Looking for travel tips and tricks to make your trips more sustainable? You’ve found the perfect article for that! Thanks to this eco-friendly travel essentials checklist, you are going to change the way you travel forever!
I don’t know about you, but as someone who loves to travel and discover the world, I strongly believe it is our duty to protect it as much as we can. Lucky us, there are some really easy ways to make traveling more sustainable and help prevent further harm to our planet.
With this eco-friendly travel essentials checklist, get ready to make a real difference without breaking the bank or having to change all your habits. So who’s with me? Keep reading and discover how to make traveling more sustainable.
This blog post is all about learning how to travel more sustainably and sharing with you the ultimate eco-friendly travel essentials checklist!
Your Sustainable travel tips and Eco-Friendly Travel Essentials Checklist
WHY CHOOSE ECO-FRIENDLY TRAVEL?
The tourism industry represents a significant part of the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, and by opting for a more sustainable way of traveling, you can easily reduce your carbon footprint.
But there’s more to it. Choosing a more eco-friendly kind of travel can actually improve your well-being. Hear me out! Prioritizing natural products and outdoor activities can make your mental and physical health skyrocket. See? Not only is it important for our planet, but it’s also beneficial for your own well-being! Think about it…
But how do you make your travel decisions more sustainable, you might ask? Well, don’t worry, there are some really easy ways to become a more eco-friendly traveler.
For instance, select less polluting means of transportation: trains over planes, buses over your personal car, cycling, or walking when possible. You can also opt for environmentally friendly travel items: reusable water bottles, solid hygiene products, environment-safe sunscreen, and much more! I’ll get back to that in a minute with my Eco-Friendly Travel Essentials Checklist!
Nowadays, ecology and living in a more sustainable way is more important than ever. The tourism industry has understood this, and initiatives such as ecological hotels, sustainable tourism tours, and local product restaurants have arisen. Believe me, it’s never been easier to travel sustainably… You just need to be aware and make the right choices along the road.
But don’t worry, I’m here to help you! Keep reading to discover more sustainable travel tips and my Eco-Friendly Travel Essentials Checklist.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL TIPS
- Stay green while planning: Plan beforehand and look for more sustainable options when it comes to hotels, restaurants, activities, and means of transportation.
- Eco-conscious packing: Pack light to reduce your carbon footprint related to transportation, and pack as many sustainable items as possible.
- Support the local economy on your trip: Prioritize local organizations for absolutely everything. Skip the big companies! By supporting the local economy, you will help make the destination sustainable.
- Waste management is important when traveling: Chances are you already recycle your waste at home. So why not keep doing it during your trip? Bring reusable trash bags and continue recycling your trash. You can also pick up any litter you find along the way!
- Opt for zero-waste travel essentials and green travel gear: There are many ways to switch from your regular products and items to more eco-friendly ones. Keep reading for my eco-friendly travel essentials checklist!
- Be wise about the brands you buy from: Many brands sell zero-waste travel essentials or eco-friendly items, but this doesn’t always mean the company is eco-responsible. Choose wisely and, if you can afford it, try to support green companies!
- Learn about compensation programs: You can easily find programs, such as joining a reforestation plan or cleaning polluted areas, that help you offset your carbon footprint.
- Keep learning about how to become more eco-responsible while traveling: The world is evolving at an incredible pace. New solutions and ideas emerge every single day! So keep learning about how to become a more sustainable traveler and try to raise awareness around you!
Eco-Friendly Travel Essentials Checklist
Now, let’s dive into what you are really looking for… What are the eco travel must-haves that every traveler should pack to make their trips more sustainable?
There are so many easy ways to swap your favorite or most-used items for more eco-friendly options. But be careful, it doesn’t make sense to buy a piece of green travel gear if you know you are never going to use it. Being more sustainable also means adopting a more responsible way of consumption. Just get the items you know you need and will use!
Here comes my eco-friendly travel essentials checklist!
Reusable TRAVEL items
The best part about these zero-waste travel essentials is that they can also be used in your day-to-day life when you are not traveling! So don’t think twice—get the ones you don’t already have and start making your daily life more sustainable too!
1. Reusable water bottle
Probably the number one of all the eco travel must-haves. A reusable water bottle is the perfect item to always have in your bag, whether you are traveling or not. And honestly, it can save you a ton of money in the long run. Think of all the dollars you spend while traveling by buying plastic water bottles? It quickly adds up and you probably don’t even realize it!
