Try These 5 Easy Travel-Ready Hairstyles on Your Next Trip

I think it’s fair to say that we all want to look our best when we travel, but we don’t want to spend hours at the hotel bathroom sink trying to make it happen.

So how do you look “normal” after traveling long distances for days at a time, often without access to a curling/straightening iron, let alone a shower? With five minutes and just a little prep, that’s how!

This post contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking one of these links (at no additional cost to you!). Thank you for your support - it enables me to run this site ad-free!

Today I’m sharing five hairstyles that can be managed while away from home, with minimal effort and styling tools and just a few minutes of precious travel time. Note: hair types and lengths vary, so I can only attest to the fact that these styles work well on my fine, armpit-length hair.

Let’s get stylin’:

1. LOOSE WAVES

My go-to, lived-in look. These waves complement a variety of looks, from a simple tee-and-jeans combination to a darling dinner outfit.

I begin just about every trip with my hair styled this way. I shower as close as I can to our departure, washing really well with a clarifying shampoo if I don’t expect to have the opportunity to wash it for a couple of days, and either blow dry or air dry my hair.

Once it’s dry, I curl it with a traditional curling iron, holding it vertically and avoiding my scalp and ends to curl 1-inch sections of hair at a time, working back to front (the barrel size I use depends on the length of my hair – right now I’m using a 1-1/4″ barrel iron). I turn the barrel away from my face on all but a few curls, when I rotate the other way, which helps avoid that pageant-curl look. I then let the curls cool completely before spritzing them with a little sea salt spray and/or texture spray.

Afterward, I break up the curls a tad by running my fingers through them and adding a little shine oil. At first, the curls feel a little much, but they eventually settle down. By the second, third, or, um, fourth day (with the help of some dry shampoo and lifting powder), my hair just has a gentle bend and a lot more movement than if it was left straight. Here’s how I achieve that style:

a woman with clean long hair — Begin with clean, dry hair

Alyssa uses a large barrel curling iron — Working from the back, curl one-inch sections in the desired direction

Alyssa sprays product in her hair — Let cool completely, and finish with styling spray of choice (hair spray, texture spray, or salt-spray)

Alyssa combs through the ends of her hair with her fingers — Comb through with fingers once cool

Alyssa runs product through her hair — Finish with a little hair oil at the ends to seal and add shine

2. AIR-DRIED + TWISTED

Heat-free, tool-free curls are a traveler's friend! I prefer the look of hair curled around a barrel, but this style is so great in a pinch.

It’s pretty safe to assume that a hotel will have a hairdryer for guests to use (if not in the room, then at least available for checkout from the front desk), but Airbnb is the Wild West of amenities. After a few instances of arriving at my Airbnb to find the promised blowdryer missing (I’ve been told more than once that oh gosh, the dryer was stolen by the guest right before me. Sure, Jan), I turn to heatless waves.

To create texture without the use of heat tools, I make sure to shower before the end of the evening to allow my hair to fully air-dry before the next morning. My hair has a naturally irregular wave to it, so I tend to coax it into play while it dries. This can be done by scrunching it several times as it dries, but I prefer the more hands-off approach of gently twisting my hair away from my face and allowing it to set.

Many prefer a bun (and if that’s your go-to, go for it!), but I’m not a fan of how it only creates curls in one direction. Plus, I find it much more comfortable to sleep with my hair tied back this way than with a blob of a bun. Here’s how I get heat-free waves, step by step:

Alyssa has long, damp hair — Start with towel-dried hair (damp, not soaking-wet)

Alyssa twists her hair into pigtails — Begin twisting half away from your face

Alyssa's hair is twisted in two pig tails — Repeat on the other side (yes, it looks a bit silly and juvenile!)

Alyssa's hair is twisted and pulled back away from her face — Occasionally re-twist as needed, or tie back away from the face with a soft hair tie

Alyssa tucks her hair behind her ear — When dry, shake out your loose waves, and spray with salt spray if desired

3. BRAIDED

You'll need a little dexterity to complete a French or Dutch braid, but all it takes is practice! I incorporate my side part into my braids, for an unexpected off-center version.

When my roots are so greasy that all the dry shampoo in the world can’t sop up their oils, or if I’m going somewhere incredibly windy or where I expect to work up a sweat, I braid my hair. Sure, I’ll change the placement of the braid or change from a French braid to a Dutch braid depending on the day, but the formula is basically the same (if you’ve never mastered a French braid, I suggest checking out a few of the countless videos on Youtube and you’ll be a pro in no time!).

