10 Easy Sustainable Hacks Every Responsible Traveler Should Know

Traveling long (or short) term can be difficult to navigate for many reasons. One of the biggest challenges is maintaining a healthy, sustainable and minimal waste lifestyle.

From travel size beauty products, chemical filled products, tons of food waste due to moving around, to plastic galore. It can be complicated to use clean, sustainable products and minimize your waste when you’re traveling.

Fear not: you can still maintain a natural and sustainable lifestyle even if you’re constantly on the go and moving around. Here are my top ten easy sustainable hacks for any responsible traveler.

Don’t Forget the Re-Usable Water Bottle

You’ll notice very quickly when traveling that most places don’t have drinkable tap water. While many Airbnb’s are fitted with a water filter, you’ll need to research that before on, and not rely on this.

Over all, you’re most likely going to have to put some planning and effort into your water consumption; not relying on buying plastic water bottles everyday, all day. Just because filtered water might not be plentiful does not mean you shouldn’t bring that re-usable water bottle. You absolutely must.

Most co-working spaces have filtered water available, some Airbnb’s and apartments will have a filter, many gyms and restaurants will allow you to fill up your bottle. You can easily get by without purchasing a plastic water bottle every day (not sustainable), if you are mindful and plan ahead.

Many countries have drinkable tap water if you boil it, so you can often get by doing that. Another option is to bring a water filter with you, but honestly, I didn’t use mine all year because there was always another option to filter.

Alternatively, if you’re somewhere for a week or more, get a local water delivery service. Your host will absolutely know where you can find one, and a quick google search will help you when you don’t have a host. These services deliver the giant filtered water to your house, and there ya go, no plastic waste.

Utilize Local Markets

I have yet to go to a city anywhere without an organic and natural goods store. Everywhere has this. Also, everywhere has local boutiques, markets or thrift shops to do your clothes shopping. Shop there.

Not only are you supporting the local economy and learning about the actual culture and place you’re in, you’re also still living your healthy, sustainable lifestyle .

I rarely had to go to the big supermarkets because I found all my natural goods at local markets. I was able to buy my produce easily at local outdoor markets. It may require a little bit more research, but it’s just as easy to replicate my organic store and farmers market lifestyle from home, abroad- as long as I’m in a relatively decent sized town.

Refill Your Products When Possible

One of my favorite discoveries while in Vietnam was how plentiful the refill beauty shops were. So many places made natural soaps, shampoos, coconut oil, etc where you can just refill your empty container.

This was a fraction of the price most places were charging for brand new, branded products. They also had so many more options than most markets did for my special more niche beauty products and spices, not to mention the ingredients were way better and made locally.

Most places also sell containers and bottles so if you have none, you can still shop there. But this is the best way to minimize your waste while traveling. Instead of tossing out shampoo and lotion bottles every month, you can just refill the same container over and over again wherever you go. Hello zero waste on the go.

For an incredible sustainable beauty brand, check out CocoKind. Their packaging is recycled and they use amazing ingredients. They do everything from skincare to bodycare. You can shop using my affiliate link here.

Use Crystal Deodorant

My favorite natural beauty product also happens to be available in literally every country in the world. You can find crystal deodorant everywhere. It also lasts for 6+ months typically, so your waste is so, so minimal.

If you’re not fully on the natural beauty train, if you’re going to make literally one swap to change your life and your health, it should be your deodorant.

While so many natural deodorants are completely ineffective, I admit, crystal deodorant literally works for everyone I know. I’ve been using it for over 5 years. I have tried numerous brands all over the world, and the result is the same. It works. It lasts. It’s accessible and affordable.

For my literal favorite deodorant in the world, click the image below or here to purchase on Amazon.

Bring Full Size Essential Products

Look, when you’re setting out to travel, travel size is so tempting purely to limit your bags weight. I get it. But there are some things we literally use every day and it makes zero sense to bring a travel size if you’re traveling for more than a weekend. You’re just going to toss that container in two weeks and it’s not sustainable.

Things like razors, tooth brushes, special shampoos, should be brought in full size or long lasting options. You don’t want to be throwing away a plastic razor every few weeks, or replacing your dinky travel tooth brush every country. This waste adds up and they don’t weigh enough to justify not just bringing your electric toothbrush or quality razor in the first place.

