Your Ultimate Travel Towel Checklist: What to Pack for Your Euro Summer or Southeast Asia Trip

If you’re heading off on a Euro summer or planning to explore Southeast Asia, you’re probably dreaming about turquoise water, epic beach clubs, scooter rides, and affordable street food. But in all the packing lists and Pinterest boards, there’s one underrated essential that gets missed all the time:

Your travel towel.

Not the hotel-style fluffy ones. Not the slippery microfibre ones either. I’m talking about a towel that actually dries you, doesn’t weigh you down, and works just as well in a beach shack in Thailand as it does in a hostel in Croatia.

As someone who’s been to over 100 countries (and tested a lot of towels along the way), trust me when I say this one small item can have a huge impact on your travel experience — especially when you’re packing light.

So let’s talk about what actually makes a great travel towel, what to avoid, and how to pack like a pro for your adventure.

Why You Can’t Rely on Towels From Your Accommodation

If you’re new to travel or coming from a hotel-heavy holiday background, you might be thinking: don’t they give you a towel?

Sometimes, yes. But in a lot of places — especially in Southeast Asia and Southern Europe — it’s either:

• Not provided
  
  

• Costs extra
  
  

• Is tiny, scratchy, or smells like it hasn’t dried properly since 2008
  
  

Even if it is free and decent, you won’t want to take it to the beach, on a boat, or into the mountains for a waterfall swim. That’s where a travel towel becomes your everyday essential — because you’ll use it far beyond the shower.

Why Most “Travel Towels” Are Actually The Worst

Let’s break it down. Most people (including past me!) end up with one of two things:

1. The cheap microfibre towel

It looks fine online. Folds up small. Dries fast. Cool, right?

Wrong.

• It barely absorbs water
  
  

• It feels like you're wiping with cling film
  
  

• It smells after one or two uses
  
  

• It never really dries you, it just kind of moves water around
  
  

• It’s usually ugly — let’s be honest
  
  

I’ve been there. I’ve bought one out of desperation in a surf town. Used it twice. Abandoned it by day three.

2. The massive “sand-free” towel

The other end of the spectrum — a sand free beach towel that’s way too big for your bag.

It might work at the beach, but try rolling that thing up and stuffing it in a backpack. Suddenly you’re sacrificing your extra outfit or snacks for a towel that takes up half your space.

It’s not just about avoiding the bad options — it’s about finding the right one for the way you travel.

What Makes the Best Travel Towel?

After years of trial and error, here’s what I believe the best travel towels need to be:

• ✅ Absorbent – actually dries you off properly
  
  

• ✅ Quick Drying – dries in a few hours, not overnight
  
  

• ✅ Compact & Light – takes up almost no space
  
  

• ✅ Sand Free – especially if you’re heading to the beach
  
  

• ✅ Multi-use – think beach mat, picnic blanket, scarf, plane blanket
  
  

• ✅ Stylish – because you’ll probably use it in your Instagram stories 😉
  
  

• ✅ Durable & Odour-Resistant – stays fresh between washes
  
  

And if it has a hidden zip pocket? Even better. Let me explain why.

Why I Designed My Own Travel Towel (And How It’s Different)

There are hundreds of travel towels out there — but none of them nailed everything I wanted. So, I made one.

The Nomadique beach towel with pocket is literally designed for people who travel like I do: often, light, and a little off-grid.

Here’s what sets it apart:

• 🧺 Sand Free Fabric – it seriously just brushes off
  
  

• 💨 Quick dry towel material – dry and ready to pack in under 2 hours
  
  

• 🪶 Lightweight & Compact – folds smaller than a tee
  
  

• 🔒 Hidden zip pocket – store your room key, cash, or lip balm while you swim
  
  

• 🌬️ Corner loops + pegs – won’t fly off in the wind (Mykonos flashbacks, anyone?)
  
  

• 🎨 Stylish prints – inspired by my travels, not gym towel grey
  
  

It’s honestly one of the first things I pack and the last thing I travel without.

How I Use My Travel Towel (Real-Life Scenarios)

This isn’t a “buy it and leave it in your bag” towel. It gets used every day. Here are some ways I’ve used mine:

• Beach towel for sunrise dips in Naxos
  
  

• Shower towel at a hostel in Hanoi
  
  

• Blanket on an overnight ferry in Italy
  
  

• Picnic rug for sunset drinks in Paris
  
  

• Dry bag substitute in the Gili Islands
  
  

• Sarong-style cover-up at a temple in Cambodia
  
  

• Yoga mat stand-in in a park in Lisbon
  
  

• Rolled-up pillow on a long-haul bus through Vietnam
  
  

• Emergency ferry flag (true story — we missed the last call and waved it from the jetty)
  
  

Once you travel with a good towel, you won’t go back.

What Else to Pack With Your Travel Towel

Here’s a mini packing checklist I always recommend — especially for summer travel or backpacking:

• 👙 2 x swimsuits – one for wearing, one for drying
  
  

• 🧴 Travel-size sunscreen + lip balm with SPF
  
  

• 🧼 Compact soap bar or shampoo bar (liquids = annoying)
  
  

• 🩴 Flip flops for beach + showers
  
  

• 🧺 Dry bag or ziplock for your wet towel or swimmers
  
  

• 🔌 Travel adapter + power bank
  
  

• 🧢 Hat + sunglasses
  
  

• 🧣 Sarong or oversized scarf (endlessly useful)
  
  

• 🧷 Carabiner clip (to hang your towel on your pack)
  
  

• 🫙 A tiny container of powder or spray to remove sand from feet
  

Pro Towel Packing Tips

1. Fold it right
Use the travel-style fold (thirds, then roll) to keep it small and tight. If it’s my towel, tuck the rolled end into the pocket so it doesn’t unravel.

2. Dry it while you move
Use the hanging loop or a carabiner to clip it to the outside of your pack. It’ll dry as you walk.

3. Store wet separately
Use a dry bag, ziplock, or even wrap it inside a sarong to keep other items dry if it hasn’t fully aired out yet.

Travelling With a Towel: What You’ll Wish You Knew

• Your towel will be used daily – unlike a dress or third pair of shoes
  
  

• Most hostel towels aren’t free – or nice
  
  

• You'll need it more than you think – beach, boat, shower, sleep, sit, shade
  
  

• Good towels are hard to find on the road – if you forget one, you’re stuck buying overpriced ones at tourist shops
  
  

• It’s often your only privacy item – screens, curtains, cover-ups
  
  

• It’ll dry your laundry faster too – roll wet clothes in it and squeeze out water
  

Final Thoughts: Invest in the Towel You’ll Use Every Day

Forget packing cubes and silk eye masks for a second — your towel is the thing you’ll reach for constantly.

A great travel towel isn’t just for drying off. It’s for comfort, privacy, protection, and peace of mind. It saves you money, saves space, and solves a dozen random travel problems.

So if you’re heading off on a beachy Euro summer, a backpacking stint through Southeast Asia, or a mix of both — pack the towel that was actually made for the journey.

The Nomadique beach towel with pocket is the one I wish I had on trip #1. Now it comes with me everywhere.