(By Kayla)
It’s almost 2019 and Earth needs our help more than ever, so it’s time our backpack and luggage contents honor that, am I right? It’s been proven time and time again that Millennials have much more cultural and environmental awareness than previous generations and are making bold, conscious decisions regarding consumption and waste. Thus, it’s vital that we make sure we carry over the conscious consumption from our homes to wherever we travel.
Travel and tourism are responsible for a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions and single-use plastic waste. For example, cruise ships in the Caribbean are estimated to produce more than 70,000 tons of waste each year. We go on cruises, in part, to appreciate the beauty of the sea and coastal communities… yet end up contributing to waste disposal that inevitably hurts those beautiful areas. What an atrocity!
According to the Plastics Oceans Foundation and the United Nations, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean every year and every square km of ocean holds an average of 13,000 pieces of plastic litter.
I’ve put together a list of the best products on the market that you can invest in for your travel needs that will keep Earth and her beautiful inhabitants happy and healthy.
- Reusable Water Bottle – Plastic water bottles are things of the past. Investing in a high quality, aesthetically pleasing reusable water bottle is sure to make you feel like a Queen. The last thing you want when traveling is scrambling to find and buy water whenever you’re thirsty. Stay prepared, stay hydrated!
$32.95 – You can even customize your own bottle to fit your style and needs! Hydro Flask also gives grants to non-profit organizations to build, maintain, restore, or provide better access to parks around the world.
https://www.hydroflask.com/21-oz-standard-mouth-flex/color,olive,a,92,o,140
- Water Filter Straw – Straws like these give you the ability to safely drink water anywhere in the world. They are super lightweight and can last for 4,000 liters!
$19.95 – BONUS: With every LifeStraw product you purchase, a child in need is provided with clean drinking water for an entire school year!
https://www.lifestraw.com/products/lifestraw/
- Cruelty-Free, Eco-Friendly Sunscreen – You’d be surprised how many harmful chemicals are present in sunscreen and how many of those end up in the sea and other bodies of water (including our bodies!).
$18.99 – Raw Elements is an incredible company. That’s all I have to say!
https://www.rawelementsusa.com/collections/face/products/face-body-30-tin-plastic-free
For an oil-free, vegan sunscreen, I recommend Sun Bum:
$12.99 – Sun Bum has a variety of products, smells wonderful and even has travel sized hair products!
https://shop.trustthebum.com/original-sun-care/face-lotion-spf-50-3oz/
- Reusable Straws & Utensils – We all know how detrimental straws and single use plastic cutlery are to wildlife. These reusable products are compact and easy to travel with, not to mention super handy when you’re out and about. All your travel buddies will be very impressed when you whip these babies out!
$25.00 – FinalStraws are available for preorder now, be one of the first to show off this innovative, Earth-saving product! It even has a loop for keychain accessibility.
https://finalstraw.com/products/the-final-straw?variant=7859218088002
$12.95 + shipping – EarthHero’s high quality products are made from organic, renewable, upcycled, and recycled materials with cleaner production methods and a lower carbon footprint.
https://earthhero.com/products/travel/to-go-ware-bamboo-utensil-set/
- Zero-Waste Shampoo & Conditioner – Hotels dispose of millions of tiny shampoo and conditioner bottles and half used soaps every single day. Why let that be our reality when we can support fantastic companies like Lush and go ZERO waste when it comes to hair care?!
$10.95-$15.95 (+$3.95 for a reusable travel tin) – You can visit any Lush store and restock your tins after 80 washes! Time to say good-bye to those messy travel bottles!
https://www.lushusa.com/hair/shampoo-bars/
- Bio-Degradable Toothbrush & Zero-Waste Toothpaste – Plastic toothbrushes have been littering our planet since the 1930s. Toothbrushes made of organic materials just make sense, don’t they? These toothbrushes will decompose after you’re done using them. Lush also has great zero/low-waste tooth care products such as tooth tablets, tooth powder, and mouthwash tablets!
$10.95 for tooth tablets / $9.95 for mouthwash and tooth powder
https://www.lushusa.com/face/teeth/boom%21/04342.html
$16.99 for a pack of 4 toothbrushes (wrapped in plant-based packaging!) with Prime shipping
https://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Toothbrush-Adult-Size-Pack/dp/B009O3BCT2?th=1#customerReviews
- Menstrual Cups – Ladies, this product may just change your entire life for the best. I just started using a menstrual cup during my last cycle and WOW. What an invention, to say the least. They are super compact and easy to travel with, allow you to adventure for up to 12 hours without worrying about emptying it, super inexpensive, and they last for ages! The average woman may use upwards of 9,000 tampons in their lifetime, polluting the planet and their fragile bodies with chemicals and single-use plastic. Here’s a jaw-dropping article about the cost of periods you may be interested in: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/18/period-cost-lifetime_n_7258780.html
$14.95 with Prime shipping – they come in many colors too!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016PYYZQO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
- Portable Solar Chargers – One of the most frustrating things that can happen when you’re traveling is your phone dying, but if you have a charger that can work with one of Earth’s most abundant energy sources, you’ll always be prepared! Here’s a link to the best solar chargers on the current market: https://www.lifewire.com/best-portable-solar-chargers-4149830
- Now that you’re ready to wander consciously… take the next step and book a tour with Vegan on the Map, where you can travel around the world through organized, veg-friendly adventures!
Visit http://www.veganonthemap.com/TRAVEL/&a=kaymaceachern to learn more.
Stay earthful ~
Kayla
Feminine Boutique Blog 