Don’t Waste Food: Buy Bulk or Donate

One of the biggest struggles I had when I was changing countries every month was what to do about my pantry staples. Full size bags of rice and pasta, cooking oil and spices were a nightmare to deal with. I never had enough room in my suit case to actually pack these items with me to bring to the next country but I never was able to use more than half of it during my stay.

There are solutions though. Most places have a bulk section in the major grocery store, or natural markets or refill stores. Buy these big, staple items in bulk instead so you are only purchasing what you need. Buy your soaps, detergent and oils from these places as well.

If this is absolutely not an option, donate your goods! Ask your Airbnb host or landlord if you can donate the goods to the cleaners when they come, or if they know of a food bank or place they can be donated to.

Reuse and Repurpose For Minimal Waste

I travel with a re-usable shopping bag. It’s not a waste of space, because it doubles as a beach bag or book bag. I use old food containers to store my coconut oil, vitamins, or beauty products. I have a reusable bamboo straw I travel with. I now keep the old travel size ones or smaller containers so that every time I do a side trip, I can fill it up with my own shampoo. Then I don’t have to purchase a special travel size item or waste the one at the hotel or Airbnb. It’s such an easy and mindless sustainable swap.

The biggest source of waste when traveling is plastic, and takeout is a big offender. Many places still completely rely on plastic, so if you can avoid take out and dine in when possible, it’s much better. If you can pack your bulk snacks for long road trips, even better. If you have to do take out, is there something you can utilize so you’re lessening your waste? Maybe you don’t need the utensils, or all the sauces they might pack.

There are still super easy options to re-use and re-purpose items on the road, that can actually help save space in your bag, not just add to it.

Limit Your Consumption

You’d be hard pressed to find another country that lives in the full excess and luxury that the United States does. Most places have a greener approach, either out of necessity or just a higher consciousness.

Either way, a responsible traveler adapts to the way of life and restrictions that each country requires. So many places we went to had very little access to water, or were in a current drought. So locals limited their water consumption accordingly. You should be no exception.

So many places ask that you don’t throw toilet paper in the toilet because the pipes cannot handle it. So just don’t do that. Many places have energy restrictions, be mindful of that. It can be an inconvenience, but we are ultimately a guest in these countries. At the very least, we should limit our consumption and leave behind as little waste and impact as possible.

This also goes for anyone, anywhere. Our resources on this planet are finite, an excess of anything is not sustainable. We have to do our best, everywhere.

Replace Products Based on Local Availability

This is essentially “do as the locals do.” There are countries and cities where certain products and food items are available in surplus. There are others where this isn’t a thing. So you have two options: Either try the local equivalent and adapt, or come prepared and replace your items strategically.

My favorite thing about traveling is finding the new natural beauty products and oils. Also, diving into whatever superfoods they have available and that the people swear by.

There are some things that just aren’t available though, and neither is an equivalent. So for those items, I planned in advance. If you want to eat and shop locally, you’ll need to actually utilize what the locals use and not be stuck on your specific ideal products and food items.

Get on the Minimal Waste Beauty Train

Shampoo bars, natural soap bars, coconut oil, tooth powder– there are many natural beauty items that have erupted internationally. Bonus, as a traveler, this is the gift that keeps giving. These products not only weigh less than their store bought counter parts (hello no bottles or packaging) but they also have zero waste.

I’d say the majority of the places I went had an organic market or shop that sold these. These products also are long lasting, so if you know that the next few destinations may be a struggle, just stock up where you’re at. They are also far more cost effective.

It’s 2020- there’s zero excuse to be using chemical laden, toxic chemicals on your body.

Bonus…Consider Slow Travel

At the end of the day, traveling to 40 cities in a year and bouncing around constantly is not sustainable. It’s certainly not minimizing your carbon footprint. With the amount of planes, trains and automobiles you’re using, it doesn’t matter if you personally gave up driving. This still deeply impacts the environment.

Additionally, all those times on the road, unable to cook or limit your trash, means you’re not able to live a sustainable lifestyle no matter how hard you try. My biggest hack as a responsible traveler for both my body and mind is embracing slow travel.

For those of use who have gone fully remote and chosen the nomadic lifestyle, slow travel is the true answer. This means living in places for a longer period of time.

Maybe you plan your travels by how long you can legally stay in another country. Maybe you have a set number of months that feels great to you. Either way, you’re fully living somewhere, and you’re able to really dive into the culture, community and customs while also minimizing your waste and environmental impact.

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