Nova Shuffle machine and an EV Standard machine to record how long styles last and how quickly each tool heats up respectively.
When assessing travel electricals, our experts consider weight, noise level, ease of use, simplicity of instructions and design, including any additional features for travellers such as handy carry cases or foldable handles.
We also ask a panel of testers to provide feedback on ease of use, quality and whether the product lived up to its manufacturing claims.
Here are our top picks to pack this summer.
Best travel hair dryer
BaByliss 5344BU 2000W Travel Hair Dryer
Score: 81/100
You get all the benefits of a full-sized hair dryer and 2000 watts of power with our winner from BaByliss, but it will take up less space in your case thanks to its clever foldable handle.
Our testers found it “surprisingly powerful” for its size and were fans of the wide, detachable nozzle, which made styling a breeze.
Key specifications
| Wattage (watts) | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Weight (g) | 426 |
| Dual voltage | Yes |
| Cool shot | No |
| Foldable handle | Yes |
Remington On the Go 2000W Compact Dryer
Score: 80/100
This was a top performer for speed and styling. Its handy accessories include a compact diffuser for beautiful beachy waves wherever you are and a styling nozzle for ultra smooth blow dries.
The only niggle is that it doesn't come with a travel case, which would have been handy for holding the extra accessories. But you do get a small key so you can change the voltage output with ease.
Key specifications
| Wattage (watts) | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Weight (g) | 518 |
| Dual voltage | Yes |
| Cool shot | No |
| Foldable handle | Yes |
Best travel hair straightener
ghd Duet Style 2-in-1 Hot Air Styler
Score: 92/100
Technically, this is both a hair dryer and straightener, so you're getting two for the price of one, which also cuts down on the number of tools you need to take away with you.
Designed to dry and straighten at the same time, to minimise the hair's exposure to heat, the Duet Style is both space and time saving. Testers were impressed with the smooth, shiny results on the wet-to-dry styling mode and everyone said their hair felt more hydrated than when they use a standard dryer and straightener.
Key specifications
| Type of plates | Ceramic |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 1 |
| Ionic technology | No |
| Included accessories | Heat guard |
Panasonic EH-HS0E Nanoe Hair Straightener
Score: 80/100
These Panasonic straighteners are compact, lightweight and speedy. They also have 3D flexible floating plates that move as you straighten for an even finish.
Styles held up in humid weather on test, making it ideal for sunny trips abroad, and the majority of testers said it gripped hair gently and frizz was minimised.
Key specifications
| Type of plates | Ceramic |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 5 |
| Ionic technology | Yes |
| Included accessories | None |
Best travel electric toothbrush
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 Pink Electric Toothbrush
Score: 89/100
If you can't be without your electric toothbrush when you're away, we recommend this stylish sonic model from Philips. It comes with a USB travel case that doubles as a charger and it also boasts a two-week battery life, making it ideal for frequent flyers.
On top of that, it has five brushing modes so you can customise your clean and its two-minute timer is broken up into 30-second bursts to guide you through brushing. Oh, and it comes in a choice of four chic shades – we're fans of the soft pink.
Want to boost your smile even further, to complement that golden tan? Try our top-rated teeth whitening strips for travellers from Mr. Blanc – each set of strips come individually wrapped so you can throw them in your beauty bag and go.
Key specifications
| Brush action | Sonic |
|---|---|
| Number of cleaning modes | 5 |
| Features | Charge light, 2-minute timer with quad pacer |
| Included accessories | USB travel case |
Score: 82/100
Okay, it isn't electric, but this battery-powered toothbrush is as effective as its chargeable cousins.
It has a two-minute timer, the battery lasts for 90 days in total, and it gave all our testers a great clean. It's also slimline and comes with a neat carry case, so it's perfect for trips away. We're fans of the coral colourway too.
Key specifications
| Brush action | Sonic |
|---|---|
| Number of cleaning modes | 1 |
| Features | 2-minute timer |
| Included accessories | Clip-close carry case |
Best travel clothes steamer
Tefal Access DT7050 Travel Hand Steamer
Score: 88/100
This small but mighty steamer will keep your holiday wardrobe looking fresh. Designed with travel in mind, it has dual voltage and plenty of handy accessories, including a travel bag. It heats up in under a minute and is easy to use.
