Travel Tips: How to Travel More Sustainably

I hate to think about how much my travels have added to my carbon footprint. Whilst air travel isn’t likely to become eco-friendly any time soon, I do use some other techniques to travel more sustainably. In this article, I provide some tips on how to travel more sustainably, from reducing your use of plastic and environment-harming products to choosing the right destination and activities. If you’re keen to protect the world which we love so much to see, you’re in the right place!

Reduce Plastic Use

From the energy required to produce plastic to the garbage issues it creates, reducing your reliance on plastic is a surefire way to reduce the impact of your travels! It’s an area where we can have a huge impact, too – those plastic bottles, straws and bags add up quickly!

Lots of these tips don’t just apply to your travels either – they apply both at home and away! Here are some ways in which you can travel more sustainably by reducing your use of plastic.

Clean Up Your Culinary Essentials

Bring your own water bottle – toxins leach into water stored in plastic bottles, so using your own bottle is good for you and the environment!

Bring your own coffee cup – if you’re the kind of person who likes to grab a coffee to go, save the use of a disposable coffee cup and bring your own coffee cup instead. To prevent it from taking up unnecessary space in your luggage, simply put something(s) inside it! Alternatively, buy a collapsible cup.

Take your own Tupperware – if you love getting street food from night markets, save plastic (or polystyrene) waste by taking collapsible silicone tubs with you. I bought mine off Ebay – second-hand but unused! What a win.

Bring a reusable bag – as more countries start charging for plastic bags, this is another tip that benefits you as well as the environment. Whether you prefer a tote bag or a foldable backpack that can double as a day bag, you’ll want something for trips to the convenience store or night markets.

Invest in reusable cutlery – when I bought my reusable cutlery set ahead of my trip to SE Asia, it was because I was worried that I might not be able to get the hang of using chopsticks. While I eventually learned how to use chopsticks, I noticed they often come in plastic wrapping (for hygiene reasons). Also, do we really need to cut down trees to use as disposable chopsticks when you can have a tidy set of reusable cutlery? Make sure to pick up a reusable straw, too!

Clean up your cleansing routine

From toothpaste to shampoo and conditioner, almost all our toiletries come in plastic tubes or bottles. Perhaps you haven’t thought about it before, but take a quick look around your bathroom and count the number of plastics which need replacing periodically. Let’s not even talk about the plastic waste created by hotels providing their cute miniature products. Instead, leave those where they are (or make a statement with a pre-arrival request that they not be put in your room) and swap out those plastics for eco-friendly alternatives.

Soap – If you currently use a shower gel, consider swapping this for a natural soap bar.

Toothpaste – rather than buying toothpaste in a tube, you could try tooth tabs – dry tablets which you chew to create a paste and then brush your teeth as usual.

Shampoo & Conditioner – I swapped out my shampoo and conditioner bottles for solid bars some time ago. When stored correctly (i.e. not under the spray from your shower), they last much longer and if you buy them from somewhere like Lush, they don’t contain many of the nasties that liquid shampoo and conditioner can contain.

Deodorant – switching to solid deodorant took a small leap of faith for me. I wasn’t sure whether it was going to work as effectively as my usual deodorant but actually, my under arms feel so much healthier since I stopped spraying/smearing them with nasty chemicals.

Cotton pads – why are we buying cotton pads wrapped in plastic, only to throw them away after a single use? Instead, consider buying reusable cotton pads which you can pop in the wash.

Give your make-up bag a makeover

As with our toiletries, our make-up products generally create a lot of waste too. Consider switching to more sustainable products or ditching the make-up altogether for your travels, especially if you’re going somewhere hot and humid!

Say no to the pink tax

Not only are women paying more for products such as razors but we also regularly buy feminine hygiene products. Instead, let’s invest in reusable items which will last for years and prevent unnecessary waste:

Safety Razors – the replacement blades are much cheaper than disposable razor heads, and you may also get fewer bumps and ingrown hairs after shaving. Please practice using it before you start your travels, though.

Menstrual cups – did you know that female sanitary products are bleached? Yep, we’re putting that there! Instead, consider using a silicone menstrual cup. They’re easy to use and you’ll never have to dash to the shop again.

Help clean those beaches! This tip isn’t so much about reducing plastic waste but more about helping to tackle the existing problem. You can find organised beach cleanups at Trashhero, or just make it a habit of picking up a few pieces of rubbish each time you see it!

Pack Light

The amount of fuel a plane uses during any given flight depends on how far away its destination is and how much the plane weighs. So, not only is packing light good for the environment, but it also saves you from having to lug/drag heavy luggage around.

Share the Load

One of the potential issues with packing light is needing to wash your laundry more often. Hand washing uses less water than washing machines, but it can take much longer for your clothes to dry. The happy medium may be to find a laundry buddy and share the load between you. Not only will you save on water, but you’ll also be able to share any cost for using the machine – win-win!

Choose Your Destination Carefully

Overtourism can cause natural and historical sites to degrade quickly and increase prices beyond what is affordable for locals. We don’t want to contribute to that, so when booking travel, pay attention to countries with a tourist tax. It’s a massive indication that they’re not crying out for more tourists to come and visit their shores! Instead, travel more sustainably by heading off the beaten track to less travelled destinations where your travel money is more likely to impact the communities you encounter positively.

Avoid Animal Entertainment

Before booking any tours and activities, think about whether they might be detrimental to the surrounding area’s ecology. Sure, swimming with whale sharks sounds terrific, but how many other boats full of people will be in the area and is it likely to affect the welfare of the animals? Another prime example is bear bating. It’s great to see animals in their natural habitat, but if they are being lured to particular spots using food (such as chocolate, which bears love), it can affect their usual behaviour patterns – not to mention their diets!

Similarly, avoid animal entertainment, such as elephant riding and sea life shows. Whilst the animals may seem compliant, the training that they go through to get them to behave for us can be brutal!

Conserve Energy and Water

If you take measures at home to reduce energy and water usage, such as turning off lights and taking shorter showers, good on you! Definitely continue to do the same while you are travelling. You can take a few extra steps, such as closing the curtains to keep heat in/out and turning off the air conditioning whenever you head out. The little things make a big difference when we all have the same mindset.

Conclusion

I hope this article has given you some food for thought on how some small changes can help you to travel more sustainably. If you’re looking for more on this topic, do check out www.sustainabletravel.or g.