In this post, I’ll share practical tips that anyone, including beginners, can easily use for Zero Waste Travel.
I love traveling, and I try my best to visit a new place at least once a month. A few years ago, I didn’t pay much attention to how much waste I was creating, and I’m sure I contributed to a lot of plastic waste during my trips. But now, I’m proud to say that most of my travels are zero waste.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned a lot through trial and error, and I’ve developed some simple and practical zero waste travel tips that are perfect for beginners. I’m excited to share these tips with you, so you can make your travels more sustainable too!
Traveling sustainably is not only better for the environment, but it can also save you money while helping you explore new places and cultures. In fact, there are some countries where you’re not allowed to enter if you’re carrying any plastic disposable items with you.
Here are 5 easy steps to adopt zero waste travel practices during your next adventure. These are actionable steps and can be easily adopted by beginners too.
- Bring Reusable Travel Essentials: Always remember to carry a stainless steel bottle, a reusable coffee cup, and a metal straw to reduce waste. If you like to eat roadside food, you can also carry some reusable plates, bowls, spoons, and forks.
- Pack Eco-Friendly Toiletries: Choose bar soap and solid shampoo instead of liquid versions in plastic bottles. Refillable toiletry containers are also a great way to avoid excess plastic usage. I generally fill them out from home and carry them with me.
- Use a Zero Waste Kit: Carry a small kit with items like a reusable shopping bag, cutlery, and a cloth napkin to reduce single-use plastics during meals and shopping. Tissues that are used so often also cause a lot of pollution and most of the wet tissues are also not recyclable.
- Instead of tissue, I always opt for a reusable washcloth which is washable and can be reused. Just a few of them are enough for my week-long vacation.
- Stay in Eco-Conscious Accommodations: Choose hotels or hostels that promote sustainability, such as those with refill stations, composting, or minimal plastic usage. Support businesses that value eco-friendly practices.
- Opt for Sustainable Transport: Skip taxis or rideshares when possible. Use public transport, cycling, or even walking to reduce your carbon footprint and avoid unnecessary waste.
Need of Zero Waste Travel
People who live in a particular place also generate waste but it’s a known waste and processes are in place to take care of that. Most of it goes for either recycling or waste stations.
Authorities face challenges with the waste generated by tourists. With the rise of mass tourism, plastic waste is becoming one of the most significant environmental issues. By choosing zero waste travel, you’re helping reduce pollution, support sustainable businesses, and make a positive impact on the places you visit.
If you would like to know in detail about zero waste travel, check out “Series 4 – How to Reduce Plastic Waste While Traveling: A Guide for Eco-Conscious Travelers“.
Additional Tips for Zero Waste Travel
The tips above are some of the most essential eco-friendly travel habits to follow if you want a sustainable travel experience. There are many other simple things we can do to cut down on waste and make our travels even more memorable. Here are just a few ideas for zero waste travel:
- Shop with Consciousness: When purchasing souvenirs or local products, choose items with minimal packaging or opt for handmade goods to avoid excess plastic. I avoid buying those cheap plastic souvenirs as most of them go to waste after a while, instead, I will buy something local and handmade for very close family and friends. This also helps me bond with the locals and experience their culture.
- Recycle Whenever Possible: Many countries now have recycling facilities, so take advantage of them to properly dispose of waste. If I can’t find any recycling station, I will carry most of my waste and dispose it appropriately.
- Conserve Energy and Water: Reduce your environmental impact by turning off lights when not in use and minimizing water usage during your travels. This is a must especially when I have started using AirBnB a lot more than hotels.
Zero waste travel packing list
The most important thing for any travel is the attitude and having fun along the way. Things may not go as per your plan but it’s up to us how we react to it.
I have had major changes in my plans like kids falling sick, weather events causing roadblocks etc. I used to get upset in the start but I met a Nepali family who was also stuck in the same situation as us. While we all were cribbing they just set up a camp near the road and were singing songs and having fun. That one incident changed my attitude towards travel.
That’s when I realized it’s not the destination but the journey that matters the most in the end. What is the point of reaching a destination if I am not enjoying the journey and unhappy? Earlier kids used to look a bit tense while traveling but now they are excited as we stop anywhere we feel like (of course it has to be legally doable) but there are no hard and fast rules. We do what we feel like doing then.
The only rule I have in my travel is that we don’t generate any unnecessary waste and carry whatever is the most used item with us.
