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If you’re keen to learn more about travel humidifiers or are interested in buying a travel humidifier, our guide will be able to point you in the right direction. From long-haul flights to overly air-conditioned malls, now more than ever, you need to take extra care of your skin, throat, eyes, and body while traveling.
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at six of the best travel humidifiers on the market. Each humidifier addresses a specific purpose, covering a range of requirements, from size to limited noise.
We’ll look at each humidifier’s top features and break down the pros and cons of each unit. This will allow us to ultimately identify whether each humidifier is right for you, according to the type of travel you intend to do.
Don’t let dry air irritate your skin or agitate your allergies. A travel humidifier can add enough moisture to the air in which you live, breathe, and sleep to help keep you happy, healthy, and enjoying your travels.
Best Travel Humidifiers
Top Pick
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Because of its super lightweight and portable frame and how easy it is to use, the FIGROL USB Portable Mini Humidifier is a sound choice to accompany you on your travels.
Quick Picks
No time to read through? No problem! I’m sure our quick picks can point you in the right direction:
| Type | Brand |
| Best Portable Humidifier | FIGROL USB Portable Mini Humidifier |
| Best Mini Humidifier | Fancii Cool Mist Personal Humidifier |
| Best Water-Bottle Humidifier | Pure Enrichment MistAire Travel |
| Best Roadtrip / Car Humidifier | InnoGear |
| Best Ultrasonic Humidifier | BONECO Travel Cool Mist Ultrasonicc Humidifier |
| Best Cool Mist Humidifier | Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Travel Humidifier |
Travel Humidifier Considerations
Type of Humidifier
Whether the humidifier generates warm mist or cold mist, portable humidifiers will nearly always fall into one of these categories:
Ultrasonic – generate mist via ultrasonic vibration, and while often more expensive, they are generally some of the quietest humidifiers.
Steam Vaporizers – release vapors by boiling water and are one of the most common types of humidifier. However, they can be larger and heavier than other portable humidifiers, and dealing with water and boiling temperatures, like a kettle, means you have to be careful when using them.
Evaporators – use a filter to draw water from a container and release it as a mist, making them some of the easiest humidifiers to use. However, the filters will need to be changed.
Impeller – disperse warm mist via a rotating disc and diffuser, making them better suited to cooler temperatures, but can be louder due to the rotating disc.
Type of Power
Generally, a portable humidifier will be powdered in one of three ways:
Electric cable powered – often the least diverse and portable, but the humidifier will be more powerful.
USB powered – gives you more flexibility when it comes to powering it, especially with a portable USB charger, but the humidifier will be less powerful.
Battery operated – naturally the most portable as it doesn’t need a physical power source, but you need to be conscious of battery life.
Water Storage
Portable humidifiers will generally draw water from either:
- Built-in Tank or Container
- Water Bottle
Humidifiers that come with their own tank will often be heavier, but their water capacity can be larger and easier to fill. Humidifier and water bottle combinations can be more lightweight and portable, but there may be compatibility issues.
Noise Level
This is particularly important at night if you struggle to sleep with background noise. Read the reviews or watch some videos, if possible, to try to gauge better how loud or quiet the humidifier is. Ultrasonic humidifiers are often quieter.
Manual Operation vs. Timed
Some humidifiers run with a simple on/off button, while others can be set to come on at a certain time for a period of time. Especially if you’re planning to run your humidifier through the night, consider the automated options on the humidifier.
Run Time
Some humidifiers can run for many hours, while others are limited to only a couple of hours due to their battery life. If you need your humidifier to run throughout the evening or night, you will need something with more power and hence sacrifice some of its portability.
Area of Space
Dehumidifying a small hotel room is a much easier task for a humidifier than a large co-working space. Consider your accommodation and where you plan to use it. Do a deeper dive into the product specifications and reviews to better understand the capabilities of the humidifier.
Weight and Size
Your portable humidifier is going to come with you on your travels. That means you need to consider its weight, dimensions, and how you are going to pack and travel with it.
Heavier, oddly shaped, and more fragile humidifiers may be more effective but will pose more challenges when packing them. You also need to think about voltage for socket-based humidifiers and hence travel with an adapter.
