Everyone loves to plan for their holidays and even though we know we should probably just take what we own already, let’s be honest, shopping for your holidays is fun. If you are planning to buy a new wardrobe and travel sized toiletries to take with you I’ve got you covered with the best eco-friendly travel essentials to pack.
These travel essentials are suitable for any type of holiday, whether you’re backpacking for a year or just going to Spain for a week. The best thing is these items are also great even if you aren’t going on holiday.
Eco-Friendly Travel Essentials
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Toiletries
Most of us end up buying ‘travel-size’ shampoos and body washes so that they take up as little room in our bags as possible. The problem with this is that you’re just buying more plastic, so from an environmental point of view these travel-size toiletries are not great (but they do look cute, who doesn’t love a miniature?). Fortunately, these eco-friendly toiletries tend to take up less space anyway.
1. Shampoo Bar
A shampoo bar lasts a surprisingly long time, and it’s a really easy way to reduce your plastic use.
Travelling with a shampoo bar is a bit trickier but you can buy one and then carry it in either a small tin or small plastic container that you already own.
When buying any soap, check that the items don’t come in any plastic packaging. If it says it comes in cellophane, this should be ok as cellophane is biodegradable, however lots of companies claim they use cellophane but actually use polypropylene so just be aware of that.
2. Soap Bar
If you’re taking a shampoo bar instead of a shampoo bottle, then swap your body wash for a bar of soap as well. Just don’t get them mixed up, make sure they’re different colours!
You can get facial soaps as well to avoid even more plastic in your luggage.
Top Tip – For a real space saver you could buy a multi-purpose soap. This one can be used for hair, body and laundry!
3. Pot of toothpaste
Very few toothpastes these days come in sustainable packaging, but you can get yourself a small glass jar of toothpaste, or toothpowder, which weighs very little, takes up very little space, probably won’t leak toothpaste all over your wash bag like a tube normally does (or is that just me?) and has no plastic packaging!
I can buy Georganics toothpaste from my local wholefood shop, but you might struggle to find it unless you use an online zero waste shop.
The alternative, which is great for travelling, is to buy toothpaste tablets which come in a handy little tin.
4. Bamboo toothbrush
If you’re buying plastic free toothpaste, get yourself a plastic free bamboo toothbrush to go with it.
Many bamboo toothbrushes come with nylon bristles, so read the descriptions carefully. The ones I’ve linked to have plant-based bristles.
Read more about eco-friendly dental care
5. Reef safe sunscreen
Finding a sunscreen that doesn’t come in plastic packaging is very tricky but I found one. Sunscreen is a travel essential wherever you go. Make sure you get one that doesn’t damage marine life and coral by buying a reef safe one, if you plan on swimming in the ocean.
6. After sun
Another item that’s a bit tricky to find an eco-friendly alternative for is aftersun. If you could carry an aloe vera plant around with you then that would be ideal, but being realistic that’s not going to happen. Instead try to find yourself a 100% Aloe Vera lotion. I can testify that nothing has soothed my sunburn better than that. This after sun is pricey but has fantastic reviews so try and buy it when it’s on special offer.
Clothes
Probably one of the easiest things to buy for your holidays should be eco-friendly clothing. Cotton dresses, linen trousers and floppy sun hats are everywhere in summer.
The thing to look for is organic sustainable cotton rather than just plain old cotton which is often really bad for the environment – Why Cotton is Bad. Other materials to look for when buying eco-friendly summer clothes are bamboo linen, hemp, linen and wool (wool is probably not great on a hot day!)
Look for GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) which is recognised as a worldwide standard for an organic fibre certification. It ensures that only the most ecological and socially responsible methods have been used throughout the production process, from raw material to finished product. This includes the recycling of yarns, water and dyes. – Greenhouse Fabrics
There are lots of eco-friendly clothes shops online that you can check out or alternatively why not try secondhand clothes shopping?
Footwear
If you’re anything like me then you probably spend your whole holiday living in flip flops or sandals. Why not buy yourself an eco-friendly footwear alternative like these sandals which are made from linen (flax) with a rubber sole. They look a little bit classier than your average flip flop and come in a variety of colours.
Towels
Fancy buying yourself a set of brand new towels for your holidays? Why not buy bamboo towels which are surprisingly soft and luxurious to the touch, or find yourself some organic cotton ones.
Beach Towels
There are quite a few options for eco-friendly beach towels, many with a Turkish design like the one in the picture.
Books
Can books be classed as eco-friendly travel essentials? They’re certainly a travel essential for me, and they can be regifted, which is good. Of course you can also buy the kindle / audible version to reduce waste. I’d love to tell you that I only buy books that teach me something, but I’d be lying to you. When I go on my holidays I love to read a good old fashioned trashy novel. Below I’ve listed some good books you probably should buy, but also some that are better for a bit of escapism whilst on the beach. Try to support your local bookshop whenever possible.
Full disclosure, I haven’t personally read any of the below books yet, but I’ve heard great reviews from friends, family, and twitter friends! Wilding, by Isabella Tree, in particular is loved by both my stepdad and sister.
Not flying to your destination is the most eco-friendly thing you can do when going on your holidays. Why not consider a staycation this year and stay at one of the best eco-friendly hotels in the UK?
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There are some very good tips here…. thank you! I especially like the look of the sandals and the eco-friendly towels. I am also interested to try the soap and shampoo bars in a tin.