- My zero-waste kit “Eco-friendly travel essentials“ is always packed and ready. Some of the key items it has are:
- Wooden toothbrush and Toothpaste tablets (A recent addition to my kit)
- Wooden comb and small refillable toiletries
- Reusable folding bags with some mesh bags for all shopping needs
- Stainless steel water bottle, coffee mug, straws, plates, spoons and forks set
- Reusable Wash cloth (I carry few of them for different purposes)
- Reusable and folding boxes to carry leftover food
- Paper soap – must to have
- Many friends and even my family members used to complain that it was way too heavy and they didn’t want to be stuck with additional weight etc. It took me a while to come up with lesser lesser-weight alternative but as of now, my eco-friendly travel kit weighs less than a kg which is acceptable to most people.
- My kids also have their zero waste travel kit ready which they have been carrying with them since they were quite young. Stuff has changed over the years as they grew but more of less it has all the items they will need during travel.
We have to do everything in our power to leave the planet in a better condition than we found. The funny part is that it’s quite easy to make these lifestyle changes, it just takes a little patience, practice, and preparation.
A zero waste travel is absolutely possible and its a fun way to enjoy and make memories.
To wrap things up, remember that every small step we take towards zero waste travel makes a big difference. By adopting eco-friendly habits, not only we are helping the planet, but you’re also making our travel experiences more meaningful and enjoyable. I hope these tips inspire you to travel sustainably and explore the world with a greener mindset!
If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out my other articles for more travel tips, sustainability ideas, and ways to live a more eco-conscious life. Together, we can make every trip a step toward a cleaner, greener world. Happy travels! 🌍✈️
You can check out other posts here.
FAQ
I always feel more comfortable reading any post if I get answers to the most frequently asked questions also on the same page. That’s the reason I try my best to answer as many questions as possible in my posts. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I found on Google, pls read on.
- What is zero waste travel?
- Pack only what you need and choose versatile clothing to minimize excess baggage. Say No to Single-Use Plastics: Refuse plastic straws, utensils, and containers. Instead, carry a set of reusable alternatives. Zero waste travel is easy to do and it really helps the environment.
- What is the zero waste approach?
- Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. We can follow a zero-waste approach in zero waste travel.
- What is the zero waste rule?
- Zero waste is based on the understanding that all of the materials we utilize are resources, and only become waste through poor design and end-of-life management. In practice, this means minimizing waste during production as well as designing products that can be reused or recycled at the end of their lives.
- What is the zero waste Plan?
- California is implementing policy and legislative changes to drive the state to zero waste by reducing, reusing, repairing, and recycling resources. The Zero Waste Plan sets a path to close existing program gaps, identify what’s working, and recommend what’s needed for a truly circular economy.
- Why do people go zero waste?
- Zero waste conserves resources and minimizes pollution.
- Nowadays several of my friends are also going for zero waste travel.
- What are the activities of zero waste?
- Get hands-on!
- Or upcycle an item – make an old t-shirt into a tote bag or an old pair of socks into a sock puppet. Or recycle an item. Old jam jars, plastic cartons and boxes could be decorated and used as pen holders, storage boxes or plant pots.
- What are the 5 principles of zero-waste?
- These principles, refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot, guide us to work toward a more sustainable and eco-friendly future. They serve as guidelines to keep us on a zero-waste lifestyle as explained by The Honest Consumer.
- Which country has zero-waste?
- In Japan, the town of Kamikatsu
- on the southern island of Shikoku made a “Zero Waste Declaration” 20 years ago, according to The Washington Post. Kamikatsu’s residents sort their waste into 45 categories and take items they don’t want any more to the local thrift shop.
- What is the best zero-waste quote?
- Refuse what you do not need; reduce what you do need; reuse what you consume; recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse; and rot (compost) the rest.
- What we did not truly use, need, and love had to go. This would become our motto for decluttering.
- What is the main goal of zero-waste?
- A pile of ‘trash’ represents community and economic opportunity including jobs and new products from raw materials. The zero waste approach seeks to maximize recycling, minimize waste, reduce consumption and ensures that products are made to be reused, repaired or recycled back into nature or the marketplace.
- How do you explain zero waste?
- Zero Waste is a philosophy that aims to eliminate waste and reduce the amount of resources thrown away. It promotes sustainable practices and encourages the reuse, recycling, and composting of materials instead of sending them to landfill.