Best Travel Humidifier Picks
So, with our list ready to go, let’s take a closer look at some of the best travel humidifiers available on the market.
Best Overall Travel Humidifier
1 – FIGROL USB Portable Mini Humidifier
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Features
The best travel humidifier on our list packs a lot of features in a small package that makes it an extremely versatile and convenient humidifier for travelers. Like most small humidifiers, you will need your own container, but unlike most other ones, this very portable humidifier can be adjusted for different container sizes.
This is accomplished with the accessory kit that includes two different cores, one short and one long. This means that you’ll able to use this humidifier with almost any glass or small bottle as a container. It is powered by a USB cable that comes in the package, and that can be plugged into USB ports that many hotels nowadays offer in their rooms.
You don’t need to worry about your sleep being disrupted as this tiny humidifier operates silently and has an auto shut-off safety feature that will automatically turn it off when it can’t draw any more water from the container.
Pros
It is a lightweight and compact humidifier that won’t feel like a chore to carry around. You can even adjust the length of the humidifier to suit your container, which will probably be the glass found in your room if you’re using this as a hotel humidifier.
It is very simple to use, and there is no need for complicated preparation. It won’t disturb your sleep thanks to its quiet operation, and it has an auto shut-off safety feature which makes it a great personal humidifier.
Cons
The main drawbacks of this humidifier are the facts it will require the cord to be plugged in at all times, which could limit the placement possibilities, and that there is no way to adjust the output.
Best Mini Humidifier
2 – Fancii Cool Mist Personal Humidifier
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Features
With this product, you have a choice between a cordless humidifier and a USB portable humidifier, as it has two possible energy sources, a USB cord or 3xAA batteries. The USB cord is included with the humidifier, and you’ll need to secure the batteries yourself.
Small water bottles (up to 20oz) are inserted into the base to act as containers, so you don’t need to pack anything else besides a compact humidifier base. There is an option to adjust the humidifier so that it shuts off after a set amount of time (2, 4, or 6 hours), or you can just let it work its magic until it runs out of water and shuts off automatically.
It will require cotton filters to operate, and you will get three of them right away, which should last you for up to 6 months of use.
Pros
Lightest humidifier on this list at 3.68 ounces. Despite its small size and weight, it humidifies the room quite fast, and it does so silently. You can choose between a cordless humidifier (battery-powered) and USB-powered operating modes for maximum versatility and portability.
Cons
Unfortunately, only bottles with standard necks can be used as containers – bottles with low necks won’t work with this humidifier. Also, the size does limit some features, so you won’t be able to use essential oils with this humidifier to add your favorite aroma to the room.
Best Water Bottle Humidifier
3 – Pure Enrichment MistAire Travel
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Features
Just like the previous humidifier on this list, this one uses water bottles that attach to the base via a special adapter as containers. When the container runs out of water, which should take around 6 hours for a standard small bottle, the humidifier will automatically shut off to prevent any damage to itself or its surroundings.
It is fairly lightweight, and given how accessible small bottles are, there should be no need to carry a container with you as you can easily secure one wherever you go. Speaking of going anywhere, the humidifier is constructed to work with a wide range of voltages which makes it usable in any part of the world. It is powered with a cord that plugs into a power socket, and this adapter also powers the mood light on the humidifier.
Inside the box, you’ll find a few extra accessories, such as a small travel bag for your humidifier and a brush to make cleaning the inside components easier.
Pros
The amount of mist it produces can be adjusted to suit your specific needs and the conditions of the room you’re in. Also, the mood light is not too strong, and it can help create a pleasant atmosphere in dark environments.
Cons
While the humidifier will work with a wide range of voltages, the plug is designed for western sockets. If you find yourself trying to use this humidifier in a part of the world that uses different power sockets, you’ll need a secure converter to be able to use the humidifier.
If you’re sensitive to light, it is important to note that the mood light can’t be turned off, which could disrupt your sleep if you want to use the humidifier overnight.
