Red Hat Trip

Our Packing Guide and Favorite Eco-Friendly Travel Items

This packing list is full of the most eco-friendly travel products to help minimise the impact of your travels to the maximum extent feasible. This list includes everything we like, love and utilize during our travels and any fresh ideas and suggestions that we get from fellow eco-conscious travelers.

When it comes to travelling with minimal environmental impact (we are aware that travel will not be completely sustainable) we have discovered that fore-warned is better than forearmed. Ironically, many of the places we visit on our trips (street food and public transportation) are also our most-loved locations. Are you in search of coconut water but the seller has only straws made of plastic? Are you stuck on an extended train journey and run out of water? Plastic water bottles for sale might be tempting, as we have witnessed from our own experience. A handful of “accessories”, can help you reduce the cost of single-use plastic items.

If it appears like an investment to buy numerous items prior to travel, take note of the amount these items save in the end economically and environmentally. A purchase of water filters is likely to pay off with money saved on buying bottles of water.

We’d like to remind you that perfection isn’t the aim. We all know that there have been instances when we had to buy things in plastic due to the sheer desire to eat, forget straws made of metal or what have you. These moments will happen. However, with a little preparation you will be able to avoid 90%+ wasted time and money that is often caused by travel. That is a huge!

 

The Best Eco Friendly Travel Products

We’ve divided this packing list into multiple categories in order to make it as simple as possible. Have fun packing!

• The Essentials
• Drinking and eating
• Toiletries
• Travel Accessories
• Luggage & Travel Bags
• Clothing
• Do you need to offset your carbon?

Sustainable Travel Essentials

Are you in a hurry or want to take some items? In our humble opinions, these sustainable travel items are game changers and should be part of any sustainable travel kit!

• Water To Go water bottle with filter to those who visit countries where tap water is unsafe.
• Refillable Klean Kanteen bottle (if travelling to an area where tap water is safe to drink)
• Bamboo or Stainless Steel drinking straws
• Bamboo cutlery
• Choose from the below selection of toiletries suggestions
• Reef-safe and natural Sunscreen

Eco-friendly Travel Products for Food & Drink

Plastic straws, shopping bags and plastic cutlery constitute a large portion of single-use plastic we use when traveling. Reusable items can be brought with us and kept in our bags for the day. This means that we don’t have to eat them completely.

• Refillable water bottle (s)
• If you are likely to visit areas in which tap water isn’t safe, a water purification bottle such as Grayl or Water to Go Water to Go and Grayl will be useful. Read our full guide to water filter bottles here.
• A Stojo and thermos cup to serve hot drinks.

• For food on the move for food and drinks on the go, a compact “tiffin” lunchbox set
• Re-usable Cutlery
• Produce bags to shop for groceries
• Bamboo straws and Stainless Steel Straws

Eco Friendly Toiletries

It is a bit overwhelming to discover the many eco-friendly toiletries and cosmetic brands to choose from. Our suggestion for travelers in general is to opt for solid products vs liquid ones where possible (e.g. shampoo bars, soaps as opposed to the body wash, stick deodorant and so on). These options will result in a lighter load, you’ll be carrying 90 percent water and you’ll have more of it with you, which is great when you’re planning long trips! We suggest sharing products between families or couples If you are able!

We specifically do not recommend products from LUSH here. They have been recommended by numerous eco-friendly travel websites (and we’ve tried these products too), but they are far from eco-friendly and are full of harmful chemicals. The shampoo bar left our scalps itchy and dry. LUSH recently came under controversy for not being as natural as advertised.

• Toiletry bags that are eco-friendly such as this one such as this one
• Organic Shampoo bar similar to this one
• For a nicer appearance to keep it nice, you can use this bar of body soap or this soap case
• If you’re travelling longer term and prefer liquid soap we suggest Dr. Bronners which is available in concentrated form and can be used for hair, body as well as clothes washing!
• Bamboo Toothbrush(es)
• Refrigerant as well as Natural Sun Screen/Block
• Natural Insect Repellant
• Cotton buds
• Female Products: I recommend either the Organicup menstrual cup or organic cotton period underwear such as this set.

• Non-Toxic Stick Deodorant
• Raw Coconut Oil (we make use of this instead of taking after-sun and different moisturisers as Coconut Oil can do perfectly!). It is important to buy the raw rather than the processed version!
• Essential oils- If you suffer from dry skin or are susceptible to mould growth in humid climates, you can search for the appropriate essential oil to take along with you. Tea Tree and Lavender both have great conditions for the skin, including irritations as well as fungal skin conditions. Peppermint is a natural air freshener that’s also very efficient. Be sure to purchase natural ones!
• Linen turkish facecloths / towels. The towels are light, absorbent, and washable. We love this particular one or check out House of Jude if you’re in Canada.

 

Depending on where you live We have various eco-friendly brands we love for cosmetics. If you are located in the UK, Guiltless skin is an excellent choice for your face serums and oils. They’ve been able to keep our skin hydrated on the road. In Canada we are awestruck by the Great Canadian Hemp Company.

Eco-friendly Travel Accessories

These are our top picks for environmentally friendly travel items based on our trips.

• We are loving Pala Eyewear’s newest collection of Bio – and recycled Acetate sunglasses.
• Ladies’ scarves – always handy for traveling! We enjoy the ones made of Hemp.
• Totes made of cotton (useful for separating laundry, shopping, and as a beach bag, etc.)

 

• Solar power bank/charger – this one comes with two USB ports and will last for four phone charges.
• Compostable PELA Mobile Case
• Solar Powered Lamp
• Eco Yoga mat (made with natural jute)

 

Eco-friendly Travel Bags, Bags and Luggage

The most important thing to consider is where we store all our eco-friendly travel essentials! There are a variety of eco-friendly bags available.

We are awestruck by our Osprey backpacks. We’ve used our Osprey Farpoint 40 for many trips and it’s still running strong. We are awestruck by Samsonite’s Eco Nu collection that offers a wide range of luggage made from recycled plastic bottles.

For travel, eco-friendly clothing

While sustainable fashion is an important topic Here are some of our top ethical and sustainable accessories that we love to carry with us.

• Basic bamboo vests & Organic cotton T-shirts (great to stay cool!)
• Teeki includes Leggings as well as Yoga Wear made from recycled plastic
• Sustainable Swimwear – Some of our favorites include VitaminA Swim and Londre.

Do you require offsets for your carbon emissions?

We don’t think carbon offsetsetting is the solution to a sustainable travel. The change in our behavior and resulting in less environmental impact while traveling should come from the tourism industry, travel providers , and us, the travelers.

It is not enough to compensate someone else for carbon offsets. We do encourage people to look into the option of offsetting as well as traveling more mindfully. Learn more about Carbon Offsetting.

What eco-friendly travel items are you most enthused about? What do we need to add to our list of packing items? Comment below to let us know!