Reducing waste and making eco-friendly choices can be difficult with young kids, but even more so when traveling. Here are my favorite eco-friendly travel tips for hitting the road (or the plane or boat) for your next family vacation.
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Eco-friendly travel tips before your leave
Pack your own snacks and sandwiches
That bag of chips from the gas station or sub-par sandwich from the airport are overpriced, heavily packaged, and often unhealthy. Instead, pack your own. Unlike liquids, you are allowed to take food with you past airport security (though you may need to eat it before getting on the plane if flying internationally for import restrictions). Peanut butter/sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches are a classic that keeps well without ice. I recommend making the sandwiches the night before. Have them ready to go in the fridge so there is one less thing to do on the day of travel. For snacks, we like to bring our own cheerios, fruit, trail mix, and crackers. You can often find these snacks in bulk bins and package them into reusable bags for the trip.
Use reusable liquids bag
I used to use plastic baggies for my liquids, but they always got really gross when some liquid inevitably spilled in them. It was wasteful to keep replacing them with more single-use bags, and I stopped keeping single-use plastic bags at home. I found these reusable airport liquid bags instead. They are clear so that they pass the requirements for airport security in the U.S. They also seem to fit my toiletries more easily than plastic baggies.
Pack solid toiletries
Speaking of toiletries, bar versions of shampoo, conditioner, soap, and lotion are great for travel because you don’t need to limit them to less than 3 ounces for U.S. flights. That means you don’t need to go out and buy special mini-sized items. You can also skip the tiny bottles that they give in hotels, which are usually a lower quality product anyway.
Double-check packing list
Make sure you have packed everything that you need for your trip. That way you don’t need to spend money on a duplicate charger or other item that you already have.
Eco-friendly travel tips for during the vacation
Try to resist “free” things
From those little bottles of shampoo to snacks on planes and packaged tea bags in hotel rooms, it can be easy to want to stock up on all the complimentary items during travel. I’ve definitely thought to myself “well, I paid for this so might as well get my money’s worth”. But really, I should remember to ask myself if iit is really something I will need, use, or even like. Did you know that in 2016 alone airline passengers generated 5.2 million tons of waste? If you do want that complimentary soda on the airplane, try asking for the can rather than a plastic cup since aluminum is more recyclable.
Get drinks in your reusable cups
We usually pack 2 Yeti cups for the adults (one for coffee and one for water). We also have reusable water cups for our daughters. Often we fill the bottles with water once we pass airport security. In the car, we keep a refillable gallon jug of water. That way we don’t need to get plastic water bottles from the gas station when we run out. It’s also good to have in case of emergencies.
Drive less, walk more
Of course, there’s some places where there’s no way around using cars to get around. But many times, and especially in many cities, there are a lot of other ways to travel within the city or among cities for a fraction of the impact. For instance, you might take the bus to get downtown or to a nearby city. The metro or train could offer a fun or possibly even scenic means of getting around. If you want to completely cut your impact getting around, many cities are bike friendly and have several rental stations. Take some time to plan your ground transportation in advance. You will not only save some green on the earth but probably in your wallet, too.
Eat local
When dining out, see if you can find places that serve or sell local foods. Farmers markets are fun places to walk around and get fresh fruits and vegetables that you can eat for snacks. Family-owned restaurants and other places that serve locally-sourced food are often a great way to try a new dish – after all, you can always get that McFastFood sandwich at home.
Learn about the local environment
Exploring nature is a great way to connect with the local environment of the place you are visiting. Go on a hike, visit the local botanical garden, or look up some facts with your kids about the plants and animals that are native to the place you are visiting. Learning about destinations can be a great motivator for making greener choices in your day to day life. In fact, it was my family’s visit to Crater Lake National Park that was part of my motivation for starting this blog!
Volunteer/make a Difference
If you are so inclined, you can incorporate community service into your vacation. You could volunteer to remove invasive species from a park or join a clean up at a beach. Even without formally volunteering for an event, you can make sure you leave the place you visit better than you found it by challenging everyone in your family to pick up and properly dispose of two pieces of litter they find each day of the trip. These kinds of experiences open kids’ eyes to ways we can contribute to keeping our Earth beautiful for locals and visitors alike.
Consider your trip souvenirs
I often have so much fun on vacation that I want to buy souvenirs to remember the fun times we had. Unfortunately, a lot of tourist souvenirs are knick-knacks that end up being clutter and eventually get thrown away. Thoughtfully consider any souvenirs you might buy and whether you will value them for the long haul. Now I usually prefer to take photos instead of buying things. They are fun to look through as a family and bring back the memories of our time together.
Do you use any of these eco-friendly travel tips on your trips? What other tricks do you have?