To save time while making a maximum impact, I pull larger sections of hair into the braid to create a bolder shape. Braids work best on at least day-old hair, but if it’s freshly washed you can add a texturizing powder to help it stay put (it’s also great for adding definition to Dutch braids).

If the braid is even, you’ll also end up with nice S-shaped waves when you take it down – another heat-free style to work with! The braids shown below are the most common ones I wear when traveling:

Alyssa braids her hair — I often prefer to braid down one side, as my part sometimes peeks through a centered braid

The back of Alyssa's braid — A loose, centered braid like this often leads to really pretty waves the following day

Alyssa shakes texture powder into her braid — Texturizing powder is a great addition to a Dutch braid (or any braid) as it provides a bit of grip

Alyssa pulls her braid to make it wider — The braid can be stretched to be more prominent after powdering

A braid with texture in it — Once loosened, the braid has a more laid-back vibe

4. HAT

Yes, hat. A hat is a great way to extend the time between washings - but it's also a notorious hairstyle killer. I've found a way to wear a hat without going flat:

I can hear you thinking, “A hat is not a hairstyle,” so hear me out:

Yes, sometimes hats are for those days when you’re roots are too greasy or your hair creased in a strange way because you slept on your pillow funny, but sometimes you need them to stay warm. But then, *horror of horrors*, you need to remove them when you arrive at your destination. And now you have hat head and think you maybe should have sacrificed warmth for style (at least that’s how I used to feel every time I wore a beanie).

Since I part my hair on one side, I eventually discovered that if I flipped my part before putting the hat on my head, I could just flip it back when I remove my hat. So simple, and it took me so long to figure it out! Now when I remove my hat, I’m often left with more volume than when I started – and with my fine hair, that’s a very good thing.

Step-by-step, this is how I flip my part (there aren’t many steps!):

Alyssa adjusts the part of her hair — Gather a two-inch section at the middle of the scalp

Alyssa adjusts a grey beanie on her head in a mirror — Add your hat, and adjust if necessary (if you’re not used to changing your part, it can feel a little strange!)

Alyssa looks in the mirror and adjusts her hair — When you’re ready to remove your hat, just re-part your hair back on its normal side. No hat-hair at all!

5. UPDO

A heatless, toolless hairstyle that is exceedingly elegant and makes for a cool party trick.

The first time I saw someone pull their hair back like this, I swore it was magic.

This hairstyle is classy and elegant, or can also be roughed up a bit to look more casual or edgy (my preference!). I’ll often pull my hair up like this briefly if it’s windy and I’m missing a hair tie, or if I need to shower and don’t want to wash my hair.

It takes a bit of practice to get it right, but once you have it down, you can accomplish this style in about thirty seconds. I find I have better success with this style on slightly dirty hair or with the use of hair texturizers, but if your hair naturally holds its shape well, you should be able to do this anytime! Here’s how:

Alyssa wears her hair down with a side part — I prefer to start with hair that hasn’t been recently washed (I’m on day three here)

Alyssa pulls her hair back as if to make a ponytail — Pull it back into a low ponytail, but do not secure

Alyssa twists her hair in one big twist — Twist the hair all the way to the ends (I prefer to do so toward the direction of my part)

Alyssa creates an updo without any tools — Wrap into a bun, but again, do not secure

Alyssa wears an updo that doesn't require tools — Pin and add hairspray if needed

FINAL THOUGHTS ON QUICK HAIRSTYLES FOR TRAVEL

Perhaps one day I’ll have a travel budget with enough room to accommodate a visit to a blow-dry bar before every trip, but for the foreseeable future, that’s not in the cards. For now, I’m happy to have a few quick and easy hairstyles ready to deploy so I can get out and enjoy my destination.

—

Questions for you

What are your favorite easy-to-accomplish hairstyles when away from home?

Do you part your hair down the middle or on the side?

Enjoyed this post? You may also like:

Share this post:

2 Comments on “Five Easy Hairstyles for Travel (that aren’t a messy bun or ponytail!)”

Zala Hair says:

June 20, 2023 at 1:44 am

so many awesome hairstyles! I love the side braid one!

1. Alyssa says:
  
  June 20, 2023 at 9:00 am
  
  Thanks so much! It’s a favorite for sure

Five Easy Hairstyles for Travel (that aren’t a messy bun or ponytail!)