Best travel iron for crafts and holidays

If you’re heading away on a trip and want to look your best, a dinky travel iron is a suitcase-friendly way to ensure crease-free outfits on holiday. At home, Mumsnet users say the best travel irons are also handy for ironing baby clothes and crafts such as quilting.

While they may not pack as powerful a punch as the best steam iron, and they certainly won’t hold a candle to the best steam generator irons, a good travel iron will come in handy for business trips, weekends away and summer holidays.

Best travel irons, at a glance:

Best travel iron overall: John Lewis Travel Steam Iron, £20
Best travel iron for everyday ironing: Russell Hobbs Dual Voltage Steam Glide Travel Iron, £12
Best lightweight travel iron: Morphy Richards Compact Travel Iron, £24
Best travel iron for crafts: Duronic SI2 BK Mini Iron, £19

With built-in water tanks and clever folding features, we’ve assembled the best and most compact travel irons available right now. So even if you don’t have a washing machine where you’re staying, you can still ensure your clothes look crisp, fresh and smart.

And if ironing on holiday's not your thing, but you still want crease-free clothes, take a look at our guide to the best clothes steamers for smoothing out crumples.

Here are the best travel irons to buy.

1

Best travel iron overall

John Lewis Travel Steam Iron

Buy now from John Lewis

What we like

Sleek design
Easy to hold
Very effective

What we don't like

Small water tank capacity

Key specs

Price: £20 | Water tank capacity: 50ml | Size: H21 x W11 x D11cm | Weight: 690g | Cord length: 1.9m

Our verdict

Choose from dry or steam settings or a vertical shot of steam with this sleek, soft-grip travel iron from John Lewis. Boasting a ceramic soleplate and long cord, it's both effective and convenient to use while travelling.

With dozen of rave reviews, reviewers say they wouldn't holiday without it, as it's just as effective as a full-sized iron, whether used with an ironing board or a towel spread on a table or bed.

Related: The best washing machines, tried and tested

2

Best travel iron for everyday ironing

Russell Hobbs Dual Voltage Steam Glide Travel Iron

Buy now from Amazon Buy now from Dunelm

What we like

Shaped like a regular iron
Generous water tank
10g continuous steam plus water spray

What we don't like

Difficult to see water level

Key specs

Price: £12 | Water tank capacity: 80ml | Size: 20 x 10cm | Weight: 645g | Cord length: 1.5m

Our verdict

Reviewed by MNHQ: Read our full Russell Hobbs Travel Iron review

This Russell Hobbs travel iron is shaped like a regular steam iron in miniature, the iron has variable temperature and steam settings, a stainless steel soleplate and a water spray function - making it ideal for use at home or away.

With dual voltage options to switch between, you can adapt the iron to local power supplies wherever your travels take you. This one's great for those looking to save space, as an alternative to a full-size iron and ironing board.

Read next: Best cordless irons

3

Best lightweight travel iron

Morphy Richards Compact Travel Iron

Buy now from Amazon

What we like

Weighs just 500g
Small and compact
Ergonomic design
Long power cord

What we don't like

Some might prefer a handle

Key specs

Price: £24 | Water tank capacity: 40ml | Size: 11 x 8cm | Weight: 500g | Cord length: 1.9m

Our verdict

At just 500g, this tiny iron is great for those with mobility or energy issues, as well as for popping in your luggage. Despite its diminutive stature, it has a long, 1.9m power cord so your movement won't be restricted by the cord.

The steam button gives you an extra shot of steam power, and it's certainly small but mighty. However, some reviewers found the lack of handle made it difficult to grip.

Related: The best budget washing machines under £500

4

Best travel iron for crafts

Duronic SI2 BK Mini Iron

Buy now from Amazon

What we like

Heats up quickly
Easy-glide soleplate
Suitable for both left- and right-handed people

What we don't like

Small water tank

Key specs

Price: £19 | Water tank capacity: 50ml | Size: 13.5 x 7.5 x 8.5cm | Weight: 495g | Cord length: Not stated

Our verdict

If you're looking for an iron to use for quilting and sewing, this one from Duronic is made for the job. Suitable for all fabrics, it has variable heat settings and an easy-glide soleplate - plus a removable brush attachment for tackling lint, dust and hair.

With a chunky, ergonomic handle on the top, it can take some getting used to if you've only used a regular steam iron before, but you'll find the iron gives you precision control - great for getting seams and hems perfect.

Related: The best washer dryers, according to Mumsnet users

Can you take a travel iron in your hand luggage on a plane?

Travel irons are allowed in both hand luggage and hold luggage, according to the UK Government website. We'd recommend emptying out the water tank before travel, in case of leaks, but it's also worth noting you can't take any liquids over 100ml (including water in a travel iron) in your hand luggage.

Are travel irons allowed on cruise ships?

Travel irons are not allowed to be brought onto cruise ships as they're seen as a fire hazard by the majority of cruise companies. However, most cruise ships will have a launderette with an ironing station - to be sure, it's best to check directly on the provider's website.

What's the best travel iron to buy?

Thanks to its rave reviews and sleek design, we think the John Lewis Travel Steam Iron is the best travel iron to buy. It's super effective, small and ergonomically designed to be easy to hold and manoeuvre. At a fair £20 from trusted brand John Lewis, we think it's the best all-rounder.

How we chose our recommendations

Recommendations from real parents

Whenever we start our research we head straight to our forums to get some advice from our Mumsnet users. With more than 8 million each month, we know that we’re going to get a host of honest feedback from parents to help us find the best products on the market.

Expert guidance

To help us whittle down our list of recommendations, we extensively research each product to ensure it follows the latest expert advice and stands up to scrutiny. To find the best integrated washer dryer we looked to the likes of Which for advice.

Consumer feedback

We also want to know what users of the product think, so we check websites like Amazon and John Lewis to read consumer reviews, both positive and negative, to help us find out if the products are up to scratch.

Celebrated best products

Finally, we check to see which products have won industry awards and received recognition from trusted sources. This helps us come up with a final list of the best products to recommend to you.

Why you should trust us

We work hard to provide unbiased, independent advice you can trust. We do sometimes earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. This helps us fund more helpful articles like this one.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She's been researching and reviewing the products Mumsnetters swear by for 3 years, with a particular focus on home essentials, laundry and fans. From a highly-recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.

Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. She won a The Week Junior Book Award in 2023, her books have been translated into several languages and she's been featured in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Sun.