Is your New Year’s resolution to become more eco-friendly and minimise your impact on the planet? Mine too!
Truth be told – I’ve actually been trying to live more environmentally conscious for a while now. But with the out-of-control bushfires here in Australia and a climate crisis in full force right around the world, this year I need to get even more serious about it.
For me, that means travelling abroad less, taking more environmentally-friendly modes of transport but also minimising my impact when I do travel.
If you want to join me on my quest to travel with a more environmentally conscious outlook, here are just five products that I have purchased, love and now use regularly whilst I’m abroad and at home.
1. LifeStraw Go Water Bottle
The Lifestraw Go is a patented water bottle with an in-built micro-filtration system that kills 99.9% of bacteria. So that means you can fill it up with any quality of water (aside from salt water) and it will be filtered so it’s safe to drink.
The LifeStraw Go water bottle has massively cut down on the amount of single use plastic I use in countries with unsafe drinking tap water. It is probably my favourite travel purchase to date and it has been invaluable when I have run out of water hiking.
I now take it with me everywhere I go, including day trips from home. It means I can fill it up easily from a river or waterfall at any time without having to worry whether there’s a shop nearby or somewhere to refill. It always tastes so good fresh from nature too!
The LifeStraw bottle has a super handy carabiner so you can clip it anything you need; your backpack, bus seat, bicycle… I’ve had it for about three years now and it seems pretty resilient considering how much it has been bashed around.
There are of course many other water filtration products on the market now, but I think what makes LifeStraw stand out is their ‘giveback’ program. So with every bottle you buy, you are helping to fund safe water projects for people in need in underdeveloped parts of the world.
You can also buy just the straw in a metal version, without the bottle, which is great for emergency use or hiking.
2. Ethique Shampoo/Conditioner Bars
Every day I now wash my curly hair with just conditioner bars (with the occasional solid shampoo maybe once every two weeks). I’ve tried heaps of solid shampoo and conditioners (all of the Lush ones for example) but have found the Ethique ones the best so far. Though of course I am always on the lookout for new ones.
They are amazing to travel with as they can go into your hand luggage and save loads of space and weight. Just make sure you keep them dry and transport them in a tin or bamboo box.
For my curly hair with dry ends and oily roots, I have found their ‘The Guardian’ conditioner to work really well, keeping my curls voluptuous but hair feeling clean.
If you’re new to solid shampoo and conditioner, then perhaps try the awesome sampler packs made by the same brand to see which is best for your hair type before you commit to just one. With solid hair products, I do think it’s best to try a few to see which ones work best before you give up.
3. ‘All Good’ Reef-Friendly Plastic Free Sunscreen
Just like shampoo bars, I’ve tried loads of different eco-sunscreens. Most leave you white as a ghost or are really sticky and thick and don’t absorb into the skin. However, All Good Organic Sunscreen is the best I’ve tried.
The All Good sunscreen does take a little longer to absorb into the skin than bottled products and may not be best suited for very dry skin, but applied slowly, it is really effective. It is quite pricey for the size but the ingredients are tonnes healthier than most sunscreens so it’s worth the investment.
The sunscreen comes in a nice little metal tin meaning it’s convenient to transport and chuck in your beachbag or backpack. It also doesn’t seem to melt and leak.
Unlike to many sunscreens on the market which are totally toxic to sea life, the All Good sunscreen is coral reef safe and is made from calendula flowers. So all in all: no plastic, recyclable tin, not toxic to the ocean, good for your skin and convenient for your travels. Perfect!
4. Reusable snack bags and beeswax wraps
For me, snacking is an essential part of travelling and I’ll always be stocked up to the brim with whatever treats I can find!
The problem is, if you’re not prepared, you often end up buying convince foods that are usually in loads of plastic packaging.
I now make sure I prepare snack foods in advance and buy them from bulk package-free shops or local vendors if possible. I also travel with a beeswax wrap or a reusable snack bag.
A beeswax wrap is a piece of cloth with a slightly sticky beeswax coating meaning that it folds up and stays without having to tie it up. It can be washed/wiped clean in between uses. It is great for packing sandwiches for a picnic instead of using cling film and wrapping up foods like slices of cake and cookies.
For items such as nuts and dried fruit, I find that reusable zip-up storage bags work best. I’ll usually take two with some foods in at the start of my trip, and continue to use them when I find things I can refill them with at markets.
5. Reusable Straws
Alright – straws may not exactly be the biggest or most important thing you can do to cut your plastic usage, but if you’re travelling for a while and eating and drinking out often, bringing your own straw will help make a small difference.
Many places now provide metal, bamboo or paper straws, but there are still many places frustratingly using plastic ones without asking you if you need one first.
I have a metal one at home, but I find a bamboo straw is easier to travel with. These Jungle Straws I own come with a little pouch to keep them clean and a brush to make sure you can clean the inside too.
That concludes my list of eco-friendly travel product recommendations. Have you used any eco-friendly travel products that you’d add to this list? Please let me know in the comments below!
*This post contains Amazon affiliate products which means if you purchase something through a link, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. However they’re still products I use and would recommend.*
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