How to: Travel plastic free

Travel season, like so many other things this year, has been massively affected by COVID. However, with borders slowly beginning to open, and with many of us hankering for a break at home or abroad, here are five easy ways to make your trip a more sustainable one!

As we know, the best way to travel is to travel light. Drugstores offer many travel sized equivalents of every day toiletries, but these often leave behind an excess of plastic waste. This is before taking into account that these "travel friendly" alternatives are readily designed to be used up quickly and rarely last a full holiday, so we end up needing to buy more, and as a result create even more waste.

But fear not, because we have come up with these cost effective plastic free travel swaps, that won't overload your suitcase with weight and waste!

1. Toiletry Bars

Shampoo and conditioner bars have become very popular recently and for good reason. However if you are using a different bar for every different need, they could end up taking up more space than they really need to.

To counter this, why not try a "travel bar", that can double up as a facial and body wash, a shampoo and conditioner, as well as a shaving soap.

A top tip and something that is a real bonus for these bars, is that you can slice them into smaller pieces, and only take with you what you need.

2. SPF in a tin

Yes, these do exist! Applying SPF is so important to protect your skin from harmful UV rays, especially if you're lucky enough to make it to warmer climbs.

Sunscreens or skincare products that contain SPF tend to be packed in plastic tubes, but that doesn't have to be the case, as there are now companies such as Shade, who produce completely plastic free sun care products. These come in a tin, and are usually available in smaller travel tins too.

3. Toothpaste tablets and bamboo toothbrush.

Bamboo toothbrushes are small, lightweight and most importantly plastic free - perfect for your zero waste holiday!

But why stop there? Toothpaste tablets in glass jars are a great alternative to regular tubes, and again, you can ratio the tablets for the amount of days you are away, leaving more space for goodies in your bag on the way home!

Together they make the perfect plastic free duo.

4. Plastic free deodorant

The ever popular Salt Of The Earth came up with the perfect solution for plastic free travelers. They removed the packaging from their plastic travel stick, placed it in a cardboard carton, and voila! You're not only set for a sweat free trip, but a plastic free one too!

If this doesn't float your boat, then there a plenty of options including tinned deodorant, glass encased liquid sprays, or even deodorant paste in a biodegradable sugar cane tube.

5. Water bottle

When away it's important to stay hydrated. Sightseeing and long hours walking and exploring new areas is thirsty work, so it's tempting to bring our stylish water bottles to show them off whilst away.

However, especially when abroad, we aren't always confident drinking tap water and end up buying plastic bottles.

If this sounds like you, then why not try a water bottle with a charcoal filter? The filter is natural, compostable, and will absorb impurities from the water, leaving valuable minerals in their place.

So there you have it, five easy ways to reduce your waste whilst away from home. Share with us any other tips you have to make traveling more environmentally friendly.

Enjoy your break if you are going away, and stay safe wherever you are going!