Plastic-Free Travel Essentials
Holly Blackmore
After having spent some time abroad in recent months, I thought it might be useful to compile my suit-case essentials for when it comes to minimising plastic use. All of these products are affordable & can have a huge impact!
1. Drink bottle & filter/Steripen
Especially when travelling through countries where tap water is unsafe to drink, a sturdy bottle and some form of purification makes things so much cheaper/easier. Instead of having to buy litres of plastic water bottles everyday, you can just fill up your own bottle and purify whenever you need to. Personally, I use the Steripen Classic to clean my water with an ultraviolet light. I’ve also heard great things about the LifeStraw, a personal water filter for contaminated water. Consider these products an investment - not only will they reduce your plastic consumption, but they will also save you money in the long run!
Note; The only time these purifiers aren’t as useful are in places such as Kathmandu where the tap water is yellow/brown to begin with. I’m sure the Steripen and it’s pre-filter would probably have made this water clean enough to drink, but personally I thought it was too dirty to risk it.
2. Cutlery
Whether it’s a set of camping cutlery or a single bamboo spork that you keep in your wallet, some form of eating utensil will avoid any plastic from market stalls and restaurants. The key to this one is to keep it in a place that will always be accessible, even if you are spontaneously buying some street food. For me, this is in the satchel with all my money and paperwork - it never leaves my side.
In some countries, it might be more appropriate to eat with chopsticks. Here I recommend buying some quality wooden/metal ones that you can just take to your meals and wipe down afterwards. Not many restaurants re-use their chopsticks at all, so to minimise wastage and save some trees (!!), it’s worth investing in your own pair.
3. Tote Bag
This is one that I was kicking myself for not bringing to Japan. Over there, everything comes in a plastic bag. It’s an expectation that you want a plastic bag for your shopping, and the staff even seem slightly offended if you don’t take it. Several times we got caught out with just too many groceries to carry in our arms, so we had to accept the damn plastic bag. Next time, a tote bag will be the first thing in my suit-case.
4. Keep cup
For coffee drinkers, this one might seem obvious - but if you’re like me and dabble in coffee here and there, don’t neglect the importance of bringing a reusable cup. I might only buy a cup of coffee once or twice a week while I’m away, but every time I receive a plastic cup for my drink, it honestly pains me inside. That plastic will exist for longer than we will (100+ years). And we only use it for ten minutes.
A keep cup can also double as storage for your toothbrushes and toothpaste in the hotel room. Maybe you can take it out with you after having brewed some tea in it (another nifty travel hack; buy a box of tea from the supermarket & have that instead of buying drinks, it will last you weeks). Use it as a bowl for cereal. Store some stuff in it for the flight home.
5. Bamboo Tooth Brush
If you’re like me and have an electric tooth-brush at home, make sure you buy a bamboo one for travels (or take your electric brush, if that’s your style). You might only use it for a couple of weeks, but it’ll only take 5 - 10 years to break down in a garden. You can speed this up to 6 months by popping it in a compost bin instead.
A plastic toothbrush can take up to 1000 years to decompose. If you still use one at home, at your parents, at your partners, at all - buy a bamboo brush next time you go to replace it.
6. Shampoo Bar
This has been a game-changer for me, allowing me to cut down my toiletries and successfully eliminate another form of plastic. It’s especially useful on the road because one product does it all.
You don’t need conditioner after using one of these, but you can make an apple cider vinegar rinse if you feel like your hair needs it.
Just remember that your shampoo bar doesn’t like to stay wet for too long. I’ve learnt this the hard way - one bar completely disintegrated on me because I kept putting it back in a ziplock bag, never giving it a chance to dry. Try and move it out of the shower in between uses so that it can dry properly. If you have to travel soon after you’ve washed your hair, pop it in a container and take it out as soon as you can upon arrival.
And there you have six plastic-free travel essentials! If you are keen to dive further into minimising your environmental impact, these are some other products that can come in super handy on the road.
garbage bag/container; if you’re hiking/exploring natural spaces, you can pick up the rubbish you see along the way.
metal straws; especially important if you’re a smoothie junkie like me.
safety razor; both males and females - say good-bye to plastic razors!
deodorant paste; you can even make this yourself with a recycled jar/container and only four ingredients, recipe here.
What is your favourite way to minimise plastic use?