5 Easy Ways to Stay Eco-Friendly While Travelling

Let’s be honest: despite our best efforts, sometimes it’s hard to keep consistent with our healthy habits when we’re travelling. This unfortunately includes sustainability, but luckily there are a few simple things you can do on every trip to lessen your carbon footprint. Here are some simple tips for staying eco conscious while travelling that you can implement on your next trip.

1. Research sustainable destinations and airlines

If you already know where you’re going on your trip, you can research what sustainability efforts that city is putting in, as well as the airline you’re flying with. If you’re not set on a specific destination, I’d start by looking up the most sustainable travel destinations around the world.

Bonus: Participate in eco tours or support businesses or activities in your destination that make their eco-friendly efforts known.

2. Plan for drinks and lunches with reusable options

Single use plastics and containers are a huge contributor to global warming. Investing in reusable options to replace all of your single use items is a big step in bringing sustainability to travel. Some of my favourite sustainable options include:

• • Reusable water bottles: Stainless steel bottles like these are great for keeping your water cold all day long.

• • Reusable coffee cups: I love Montreal brand Mimi and August, but you can find these at many home good stores as well!

• • Stainless steel or silicon straws: I use these at home and take them on the go, they are so handy!

• • Bamboo utensils: My set is from OLA Bamboo. Take a look at their other bamboo goods, they have lots of sustainable products.

• • Reusable snack bags: I got mine from this Etsy shop and I absolutely love them.

3. Pack eco-friendly travel beauty products

So here’s the deal. When I say “beauty products” I don’t only mean makeup or skin cream (which is another conversation all together). I’m talking single use makeup wipes, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, you get the idea. These products, especially “travel size”, can seriously accumulate in the waste department, so be sure to pack eco-friendly alternatives to your regular plastic bottles. Here are some examples:

• • Shampoo and conditioner bars: Mine are from Lush and I am in LOVE with them. Super sudsy, they last longer than a bottle of shampoo, and they take up virtually no room in your travel bag. This alternative is also a loop hole in the liquid restrictions for air travel!

• • Natural Deodorant: For my natural deo needs I swear by Native Deodorant. They have a collection specifically for sensitive skin (hello!), they smell great, AND they’re planning on going plastic free by 2023, with their launch of their plastic free deodorant coming soon! Note: They also sell natural toothpaste and body wash, so have a browse around their website!

• • Reusable Makeup Remover: If you’re a makeup wearer, you might be prone to packing single use makeup remover wipes or pads when you’re travelling (guilty!). But for the last year or so I’ve been loving Sephora’s Makeup Eraser. Simply wet it with warm water and it takes your makeup off super easily. It also washes really well: if you’re travelling and won’t be doing laundry, you can wash it lightly with some face wash after each use and it’s good as new!

4. Use eco-friendly transport while travelling

While air travel is not the greatest (read: pretty terrible) for the environment, some airlines are starting to adopt a more sustainable method of running their operations. With that being said, our responsibility as travellers is to leave as little of a carbon footprint in our destination as possible, so while you’re travelling, here are some things to consider:

• • Walk as much as you can while you navigate your travel destination. Many cities are pedestrian friendly, and in my opinion, walking is the best way to see as much of a particular destination as possible if you are able.

• • Public Transportation is your friend. As frustrating as it can be to navigate another country’s or city’s transit system, it’s much better for the environment than taking taxi’s or ride share programs. It also gets you more in-tune with the culture and community of your destination, which, bonus!

• • Pay attention to what your airline and airports are doing to become more sustainable. AlternativeAirlines lays out the more eco-conscious airlines and airports to consider when travelling. There are also many airlines that offer carbon offset programs!

5. Shop and eat as locally as possible

While this is one of my top tips for being eco-friendly in your own city, it’s something to remember while you’re travelling as well. Try your best to avoid chain restaurants or big name shops if you can, and support local businesses wherever you’re travelling. Shopping and eating locally not only reduces environmental impact, but you’d be putting your hard earned money into small businesses that are authentic and need local support to stay in business. Win-win!

Staying consistent with sustainability efforts can seem more difficult when you’re travelling. We’re on vacation, we aren’t in our usual routine or environment, but it is important to remember that it is our responsibility as humans to leave as little of a trace as possible in the places we visit.

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