Abstract: A portable travel electric steam iron which also functions as a steamer has an aperture provided in a rear portion of the bottom of a water tank which supplies water into steam generating chambers from the water tank. Water dripping through the aperture is received by a water receiving surface provided on the center or on the front side of the center of a base. A handle which includes two straight positions separated by a bend is securable to an iron main body both in the operative position and storage position. An actuator for opening and closing an aperture is disposed in a space above the water tank, in the vicinity of a fixing portion at which the handle is fixed to the iron main body, thus providing a compact construction which is easy to handle.