Zero Waste Travel Tips
You might or might not be traveling in the coming months. Come March/April, many of you will be traveling though, so I thought I’d put together some tips for you to do your travel as zero-waste as possible. It’s not easy if you’re not prepared, so here’s a month and a half of notice to get prepared! I hope these zero-waste travel tips will make your life (and your trip, wherever you’re headed) a little bit easier. As a side note, implementing some of these tips may involve a little bit longer at security, so allow for an extra 20-30 minutes just in case.
Water: It Sustains Us.
Ok, so before I get all zero-waste on you, it’s important to know that you MUST hydrate. If you’re flying, it’s even more important. Airplanes are very dry places and the only non-dry part of them only come by on a cart every 60-90 minutes. That’s not enough. So what are you supposed to do?
Well, here’s what you shouldn’t do: Do not go to the news stand and blow $5 on a plastic bottle of water. Yes, the above bottle is more than $5. I guarantee you that if you travel more than 4 times in the rest of your life, it will pay for itself. What you SHOULD do is purchase one of these double-walled, vacuum-sealed, condensation free bottles and fill it up at the airport. If you’re worried about the water quality at any said airport, go a step further and place one of these charcoal water filters in the bottom of your bottle. What about security? Either chug some H2O with a quickness or hit the bathroom before going through so you can dump out what’s left in your bottle. I can guarantee you one thing: You’re going to feel much better about dumping water out of your bottle vs. throwing another chunk of plastic into the landfill and wasting $5. That’s the definition of adding insult to injury!
Liquid Free Travel
Is it possible to travel totally liquid free? Probably not entirely, but mostly! Who likes the possibility of opening up their suitcase to find sunscreen and/or conditioner has eeked out of it’s container and found it’s way to your clothes? Of course! No one wants that. I have three suggestions that will take a big ‘ol hunk of worry away from traveling.
Solid Sunscreen (say WHAT?!)
Solid Shampoo (come again?!)
Solid Conditioner (I know, I know. It sounds too good to be true.)
Ok, so the sunscreen in that link up there? It comes in a handy-dandy reusable tin, so put the lid on and you’re good to go. The shampoo and conditioners linked above? Those come in a box, but if you have already used them, I’d recommend just putting them in one of these reusable silicone pouches (which also make great travel snack packs bee tee dubs.)
You’ve Got to Eat, Right?
Look, there’s no ifs ands or buts about it: If you want to live, you’ve got to eat. And thanks to the actions of few, we’ve got rules in place prohibiting airports to serve us food with real, washable silverware. That means they’re left with the plastic option. So do your part and travel with reusable cutlery. It’s well within the TSA limits. The most they’ll do is stop you and look through it. They will not confiscate it. And while I’m on the topic of food, we’ve also got to drink. If you plan on indulging in a fountain beverage, it’s a good idea to also travel with a straw or two that’s reusable.
So, I hope this has been a helpful guide full of zero waste travel tips. One last thing that’s great for lift off and landing: CHEWING GUM! It’s plastic free. It’s vegan. It helps prevent that nagging popping in your ears. Now that’s a way to end a blog. Happy travels, everyone! Don’t forget to go shopping in the Jar Online Store before you leave for your next big trip. If you’re local, stop by and say hi!