Best Road Trip/Car Humidifier
4 – InnoGear
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Features
This extremely compact humidifier is perfectly suited to usage in a car thanks to its size, shape, and power sources. Starting from the glass-shaped design, it is meant to fit into your car’s cup holder and its low weight and compact dimensions more than allow it to fit a cup holder comfortably. In keeping with the car theme, the humidifier is powered by a USB cord that plugs into a USB port present in many modern cars.
You have the option to choose from two mist modes, continuous or intermittent, which is handy given that the humidifier can be used with essential oils. It also features a mood light that can be set to change colors, stay on a particular color, or be turned off entirely. It doesn’t require an external container as it features an internal one.
However, this internal container is somewhat small, given the small dimensions of the humidifier itself. There is an auto shut-off feature for when it runs out of water, so you don’t have to worry about any damage to your car.
Pros
It is very compact and one of the few humidifiers on this list that can easily be used in a car. There is a high degree of possibility for customization as the mood lights and the mist modes can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Finally, essential oils can be used with this humidifier to distribute some relaxing scents inside your car.
Cons
The humidifier’s USB cord comes without any additional adapters, and the tradeoff for the small dimensions is a small internal container of only 50 milliliters (around 3.5 fl oz).
While this is a good humidifier if there is a USB port in your car, these cons will severely limit the humidifier’s usefulness in larger areas.
Best Ultrasonic Humidifier
5 – BONECO Travel Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier
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Features
This is the product for you if you’re looking for a modern, high-output humidifier. It can go through a gallon of water every 24 hours. It doesn’t have an internal tank, and it uses plastic bottles with a capacity of up to 0.5 liters as tanks. These bottles are connected to the base with a special adapter. The humidifier is powered with an adapter that is plugged into a standard power socket.
There is a special LED indicator that will let you know when the unit is running and when it runs out of water. You can control the amount of mist it generates, and the unit will automatically shut off once the container runs dry to prevent any damage while you replace the empty container with a full one. It comes with its own special travel bag, so you don’t have to worry about finding something to put it in and prevent it from getting scratched.
Other accessories also include a handy brush that will help with cleaning some of the internal components of your humidifier.
Pros
Being able to use different power sockets is important when you travel, so it’s a great thing that this humidifier has an adapter that comes with several endings for different types of sockets.
The visual information you get from the LED makes it much simpler to check the current status of your device and the container than with other humidifiers.
Cons
This humidifier has only one major drawback as far as traveling is concerned. While the humidifiers we’ve covered so far weigh only a few ounces at most, this one is heavier at 1.3lbs.
Best Cool Mist Humidifier
6 – Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Travel Humidifier
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Features
Designed for people on the move and to be used in hotel rooms and the like, the Crane personal ultrasonic cool mist humidifier is sleek, compact, and easy to use.
It comes with a 360-degree nozzle to allow you to distribute the mist in a particular direction if needed, and its whisper-quiet ultrasonic diffusion means you can sleep well at night with barely any to no noise.
An 8-hour run time means you can technically run it the length of a recommended night’s sleep, and the detachable 0.2-gallon tank is simple to detach, fill up from a tap or water source, and connect back on.
Pros
The device is super quiet, making it an ideal choice for using it at night. The whole device is also very well designed, and the detachable tank makes it not only easy to clean but simple to fill, connect, and use within seconds.
Cons
Absolutely not a bad point, but the device is suited for rooms of 160 sq ft in capacity or less. It is very much designed for travelers using it in hotel and apartment rooms, so look to a lighter, smaller humidifier if you need it for, say, camping.
Best Travel Humidifiers Summary
Hopefully, with our in-depth expertise, you now have a much better understanding of travel humidifiers and the types available to you. As you can see, it’s not a case of one size fits all.
Thinking long and hard about where and the environments in which you’ll be traveling will allow you to purchase a travel humidifier that works best for you.
If you do suffer from allergies or are prone to irritated skin and sore throats in dry air conditions, a travel humidifier will most likely be a more than worthwhile purchase for you. As we mentioned before, with many countries embracing a tourism boom like never before, air-conditioned environments becoming more common.
Don’t spend the duration of your trip suffering. A little investment now can go a long way to making your trip a far more enjoyable experience.
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