After a year of staying close to home, many of us are itching to get back on the road. While traveling can be a lot of fun, it can also leave you with dry eyes, skin and sinuses.
At home, you can use a humidifier to add moisture to the air and help alleviate your dryness, but your usual humidifier is probably too large to take on the go. That’s why you’ll want a travel-friendly model that’s easy to pack and use when you’re away from home.
Unfortunately, plenty of factors can cause dehydration when you’re traveling.
If you’re flying, the air circulation system inside the plane’s cabin can take moisture out of the air around you, so you wind up with dry eyes, skin, sinuses and even a dry throat. When you travel to a different climate or altitude, you may also find yourself surrounded by drier air that strips away valuable moisture.
Size obviously matters when it comes to travel humidifiers. You want a compact model that’s easy to pack in your bag or suitcase. You also want it to be lightweight, so it doesn’t make your luggage too heavy. Many travel-friendly humidifiers have a built-in water reservoir, but some let you use bottled water as the tank to cut down on the weight.
This compact humidifier is ideal for travel because it uses a basic 500ml or smaller water bottle as its reservoir. It utilizes ultrasonic technology to generate its mist and allows for super-quiet operation. It comes with some useful functions such as a night-light, two-spray modes and auto shut-off.
Sold by Amazon
Treva Drop Light USB Humidifier
This portable mini humidifier is easy to pack for any trip, but it still provides consistent, long-lasting mist to add moisture to the surrounding area. It offers both a continuous and an intermittent mode and even has a night light to help you see when you’re sleeping in a hotel room or other unfamiliar place.
Sold by Bed Bath & Beyond
AFROG Portable Mini Humidifier
This lightweight, ultra-quiet humidifier is an excellent option for travel, weighing just over 8 ounces. It provides up to five hours of operation with a full water tank, though the auto-shutoff feature automatically turns it off when the water level is low. It is USB-adaptive and can even be charged in your car.
Sold by Amazon
PureGuardian 30-Hour Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
One of the larger options on the list, this humidifier can help add moisture to a room for up to 30 hours. It’s still reasonably compact, though, and features durable plastic construction to avoid damage during travel. It also offers exceptional protection to prevent mold and mildew growth in the water tank.
Sold by Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot and Kohl’s
TaoTronics Ultrasonic Humidifier
This easy-to-clean humidifier is lightweight and slim enough for travel, despite its significant mist production. It features simple dial controls to adjust the output and a 360-degree nozzle. The auto-shutoff feature shuts off the humidifier when the tank is empty.
Sold by Amazon
HoMedics Personal Ultrasonic Humidifier
This portable ultrasonic humidifier travels exceptionally well, weighing just over half a pound. It doesn’t make much noise when operating and only requires a half cup of water to run for 4 hours. It’s also easy to set up: just add water, plug it in and press the power button.
Sold by Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond
MOVTIP Portable Mini Humidifier
This compact, user-friendly humidifier features one-button control that lets you activate the mist quickly and easily. It has two mist modes and can spray continuously for up to 12 hours. In the intermittent mode, though, it sprays every couple of seconds for 18 hours.
Sold by Amazon
Pure Enrichment MistAire Travel Ultrasonic Cool Mist Water Bottle Humidifier
This travel humidifier uses a standard water bottle as its reservoir, which cuts down on its weight to make packing easier. It’s even small enough to fit in a carry-on bag. It also provides variable mist settings and automatically turns off when the water bottle is empty.
Sold by Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s
SPT Appliance Portable Humidifier with Bottle
Designed to be highly portable, this humidifier is lightweight and compact enough for easy travel. It offers extremely quiet operation and is compatible with both a standard water bottle or its included tank. It doesn’t use much power while in use either.
Sold by Macy’s
Vicks Warm Steam Vaporizer Tabletop Humidifier
This warm mist humidifier is a larger model on our list, but it’s an excellent option for long trips and extended travel. It has a night light and can operate continuously for 18-24 hours.
Sold by Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond and Wayfair
Treva Night Light Rechargeable Humidifier
This portable humidifier fits easily on any tabletop and can run for up to 7 hours on a single charge. It’s extremely quiet and has a nightlight option with a fade feature. It also has an easy-to-fill top and leak-proof design to prevent spills.
Sold by Bed Bath & Beyond
This handy car humidifier comes in extremely handy for road trips. The stick offers an adjustable length and can be used in any container, including a water bottle or mug. It comes with a USB cord, so you can charge it in your car while driving.
Sold by Amazon
Crane Droplet Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
This large humidifier is still lightweight enough for travel. It offers three speed settings and an adjustable 360-degree mist lid to send mist in any direction. It can run for up to 15 hours but has an automatic shutoff safety feature to turn it off when the water runs out.
Sold by Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond and Home Depot
InnoGear Car Diffuser and Humidifier
This convenient car humidifier also works as a diffuser to help your car interior smell fresher. It offers both continuous and intermittent mist options and charges quickly via a USB cord. It’s also compact enough to fit in your car’s cup holder to keep it secure as you drive.
Sold by Amazon
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Jennifer Blair writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
