How to Use Less Plastic When You Travel

One of the things that really bugs me about travelling, which has been particularly noticeable in South East Asia and Egypt, is the vast amount of plastic trash that we, the population generate. All countries are guilty but in some places it’s visible everywhere, on roadsides, on beaches and in rivers.

We, as travellers, are in danger of making the plastic problem even worse.

That is not OK.

I think by modelling better behaviours maybe we can get other travellers and locals thinking too.

Be the change you want to see, as the saying goes.

If you’re from one of the many countries where plastic bags have been banned for years, you’ll get a shock when you start exploring the wider world to see plastics handed out with no limitation and littering and dumping being common and obvious.

The mess we make of our planet is far more visible and raw as we travel and I think we should all be doing our best to cut our plastic consumption in any way we can.

Update: This post is a few years old now and it’s been wonderful to see the shift away from plastics in recent years. Thailand is doing a really well at this in particular, from what we’ve seen.

Say No to Plastic Bags

Every time you buy anything in South East Asia, they’ll want to put it in a plastic bag.

It’s unbelievable, quite honestly, and so easy to avoid. Most of us travellers will be carrying our day packs every day, whatever we buy can go in there. We almost never need to accept a plastic bag in a shop. Just say no.

If you’re heading out to a market for a big shop, be prepared, carry a fabric, washable bag that packs small and that you can load up. We used to just put all of our shopping in our bike baskets in Vietnam, it’s easy to do.

Say No to Plastic Straws

Every drink, I’m not joking, every drink, be it in a restaurant or bought from a shop, will come with a straw.

Except beer, but I can’t give the kids beer.

So, I’d guess that my kids would contribute at least 5 plastic straws per day to the plastic straw mountain. And that is a very conservative estimate.

In hot countries we buy them a lot of drinks That’s 1,825 plastic straws per year if we’re in Asia all year. If it’s a bottle with a cap or in a glass we generally say no ( unless the drink arrives with the straw already in residence, which happens) but for cans, yes, you need them. The tops of cans are not clean.

I’ve bought cans with mouse poop on the top often. Did you know that mice constantly dribble urine? It’s not pretty.  And then there are rats. You need a straw for cans.

Something else to think about, the plastic straws that all stores stock are very rarely covered. They’re just as likely to have been visited by flies, mice and rats as the cans.

 

Say NO to Toiletries in Plastic Bottles

I now own solid shampoo, solid conditioner, solid deodorant and solid facial moisturiser/serum. All are from LUSH. Unfortunately they don’t sell on Amazon, so find your local store and buy yourself some goodies!

Carry Your Own Cutlery, Refuse Plastic

With a bamboo knife, fork and spoon set like this, not only will you be ready for anything, but you’ll be able to refuse the plastic cutlery every time. Be prepared!

 

Do You Need a Water Bottle ?

We’ve owned metal Sigg water bottles for years as well as wide mouthed Nalgene bottles and on certain types of trip ( trekking for instance) yes, you absolutely need them.

But in all honesty, they are big and bulky to travel with and a real nuisance. There has to be a trade off here, on some trips we take them, on others we don’t.

I like to avoid carrying water whenever possible, I get the kids to drink when we’re at home and wait until we stop for lunch, but some days you just have to carry your own water supply.

 

How to Get Clean Drinking Water Without Buying it in a Bottle

Drinking the tap water generally isn’t the best idea. Even in western Europe, if you’re not used to the local flaura, you can get sick.

I well remember a summer holiday of vomiting in a caravan in France as a child. I’m tougher now, I’ll drink water most anywhere in Europe and some parts of Asia, but mostly, no, we don’t drink the tap water.

In many countries we won’t even clean our teeth with it.

So we’re stuck with buying bottled drinking water, mostly. There are a few ways to get around this.  If you have a re-usable water bottle you can often fill it in a hostel or hotel where they have water purification facilities. In some countries you can find pure water dispensed on the street. I’ve seen these in Thailand and in Nepal. In Vietnam we had drinking water on tap in our house rental, that was an absolute God-send and our water bottles were well used.

Another dodge is to get you drinking water from coffee shops. You almost never need to buy drinking water in a coffee shop, ask for a glass of water and they will give you one.

Our favourite trick lately is just to drop a tiny water purification tab into our Nalgene 1L bottles. That must have saved us hundreds of plastic bottles in the last few months and the tabs were cheap and easy to get in Nepal.

The devices below let you drink from local taps, wells or streams. Check them out!

Coffee Cups

Environmentally aware coffee lovers are taking their own cups to Starbucks these days, but what about on the road?

Can we find room for a full sized cup to take our Americano? Collapsible coffee cups ( which can , of course, be used for any hot or cold drink) are now available too. Knock yourself out with caffeine!

Wet Wipes Aren’t Eco Friendly. Try These Biodegradeable Wet Wipes Instead

Say No to Plastic Toothbrushes

A toothbrush is such a small thing, but think how many there are in the world ( and watch the video at the end of the post to get more of a feel for the consequences of any disposable plastic.)

Everyone is turning to bamboo these days and they are super easy to buy online even if your local supermarket or pharmacy is lagging behind the times.

Don’t Accept Plastic Toys and “Free” Gifts

I know it’s hard with little ones but once your kids have reached an age of some reason, just ask them if they really want that “free” plastic toy or the junk-filled gift bags that airlines hand out.

Most of this stuff is destined for the bin. Say no and let the gift-givers get the message.

Plastic Water Bottles are the Worst

I hate them, I’m sure you do too and I’m sure we’re just as guilty as the next person of using them.

If you have to use them just do one thing, find a recycling point for them. I thought this video was interesting and really drives the point home. That is all.

Pick Up Whenever You Can

Don’t drop it and if you see it, pick it up. Any tiny action, it doesn’t matter how small, can help. We love our planet, that’s why we travel, so let’s all try to be as nice as possible to her. See all of our other travel gear posts via the travel gear tab, top of the page, or check out our options below.