Thermal ones, smaller or bigger, plastic or metal, honestly there are tons of different options, and they can also look really cute if that is something that matters to you. If you don’t already own this zero-waste travel essential, it is time to get one!
2. Reusable cutlery
While traveling, and especially in third-world countries, you will be given disposable cutlery most of the time you go out, especially if you are eating from small local restaurants. Believe me, I’ve been living in Ecuador for two years, and here, plastic items are king!
If you want to be more sustainable in your way of traveling, get yourself a pair of reusable cutlery. Bamboo or stainless steel, just pick the ones you like most. Some even come in sets with cups and plates, which are perfect if you plan on going on a hike or even on a picnic.
3. Reusable shopping bags
Also more commonly called tote bags, they became a real fashion item over the last few years. Chances are you already have one—or probably more—at home. So there is no need to buy a new one. Just use the ones you already have and pack them while going on a trip to start traveling more sustainably.
The best thing about this green travel gear? It can be used for many things. Packing your dirty laundry, going to the supermarket or the farmer’s market, carrying your travel essentials with you on your daily excursions, and much more! There are no limits to their use!
4. Reusable coffee mug
If you are a coffee lover and always stop in a cute coffee shop to get a drink to go, this one is for you! Whether you are traveling or not, having your own cup is an easy way to reduce your waste without making much of an effort.
Think about it this way: you are backpacking for a month and drink at least one coffee a day. That’s 30 disposable cups that you are going to throw away! Yes, 30! And that’s only if you drink one coffee per day—which, if you are anything like me, you don’t.
As it is for the reusable water bottles, these two eco travel must-haves come in all colors, materials, and shapes. So find your favorite one and get it ASAP! Plus, it can be a cute and sustainable gift if you know someone going traveling soon!
5. Reusable straw
Personally, I don’t use straws. It’s not that I don’t like them, it is just that I’ve never been used to them. That’s why I’ve never purchased a reusable one. It wouldn’t make sense as I probably wouldn’t use it… But some people are addicted to drinking with a straw, and that’s OK! If you like it, why should you deprive yourself? Just get reusable ones to be more sustainable and add them to your eco-friendly travel essentials checklist to make sure you don’t forget them on your next trip!
SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING FOR TRAVELING
Truth is, there is a huge misconception about sustainable clothing. Dressing sustainably doesn’t mean dressing “bad” or in a non-fashionable way. If you like fashion and like to dress cute to take your best travel photography during your trips, that’s perfectly okay! And you can still be eco-friendly about it!
Here are a few easy swaps you can make to be more sustainable with the way you dress and some items you should add to your eco-friendly travel essentials checklist!
6. Organic and natural fabrics clothes
There are three main benefits from choosing organic and natural fabrics—like organic cotton, hemp, linen, bamboo—for your clothes. They are more environmentally friendly, tend to last longer if you take care of them, and the ultimate benefit for travelers… they are way more comfy than synthetic fabrics!
So, can you think of one reason not to add them to your eco-friendly travel essentials checklist?
7. Versatile and neutral pieces
By choosing versatile and neutral pieces of clothing, you will need to buy less of them—remember what we said about changing your way of consumption?—and therefore pack less of them to go on your trip without having to down your fashion game! Believe me, it’s a double win—for you and our planet!
8. Quick-drying items
There are a few benefits from choosing quick-drying pieces of clothing and adding them to your eco-friendly travel essentials checklist…
First of all, it is way more convenient for you. When traveling, we don’t always have time and don’t always spend multiple days in the same place and therefore can’t really let our clothes properly dry. Second, by choosing clothes that will dry quickly, you won’t have to use an electric dryer, which means less energy consumption. And finally? If you know your clothes will be clean and dry in no time, you will pack less of them.
Seriously, there is no downside to making this choice!
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL TOILETRY ITEMS
To take your eco-friendly consciousness and way of living even further when traveling, or even at home, there are a few easy travel tips to apply concerning travel toiletry items. I promise, nothing too hard to put into place, and you might even love these options more than the traditional ones!
Get ready to add these 3 sustainable travel toiletry items to your eco-friendly travel essentials checklist!
9. Solid toiletry products
Shampoo, conditioner, and soap bars are going to become your best friends when it comes to traveling and packing more sustainably! Not only do they tend to last longer, but they are plastic-free! And we all know that we have to try our best to reduce plastic usage. So what is your excuse for not switching to solid products?
If you need more convincing, think about this: Have you ever opened your toiletry bag after a long day of traveling, just wanting to have a shower to feel clean again, and your shampoo was all over your precious belongings? Well, if it never happened to you, you are a lucky gal! It happened more than I can even count in my life, and it is SO irritating!
