eco traveler

As I have been fortunate enough to have just taken a fabulous vaca to Cabo San Lucas and will shortly be venturing to Catalina Island, I thought about the ways in which I could travel that are as eco-friendly as possible (despite the “you’re crazy” looks I get from everyone).  Especially if you aren’t sure if the place you’re staying is green (which you can always research beforehand), it can make even the smallest difference to be conscious of your travel habits.  Here are some ideas I have from my own experiences; if you feel so inclined, try them out yourself this summer (and share your ideas, too!).

-use natural travel-sized toiletries, for example Burt’s Bees, Aveda, Aveeno, ecotools, Korres, and Tom’s toothpaste.  You can go on Sephora.com and click on “Natural & Organic” to find out which products have mini versions.  ecotools also have great cosmetic brush sets and travel cases – you can find their products at Target, Walgreens, or online at Amazon.com and Drugstore.com.  Instead of purchasing these, you could also put your products in little reusable containers (just make sure to recycle them at the end of their life, if possible). 

http://www.parispresents.com/EcoTools_s/36.htm

-go shopping in your closet (or your friend’s, or your parent’s…).  This will help you avoid spending lots o’ ca$h on new summer outfits that you probably already have/don’t need (as well as help kick our bad habits of over consuming, of which I am definitely a victim of).  You might discover things you forgot about that you can upcycle into new pieces.  Invite some friends over, make some cocktails (or have some beers - your call), and put together some new outfits.  You know you like this idea.  If you simply must shop, branch out and visit some thrift or vintage stores. 

-research restaurants at your final destination that serve local, organic ingredients.  By eating at these places you can help support the community of wherever you’re visiting.  Yelp is one of my favorite sites for this, but Google is my go-to search engine for everything and anything.  One of my most frequent sayings is, in fact, “Google it.”

-pack healthy snacks!  My fave snacks to bring are organic dry roasted almonds, Cliff bars (especially the organic kid Z bars – obviously not just for kids), Larabar (gluten free, delicious), plantain chips, organic Trader Joe’s olive oil popcorn, dried fruits, trail mix (try making your own!), and apples.

http://www.larabar.com/

http://www.clifbar.com/

-pack a reusable water bottle (mine is a pretty Gaiam one) so you can fill it up at the drinking fountain AFTER security in the airport.  Call me cheap, but this is my trick to avoid paying $4 for water.

http://www.gaiam.com/

-if you are a tea drinker, pack a few tea bags.  This way you can ask coffee shops for hot water instead of paying $2+ for a cup of tea either at the airport or your final destination. My favorite teas, which are full of antioxidants, are green and black tea (also a great coffee alternative for your caffeine fix in the morning).  It’s also smart to bring powders like Emergen-C to fight off getting sick (and to flavor your water). 

http://www.emergenc.com/

-if you take sugar with your coffee/tea, take a few Stevia packets with you - I buy mine at Trader Joe’s).  This is a healthy, natural alternative to sugar, and it’s SUPER sweet, so you only need to add like half a packet to a drink.  Maybe even think about packing a reusable coffee/tea mug.  To learn more about this nifty little sweetener, check out the website below.

http://www.stevia.com/

-pack natural sunscreen and bug spray to avoid all the narsty chemicals that find their way into these products.  I found Alba aloe vanilla SPF 30 mineral sunscreen (smells like cookies) and Jason “Quit Bugging Me” natural insect repellent spray (smells not so good, but get over it) at San Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery.  Some of these companies also have great lotions, after sun lotions, hair products, deodorants, etc.  Other natural products are Aubrey Organics, Nature’s Gate, and Kiss My Face (try wandering the aisles of Whole Foods or your local natural foods store to get ideas of some other natural products out there).  Also don’t forget 100% aloe vera gel – I pile it on after I get burnt and it usually helps reverse my mistake relatively quickly.  Or just be smart and don’t get sunburnt.

http://www.albabotanica.com/

http://www.jason-natural.com/home.php

http://www.aubrey-organics.com/

http://www.natures-gate.com/

http://www.kissmyface.com/

 

-pack a reusable bag or two for all of your shopping needs.  No more paper or plastic waste.  Enough said.

-if you are really gung-ho about recycling (like myself), and if you’re not sure if the place you’re going to recycles, think about packing a little bag to shove all of your recyclables in.  This way you can make sure they all get into the blue bin when you come back home.  Don’t be afraid to ask the airline, train, or boat if they recycle; if they don’t, they may be more apt to make changes if you pester them (nicely) about it.  And always remember to recycle wherever you go, the US isn’t the only place with overflowing landfills.

Bonn(eco) Voyage!