Travel Green

If someone were to ask you if you care about the earth, what would your response be? Obviously you would say YES? It’s an easy guess. It’s what we have been taught all our life in schools, at home and by the media. It is our duty towards this planet to protect it, it’s the only one with Guinness (for now). But how many of us actually do it? How many of us would say this is one of the points on our checklist when we make important decisions like moving houses, going grocery shopping, or deciding our next holiday?

With a rise in ecotourism and an increase in awareness about exploitation of resources that is happening at popular tourist destinations, a lot of businesses out there are offering alternatives to conventional options. Eco-lodges, eco-adventures, restaurants offering farm to table etc. are new, exciting and booming opportunities for those of us who can afford to shell out a few extra dollarydoos towards saving the planet. And I actively encourage that.

But before you book into that Yurt with its bio compost toilet, make sure you’re doing everything YOU can to make your travel green. It’s all well and good to buy shoes made from recycled plastic bottles fished out of the ocean, but how about investing into stopping more from going in in the first place? Before we pay someone else to save this planet, we can start small ourselves! Here’s a handy packing list of essentials that we never leave without. All of these things can easily fit into your day bag so you don’t have to be lugging things around all day!

1. Lifestraw

I would go so far as to say this is a non-negotiable part of your green travels. If you drink water, then buy a lifestraw. Lots of people still choose to buy plastic water bottles in the interest of safety. A lifestraw was designed to purify water in emergencies; meaning it purifies water that comes from muddy streams or polluted rivers. Now if your travel destination has a radioactive water source, or is known to have traces of heavy elements in its water supply, then by all means reach for that plastic bottle. But educate yourself. Most people travel to areas where it’s perfectly fine to drink boiled / filtered tap water and that’s where your handy little Lifestraw will save you,on an average, at least 2 plastic bottles a day. That’s over 60 bottles a month per person. Multiply that by every shirtless Aussie you’ve met in Bali and that number suddenly becomes very very significant. 1 lifestraw can filter about 1000 litres of water. That’s a 1000 plastic bottles not entering the oceans.

Holy Trinity!

2. Water Bottle

Tom and I use the Morrisons brand double walled 750ml bottle. We find that it holds enough water until our next refill destination (It could be a tap by the roadside as long as our trusty lifestraw is with us). Double walled because it keeps the cool cool and the hot hot for a logic defying amount of time. I’m strangely attached to my bottle. IT goes with me EVERYWHERE. When I lost my previous one on the London underground, I almost got Sadiq Khan involved. I tend to under-hydrate so having a water bottle that I like with me, always, encourages me to drink more water.

3. Plates and cutlery

If you are the sort who always dines out, then good on you. Eating out at the restaurant saves on tons of disposable waste generated by takeaway customers. But every so often, you want to pick up a snack and stroll with it on the beachside and that’s when your handy little plate and cutlery comes into use. I have whipped this out countless times before the person serving up has had a chance to reach for the plastic tray and while it’s met with surprise, it also ends on a good note with most people being impressed that you care about their country. It has led to lots of interesting conversations (and extra portions) with locals and isn’t that what we really travel for?

I'd probably strongly dislike you if you eat your strawberries with a fork tho

4. Cups

We use reusable, collapsible silicone cups. You can choose your favourites! I wouldn’t recommend bringing in your favourite coffee cup because you’re likely to see some more-than-normal wear and tear on your travel gear. Bring along a lightweight, unbreakable one you don’t mind having dented and scratched. Our cups are sealable, and that means they double up as takeaway / leftover containers as well. Double win :)

5. Menstrual Cups and Washable cotton pads

For those amongst us getting visits from Aunt Flo, you’ll be happy to know I’ve had 3 years of waste-free periods :D Menstrual cups are slowly getting more and more popular. And once you get past the initial learning curve, they’ll change your travel game. A lot of countries do not stock the kind of sanitary products you may be used to back home so having your own reusable ones with you takes away the stress. I only carry 1 cup and 3 washable cotton panty liners but I understand that women have a myriad of needs. Make sure to wash them well in the shower after every use, and if you’re embarrassed by the idea of hanging out pads to dry I’d say learn to get over it. It’s 2020. If someone is squeamish about looking at menstrual products, it’s their problem not yours :) PS: They don’t actually stain like you think they would. I’m very happy with mine! 6. Bath products

