If you have any plans to go out and see the world, it is important that you keep hydrated and looking fresh. This is where having an array of travel bottles can come in handy. Presented below is an overview of notable bottle types for the everyday traveler.
Pump Bottle
When most people hear “travel bottle,” they tend to focus on something like a water bottle or something that can clear the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA)’s security guidelines. Intended more for anyone who uses lotions and creams, a pump bottle is simply a bottle that bears a pump-action spout attached to its neck. All that you need for a proper travel pump bottle is a non-glass bottle with a neck with screw-on grooves and a pump-action spout that can appropriately and snugly fit around the neck. This makes for an excellent means of carrying around a homemade insecticide or sunscreen lotion but would be terrible for dispensing drinks.
Spray Bottle
Maybe you plan on traveling out into the wilderness or you just need to discipline an animal that’s coming along for the ride. These scenarios are just examples of circumstances where a spray bottle might be needed. Similar to how a pump bottle can be used to apply lotions and creams, a spray bottle can be used to apply perfumes and insect spray or can even come in handy during the sweaty summer months by being a means of spritzing you and your traveling companions with water to keep cool. The cooling option goes even further if you somehow find an insulated, non-glass container to store that water because it will keep any ice or cold water cold for a longer period.
Tumblers
While every road trip calls for hydration, you do not want to be stuck looking for a gas station to buy a drink as soon as you consume your 12 or 20 ounces of liquid. To that end, consider getting yourself a drinking vessel with a respectable liquid capacity, such as a 40 oz tumbler with a handle. Not only is a tumbler going to be able to store more than a standard product size worth of liquid, but it can also keep your drinks cold or hot for a longer time than a plastic or styrofoam container and with less of an impact on the environment.
Squeeze Bottle
To clarify, this sort of bottle is not the kind that features a squeeze trigger as you might see on bug spray, cooking spray, or anything else previously covered under our category on spray bottles. No, this type of bottle is made of a flexible, nontoxic material that you can squeeze and squish-bottle you can squeeze instead of just having a squeeze trigger. While an adult might get some enjoyment out of such a vessel, especially if you pack something like a slushie or other semi-frozen type of sustenance, the real use for this sort of bottle would likely be as a form of entertainment for the kids that are left in the back seat during a car trip.
Clear with a 3.4 Ounce Capacity
This last category of travel bottle is mostly relevant to anyone who plans to fly and whose flight involves any travel into or out of the United States of America. The TSA has an edict it follows and calls the 3-1-1 rule. This rule stipulates that no container of liquids or semi-liquids can hold more than 3.4 ounces (100 milligrams). It also requires all such containers to be see-through and stored within a clear, quart-sized bag. If you plan to enjoy your flight unmolested, bear these requirements in mind as you pack the bags for your trip.
The End of the Road
This covers five general categories of bottles that might suit the needs of world travelers. Whatever sort of traveling you plan on doing, consider what you might need to do between your departure and your arrival, and think about whether or not you might get a great deal of use out of any of the bottle varieties we have presented. While you may not need to worry about bringing a 100mg capacity clear bottle for a road trip, you might get much use out of a spray, squeeze, pump-action bottle, or tumbler.
