Sustainable travel has many aspects; where you go, how you get there, what you bring, how you spend your money and so on. While some people are able to take into account all of these aspects, this is not for everyone. One of the easiest things to do, however, is thinking about what you bring. What you bring? Yes, even that matters. Lately I’ve been thinking about what I use at home that could also make my trips more sustainable. Read about my four favorite things to bring to travel more sustainably.
1. Get a safety razor
This is definitely one of my favorite lifestyle changes and it could easily be used for travelling as well. I have been using disposable razors for so long, and never really thought about how damaging they are for the environment due to packaging and all the plastic used for the razors themselves (I’m not even talking about production emissions etc). Recently I saw a post somewhere about a safety razor, which made me wonder whether this would be a good alternative. It turns out, many people before me have asked the same question and hundreds of blogs have been written about it. Great! So after reading some experiences of other bloggers, I decided to buy one.
Without putting too much effort into it, I choose the Bamboozy Safety Razor which costs around 14 euros, comes with multiple blades and also is the lightest one I could find. Buying extra blades is very cheap and you’ll definitely spend less than on the plastic throw-away ones.
I’m very happy with my safety razor (maybe I’ll write a whole blog about it sometime as well..). I was a bit scared when I used it for the first time, because it’s such a sharp razor and a new experience, but this turned out to be totally unnecessary. It’s super easy and it’s so much better than disposable razors with 2,3,4,5 blades. You can use the razor everywhere (just be a bit more careful in sensitive areas), and you really get a clean and good shave which lasts much longer. For a sustainable shaving cream, especially when travelling, it’s easiest to have a soap bar with you, or some coconut or olive oil. This works really well and is super easy. You can just bring a bit of oil with you on your travels and only use a little bit every time you shave.
2. Rice water hair boost
One of the things I really dislike when I’m travelling, is when my hair gets dry. Certain climates can be really tough on your hair and damage it, and usually spending much time on revitalising your hair is not a priority when travelling. So recently, I found out about an easy trick to give your hair a little boost, and it can be done almost everywhere!
What you do is you boil rice with 1.5 or 2 times the amount of water you would have actually needed for cooking the rice. When it’s finished you drain the excess water and keep it separate. Let it cool down until it’s colder, cover your hair and scalp in it (for example by putting the water in a bowl and dipping your hair and head in) and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. Then rinse it out and your hair will be super soft again!
If you use conditioner as well, do this after conditioning – You can also mix the rice water with green tea to make your hair more shiny – if you have too much rice water, store it in the fridge so you can use more later. Use it whenever your hair feels like it needs a boost, but I would say not more than once a week.
3. Bring a water bottle and/or sustainable cup with you on your trip
This one’s easy. Just like at home, you can bring your own water bottle or coffee cup when you go somewhere. Hand the cup over any time you order a drink. In Japan this might be difficult because they are very set on using their own cups, but just try. The Sea to Summit x-cup is a very good option for travellers since it is foldable and lightweight. For the Dutch people you can order it at my favorite store Bever through this link. Do you want a cup with a lid, that is a little bit bigger and a tiny bit heavier, then this Koalas cup might be the one for you!
4. Are you in SE Asia? Bring your own chopsticks
Okay, maybe this one doesn’t account for all your travels, nevertheless it really helps save the trees. Every year, in China alone, around 20 million trees a year are cut down just for chopsticks. Travelling in Japan, I have experienced wherever you buy some food, you get disposable wooden chopsticks in plastic packaging. Imagine saying no to all of these and just using your own chopsticks? It’s so easy! I think on the worst days I could have saved over 8 pairs of chopsticks if I did this, and that would be only in one day. And what could be more fun to kick off your journey in Japan or somewhere else in SE Asia with a nice local chopstick shopping tour.
These are just four simple things to bring to travel more sustainably. There are loads more to be found on the internet and I will follow up with some other posts on period cups and other sustainable travel options. For now, enjoy planning your trip and I’m happy to hear about your tips and tricks in the comments below!
