Zero Waste Travel: What to Pack
When traveling it’s easy to fall out of the good habits you may have going at home. It’s easy to let it go, especially with the kids, but with a good zero waste packing list, you won’t forget a thing.
Your Zero Waste Packing List
Here is how to stick to your sustainable guns when you’re on the road: pack the essentials you regularly use at home. This can take some thought if it has become really routine at home, but you’ll miss them when you’re away!
I bet you didn’t think to pack some of these:
Pack these first 6 things in a mini go-bag so they’re always with you when out and about on your trip.
- Your travel coffee mug
- Reusable water bottles (glass or stainless) or a filtering water bottle
- Collapsible takeout containers or nesting tiffin tins for takeout or leftovers
- Flatware — skip the knives if flying. I have metal and a few sturdy plastic ones – Chipotle’s are really good
- Washcloths for dirty faces
- Handkerchiefs
- A mini bottle of dish soap to wash your containers and flatware
- Reusable tote bags — these are hard to remember to pack when they usually live in your car!
- Bring snacks and food from home, especially for the plane. Eat better, save money and don’t let food go to waste while you’re gone!
- If you’re hard core about your water, consider bringing a higher quality water filtration pitcher like Clearly Filtered. It sounds crazy, but if you can fit it, why not? Then you can fill your water bottles before you go out with better water.
- Mini bar soap, or cut a piece from a bar at home.
- Headphones that work on the airplane. Keep a pair of the “old fashioned” headphones so you don’t have to take another pack of those single use ones they give you.
- Laundry detergent strips –if you’ll need to do laundry while you’re away and you want to make sure it’s a fragrance free, low tox brand you love. They’re light, and they work for hand washing too!
- Your favorite brands of whatever. If you are going to buy your shampoo, lotion, sunscreen at your destination, then you’re unnecessarily just adding to what you already have. Bring what you love and need.
Copy this zero waste travel packing list to your phone notes so you have it handy for your next bon voyage!