In our tests, it removed all creases from linen, viscose silk and cotton, so your capsule wardrobe is in safe hands. It does spit a little and our cotton shirt was wet after steaming, so you can't use it right before getting dressed, but those are only quibbles.
Key specifications
| Tank capacity | 0.15L |
|---|---|
| Transparent water tank | Yes |
| Hanging equipment | Yes |
| Included accessories | Door hook, fabric brush, steam bonnet, travel bag |
| Dimensions (H, W, D) | 24.5cm x 12cm x 10cm |
| Wattage | 1100 watts |
Score: 87/100
Another Tefal model, this slimline steamer will fit seamlessly into your suitcase. Like the DT7050 above, it's best used when you have time to let your clothes dry, but it effectively removed all wrinkles from cotton, viscose and silk.
It took a little longer to get the creases out of our linens –one to bear in mind if you're a fan of the warm weather favourite – but its reversible head makes it a brilliant multitasker.
Key specifications
| Tank capacity | 0.7L |
|---|---|
| Transparent water tank | Yes |
| Hanging equipment | No |
| Included accessories | Reversible head to cater to different fabrics and travel bag |
| Dimensions (H, W, D) | 31.8cm x 5.7cm x 14.1cm |
| Wattage | 1300 watts |
Best travel massage gun
Score: 95/100
If you're planning an active break or want to soothe tired muscles after a long-haul flight, consider adding this micro massage gun from market-leading brand, Theragun, to your packing list.
Weighing just 450g, it comes with its own travel bag and is quiet and easy to use. Despite its portable size, it's powerful and moves smoothly over muscles to ease aches and pains. And relax.
Key specifications
| Weight | 0.45kg |
|---|---|
| Amplitude | 12mm |
| Speed settings | 3 |
| Battery life | Up to 150 minutes |
| Included accessories | 3 attachments, charging cable, soft case |
Why trust the Good Housekeeping Institute?
The Good Housekeeping Institute has been testing products for over 100 years, from mops and vacuums to bedding and the best hair-growth tech.
Our testers are experts in their fields, whether that's home appliances or skincare science. They develop rigorous protocols to measure every product against in the lab. We also use our large at-home panel to try them in real life, to ensure they live up to their claims.
Senior Beauty Writer, Florence Reeves-White, has also been writing about beauty products for several years, which includes trying them herself at home to see which claims can be substantiated, and which are just too good to be true.
Alison is head of content for the Good Housekeeping Institute, responsible for product reviews across homes, beauty, wellness, family and food & drink. She lives by the William Morris quote that you should “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Alison has over 15 years' experience as a lifestyle editor and has written features on everything from misophonia to how to dress like Claudia on The Traitors. She has also interviewed everyone from Dame Joanna Lumley to the Kardashians.
In her spare time, you'll find her hanging out with Monty the cocker spaniel and refreshing the Sezane website every five seconds.
Florence is our Senior Beauty Writer, specialising in expert-tested beauty and grooming reviews — from toothbrushes to the latest skincare launches. She’s committed to sharing recommendations for products that truly work and make people feel confident and healthy. Prior to this she was at Tropic Skincare, where she worked closely with biochemists in the lab, delving into the functions of each fresh, natural ingredient and conveying its efficacy to her audience in easy-to-digest terms.
With over five years’ experience in beauty and health journalism, Florence has written for ELLE, Women’s Fitness, Sister Magazine, National Geographic Traveller and many more, with a strong sustainability angle thread through much of her work.
When she isn’t packing for a trip away, working out, eating out or reading up on retinol serums, you’ll probably find her experimenting with her film camera and building her portfolio of portraits. Florence’s photography can be found at florencereeves-white.com, her Instagram is @florencereeveswhite and her twitter is @floreadsnwrites
Yanar was our former health and wellness tester.
Maria is our Beauty and Grooming Testing Manager, and since joining in mid-2022, she has managed the testing for mutiple categories including scalp scrubs, collagen supplements and retinol serums. In addition to her master's degree in chemical engineering and a diploma in cosmetic science, she recently received her MBA from the London College of Fashion, focusing on case studies within the beauty industry. Prior to joining the company, she worked within the global technical team at the Estee Lauder Companies for over six years, collaborating with the chemists and engineers to launch luxury beauty products at scale and to quality. She has also worked as a formulation scientist within the pharmaceutical industry and takes this evidence based approach into all her product testing.
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