By switching your liquid products to solid ones, that’s one thing less you will have to worry about during your trip!
10. Bamboo toothbrush
Honestly, when I first heard about bamboo toothbrushes, I thought it was just a marketing thing, making you think you need to buy a new toothbrush even though yours is totally fine. Well… After a few researches and a bit of thinking, I realized I was wrong… And that switching my classic toothbrush for a bamboo one was indeed a great way to be more eco-friendly.
Bamboo toothbrushes are recyclable and biodegradable, and—shocker!—plastic ones are not… And when you think about it, you change your toothbrush more or less once a month. That’s 12 toothbrushes a year that you could recycle if you switch to bamboo ones… And it’d probably make no difference for you! So, are you ready to add it to your eco-friendly must-haves?
11. Reusable containers
For your favorite toiletry products that you couldn’t switch to solid ones, get reusable containers when you are going on a trip. Not only will it save you a ton of space in your toiletry bag—as you won’t have to bring with you the entire bottle of face cream—it will save you a ton of money from not buying the travel-size product of your favorite brand, and you will also be reducing your plastic waste! And that’s the whole point of trying to travel more sustainably, right?
Believe me, it is one of the cheapest and easiest green travel items to get your hands on!
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL ACCESSORIES
When it comes to traveling, there are a few items that we can’t live without, but the thing is that they are not particularly eco-friendly… Lucky you, I’m gonna show you how to swap them for greener options! After that, you will not resist adding them to your sustainable travel essentials checklist!
12. Reusable Masks
Something that after COVID has become a must-have for any traveler, but unfortunately, they are mainly disposable. Can you imagine the number of masks that have been going to our trash cans during and after the pandemic? I don’t have the numbers, but it is insane to think about it…
Luckily, there is one really easy solution to this problem! Getting reusable masks! That’s it! It couldn’t be easier!
If you can, try to opt for organic fabrics and ethically made. Just pack a few of them and wash them when needed. Definitely one of the easiest swaps for green travel essentials!
13. Eco-Friendly Sunscreen
Sunscreen is one of the first—and most important items—you pack when you are getting ready to go on a trip. Unfortunately, most of them contain harmful chemicals—for you and for the planet—and these chemicals can strongly disrupt the ecosystem.
That’s why next time you buy a bottle of sunscreen, try to opt for an eco-friendly option. I know they are much more expensive than the regular ones, but they will benefit your health and our planet…
So, ready to spend a few more bucks and add it to your sustainable travel essentials checklist?
14. Travel Towel
As previously mentioned when talking about sustainable clothing, getting a lightweight, quick-dry, and sustainably made towel—whether for the beach or for taking showers—is an important and easy swap to make to try and live more sustainably!
ECO-FRIENDLY HANDBAG TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
We all carry a few essentials in our handbags that we couldn’t live without: lip balm, hand cream, wet wipes, tissues, and so much more! Sometimes, my handbag feels more like Alibaba’s cave than a proper handbag, but that’s just how it goes!
To make your travel—and daily life—more sustainable, try switching all your essentials to greener options. Opt for organic beauty products, biodegradable tissues and wet wipes, and items made from recycled materials.
Being planet-friendly doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. As mentioned earlier, there are tons of items you can easily replace with greener alternatives. If you’re on a budget, you don’t have to buy everything at once or change all your favorite items overnight. Take it step by step. Caring for our planet is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. The key is to gradually change habits and your way of consumption.
I believe all the items mentioned in this eco-friendly travel essentials checklist can also be used in your day-to-day life. So why not start making a change even before your next trip?
MY FAVORITE RESSOURCES AND BLOGGERS FOR SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
If you want to delve deeper into sustainable travel, here are my favorite resources and bloggers! Take a look at them, and who knows, maybe you will find ways to expand your eco-friendly travel items checklist and help make our world a better place!
- Salt in our Hair: In addition to their travel destinations and tips, they have a whole section about travel sustainability.
- The wise travellers: An eco-friendly travel blog focusing on environmental problems related to tourism and sharing itineraries and tips for traveling more sustainably.
- Ecotourism World: An informative platform to educate and persuade travelers to adopt a more eco-friendly way of traveling.
- The Altruistic Traveler: A blogger and host of a podcast promoting compassion and ethics in travel. If you prefer listening over reading, this is for you!
- Sustainable Travel & Living: An online shop offering eco-friendly travel items that can also be used in your day-to-day life!