A fair few bloggers will encourage you to buy cute little 100ml containers for all your bath products. While that’s doable if you’re going on a 2.5 day holiday, most of us end up having to buy more at the destination. Cue - PLASTIC WASTE! One of the more relatable changes the Eco-Revolution has brought about is the rise in plastic free products used in our daily lives. I switched to the ‘bar life’ a few years ago. And that means bar soap, bar shampoo and bar conditioner! All unpackaged or packaged in recycled paper. No more 100ml bottles of everything in my carry on, no more spills to worry about and no more plastic bottles.As someone with incredibly dry skin and hair, these products have actually made me feel better because most companies that are ecologically inclined, also put out products with more natural ingredients in them. Bonus is that they also last much longer than you think (My conditioner bar is in it’s 8th month now) All I need now is solid moisturiser and I’ll be good :D

7. Eat Local

Eat where the locals eat. Dine with them, break bread, share a story if you speak the language, or share smiles if you don’t. Food tastes better when it’s shared. Eating local has benefits for you as it’ll generally be cheaper. Eating where the locals eat ensures that the food will be clean (From experience we learned that even if the eatery is too cheap to be true, they will be clean as their lights stay on because of local business and they can’t afford to have them fall sick). Eating local ensures you eat ingredients that are hopefully grown locally. And you’re probably paying for a local family to send their kids to school!

8. Shop local

I know nipping into a supermarket takes away the social awkwardness and possible mistranslation disasters that are a part of foreign travel, it also takes away business from a local store and a cultural experience away from you. Sign language has worked fine for me in the 30+ countries I have been to. And in most places, people will be patient towards tourists. Another huge benefit is that local places tend to stock local, fresh ingredients which means less plastic and packaging! Toss it all into your own cotton tote and you’ve just shown the middle finger to the $4 trillion plastic bag industry.

9. Straws

No. Just no. Don’t even get me started on the absolute uselessness of this product.

10. Drop that Uber Most people are unwilling to go out of their comfort zone to try and take a bus across town even in their own city, leave alone in a foreign place. I cannot stress how important this step is towards reducing your carbon impact. And not just within the city, but inter-city transport can also be successfully and cheaply done without jumping on a flight. Too many people travel too fast. 4 cities in a week! It’s all about that bucket list and how to check everything off of it as soon as possible! But this kind of travel is the reason why the tourism industry causes 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. Most countries have fairly efficient public transport systems. And if they’re not, even more reason to take it to directly contribute into an infrastructure and lead to its development. Travel isn’t only about taking, you have to give back to the destination as well.

Now while I hope you’ve felt a tiny bit inspired to go out and buy these products, I must warn you. You are going to be inundated with options with varied prices. You’re going to come across eco-travel kits and lists upon lists of items I haven’t mentioned here. Capitalism is a smart boy, lurking in the corner, watching what you enjoy and convincing you that you need more of it. Businesses have realised that anything eco sells. So they’ve created products that are ecological, but absolutely unnecessary (personal opinion). So be warned and be careful. Don’t fall into the eco-capitalist trap of buying more than you need simply because you think you should. Be good to yourself, to your wallet and to your planet and think before you buy. And if you can, walk into your local store to get these and skip the Amazon game.

I hope someday we won’t have to call it Eco-Tourism because it will all be green. The current Covid crisis has hit the Tourism industry hard, and I read lots of uplifting articles that talk about how the world is reevaluating its approach to making tourism more sustainable. I write this article not to preach, but in the hope that all of us, travellers, tourists, couchsurfers and casual readers can make tiny little changes in our lives that will ensure you leave your next destination having left only footprints behind!

Note: All of these are personal opinions and recommendations. I’m not an affiliate seller. If you or your travel companions suffer from any kind of special needs that makes you unable to follow any of these suggestions, that’s totally fine. It’s aimed at the average tourist who may be unaware of the options available to them and is willing to make a positive change.