How to plan a zero-waste vacation

Travelling is a great opportunity to grow, learn and meet new people. Every day, people make trips across the globe for business, leisure or just to visit some family. If you ask anyone what they hate most about travelling, we’d guess a good chunk of them would say packing. But how much stuff do you need for a month-long trip? Well, before we dig too deep, try your best to take just a carry-on with you. Reduce the amount of items you bring with you and pack strategically.

The idea of zero-waste travel, along with zero-waste lifestyles, has become very popular. Although travel is usually full of disposable products, it can certainly be a challenge to go green. But, whether you’re hopping on a flight or taking a road trip with your bestie, there are many ways you can stand by a zero-waste lifestyle while seeing the world.

1. Download your plane tickets: Chances are, you’re taking a phone on the trip. If that’s the case, download your plane, train or bus tickets instead of printing them. If you have prepurchased any tickets to attractions, download those as well.
2. Take a reusable water bottle: If you’re taking any sort of vacation, you will likely be doing a lot of walking, which means you will need water!! Taking a reusable bottle will mean saving a ton of plastic water bottles from ending up in the landfill. Instead, fill up your reusable water bottle at any coffee shop, restaurant or hotel.

3. Mason jar: A mason jar is essential for every zero-waste traveller. This can be used for water, coffee, toiletries or even waste. You can keep one mason jar for your drinks or toiletries and another for waste or compost.

4. Reusable napkins & bags: You can even use the reusable napkins to wrap up some sandwiches and snacks, instead of using a sandwich bag. Having reusable bags on hand is always a good idea for any shopping you might do while you’re away or even to separate your laundry from you clean clothes

5. Pack your food: Love plane food? Probably not. To be successful at zero-waste travel, you must say no to in-flight snacks and meals. There’s simply no way of knowing whether the airline chooses to recycle or not. That means packing food and snacks in reusable containers! Whatever you pack will also likely taste better than whatever you get on the plane.

6. Menstrual cup: Ditch the usual pads and tampons and go for a menstrual cup instead. This will save you money and will save the landfill from an enormous amount of additional waste.

These are just some tips you can follow for a zero-travel vacation. Of course, you shouldn’t be using disposable cutlery, straws and other “common” travel items. So, make sure you carry some utensils with you at all times and remember to enjoy yourself! A few changes can make the biggest difference to the health of the planet and your vacation in general.