Minimal Waste Travel Guide
/This guide will help you minimise waste while traveling. Our commitment to reducing waste should remain consistent whether we’re at home or exploring new destinations. Fortunately, many items we use daily can also help us reduce waste on the go. With a bit of prep- something you’re already familiar with as a refill shopper- you can travel sustainably and responsibly!
Reusables
Taking reusables on your trip will dramatically reduce the waste you produce while travelling.
Taking a reusable water bottle will ensure you always have water to hand. Most places are now very open to refilling water bottles and even if you are travelling to locations where the tap water is not safe to drink, having a reusable bottle can mean you can buy larger bottled water and decant rather than lots of smaller bottles, or offer you the opportunity to boil and filter the water and bottle yourself; there are now even bottles with filters that make water safe to drink, such as LifeStraw.
Lunchboxes and containers are good to take with you. Fill with nuts and snacks for the journey. You can then also refill on the go and pick up refillable or takeaway snacks without using packaging. If going on a shorter journey taking your own meal for the journey means you can avoid all packaged snacks while on the move. If you find taking a lunchbox too bulky we can recommend wax food wraps to do a similar job. These are super versatile, you can wrap sandwiches, create little pouches out of them to hold snacks and they don’t take up much space when not being used. Be careful when taking them to places with warmer climates, make sure you keep them out of direct sunlight or you’ll soon discover the wax melting off of your fabric wrap! Reusable cutlery can come in handy as well for eating while out and about and avoiding single-use options while on your journey. And a reusable cup is a great one if you like drinks on the go. Bottlecup, a new cup and bottle in one is a great one for reducing the amount of reusables you carry!
Wash Bag
Most single-use plastic free bathroom items are great to take travelling as you avoid a lot of liquid and therefore potential spills and they tend to save on space too! Bars of soap, shampoo and conditioner easily fit into wash-bags and are great for hand luggage too. If you’re looking to cut down on the amount of bars you’re packing an All in One Bar is useful! For insect repellent we like to pack citronella essential oil, found in small glass bottles, dabbing on ankles and wrists helps keep mozzies away and means you can avoid nasty chemicals.
We’ve completely switched over to Dent Tabs and Tooth Soap now and find both of these are great to take travelling. We’ve had no problems travelling with either of these items and again no liquids to create a mess and with the Dent Tabs you can take the exact amount you need which is handy.
Scence solid deodorant is handy for travelling, again if going to somewhere warm its best to try and keep in a fridge or keep out of direct sunlight!
We like to pack a few bamboo earbuds for while travelling, they often come in handy and bringing your own means you can avoid plastic ones while away.
Taking your own toiletries means you can avoid any miniatures you may come across while on holiday and avoid single-use plastic packaging. And remember if you’re not a fan of solid options save your miniature travel bottles to refill for your next trip!
Sun Care
We’re pretty converted to natural sun care now. Not only is there less waste, natural sunscreens don’t have chemicals that damage our natural environment, so its a win win! Shade Sunscreen is great for face and body and very handy to take with you while you’re out and about. Amazinc Mineral Sun Screen which comes in an aluminium bottle is another great option we’ve tried.
We hope this little guide helps you avoid single use plastic on your next holiday and offers inspiration on what to pack to leave less of an impact on this beautiful planet we love to explore!
