This post contains affiliate links. Visit our Disclosure page for details.
Join our community of 500,000 stylish female travelers! Sign up for Travel Fashion Girl’s newsletter and never miss a thing!
Long term travelers aren’t the only ones that should pack fast drying towels. A travel towel like this one is an absolute must have in my packing list. Find out why they’re great and why you need a travel towel for your next trip!
7 Reasons You Need a Fast Drying Towel for Travel
1. Instead of packing a regular terry cloth towel on your travels, fast drying towels takes up less room and will dry in a fraction of the time.
2. If you have a jam packed itinerary and you plan to be in a new location every 1-2 days, then you need a towel that can dry quickly. The last thing you want is a wet towel in your bag after a morning shower right?
3. Fast drying towels are perfect for beach vacations! Leave the thick, space guzzling beach towel at home and get an extra-large travel towel instead. They don’t absorb as much as regular towels so they’re also easy to wipe and clear any sand.
4. They dry your skin faster than regular towels because they easily absorb moisture. Time is valuable when you’re traveling!
5. Budget accommodations such as hostels and guesthouses rarely provide towels. Bring your own.
6. They’re great for divers! If you’re a scuba diver this is the perfect way to get dry between dives without packing a thick towel. Fast drying towels dry so quickly that should be nice and dry on back to back dives.
7. If you’re going camping, these are the perfect way to freshen up without adding bulk to your gear.
The one thing to note is that travel towels are small in size because you can use them as a shammy to dry your body easily. However, if you want to wrap them around your body like a regular towel, then choose a size extra large.
The fast drying towel I use is the Sea to Summit DryLite Towel in a pink color, size large. (I’m 5’2″ 110lb and a size large just barely fits around my body.) For more styles, check out the 10 best travel towel styles.
Do you use fast drying towels for travel?
For more ideas on other travel essentials, please read the following:
- Neck Pillow Styles: Top 10 Best Sellers for Travel
- 12 Benefits of Using Packing Cubes
- Top 8 Budget Travel Packing Essentials
- Money Belts and Anti-theft Items for Travel
- Top 10 Hostel Essentials
Great post, couldn’t agree more! I’m sharing this with our audience!
Thanks Dan!
If you are a bigger person looking to cover up but can’t find a quick-dry towel that fits look in the yoga isle. They are long and skinny like a yoga mat. I’m 5’7′” and my pink towel covers all the good bits. I am taking one on my backpacking trip to use as: towel, pool cover-up, yoga mat, blanket, mattress cover, picnic tablecloth. Plus I have long thick hair that usually takes a day to dry so I need a towel that will dry my body and twist up for my hair. Bonus tip: don’t use fabric softener! Its the weave of the fabric that makes it so light an absorbent…but also a little scratchy. Fabric softener won’t help and it will gunk up the weave and long life of the towel.
thank you for sharing! great tip 🙂
Reason 8: Even many urban locations in North Asia don’t provide towels, especially when out and about the city. Most public restrooms in Tokyo (in the Subway, at the mall, on the train) provide soap and water, but not paper towels–everyone carries their own towels. Many bathrooms in Hong Kong and Shanghai will provide water and paper towels, but no soap! BYOT&S
thanks! great add!
Reason # 8: Pressing excess moisture out of hand washed clothes!
I don’t leave home without mine. In fact, I have several sizes, so I can choose which one fits my needs best. I have a tiny one, which is perfect for hiking trip where I might dip my feet in the water. Bigger one for bathing. And one that I keep with my travel washing supplies, which is the most absorbent, but least soft against my skin. If I’m road tripping, I would take all three. Flying and packing light, I would just do the most absorbent. Paired with my sarong as a cover up, I find I have no problem with a smaller than normal towel (plus the million other uses I get out of a sarong!). Added bonus: at home I use a separate hair towel to dry my mass of thick curly hair, and a travel towel is often the perfect size to wrap my hair up after drying my body.
So yes, I’m a big, big fan of travel towels!
another awesome tip! definitely helps with hand washing