It’s not a good feeling once you see the new National Geographic cover titled Planet or Plastic. The world’s consumption of plastic has gone up to such high levels that our oceans will soon have more plastic than fishes. I took a conscious decision to stop eating fishes after reading that sea fish have started eating plastic and it’s entering our food chain. So dire is the situation that even sea salt now has microplastics.
Much before #PlanetorPlastic, I tried to keep down my consumption of plastic while travelling. It was my way of offsetting all the carbon miles I was burning while flying to different places. In the process, I found that adopting green practices can also help lower travelling costs. Here are five ways in which you can save the planet and lower your travel expenses at the same time.
Get Packing Cubes
As a backpacker, one of the biggest reasons to use plastic bags is to sort clean and unclean clothes. I’ve used plastic bags to dump my clothes for laundry on the road for the longest time. Until I discovered the magic of packing cubes. I tried them on my latest trip to Spain and Portugal and found that they solved my packing needs more efficiently than plastic bags. A combination of rolled clothes and smelly dirty clothes in a packing cube is my new packing mantra.
Here are a few packing cubes for you to try. Choose from three different colour options with these cubes. Or you can also pick just this one if you use it just to pack dirty clothes like me.
Also Read: How To Travel Right, According To Anthony Bourdain
Carry the Lifestraw water purifier
The Lifestraw water purifier is a game-changer. I used it on my trip to Turkey and Georgia and was more than happy with the results. Although my actual bottle began leaking a few days into the trip, I didn’t have to spend money on bottled water anywhere. Apart from saving costs, I was also avoiding unnecessary usage of plastic water bottles. I have never understood how some people insist on buying bottled water even in European countries where the tap water is safe to drink from. Do yourself a favour and stop buying bottled water on your trip. Get your Lifestraw bottle from here.
Also Read: 7 Free Things You Can Do Anywhere In The World
Reuse your towels
One of the most irritating experiences on my travels is the casualness with which we treat towels and linen in hotels. As someone who has stayed in hostels and paid a couple of euros to use a towel, I understand just how important and how far you can use a towel. When we get free or complimentary towels, despite the signs saying that our towels can be reused, we throw them on the floor knowing they’ll get replaced for another day spent in the hotel. Washing these towels causes chemicals and plastics to be used in large quantities that we can avoid. Instead, use your complimentary towel optimally by getting more value out of it before giving it away for cleaning. You could also use some of the quick-dry towels if you wish to avoid using hotel towels altogether. They are great to use and well, quick to dry. You don’t need to look further than this all-in-one towel for your travel.
Also Read: 5 Tips To Travel Local In Any Foreign Destination
Visit local markets and buy snacks
One of the best ways to get a feel of an unknown destination is to wander its local markets. I love them because you find the friendliest locals selling fresh produce and will even allow you to sample some of the more exotic items. Try whatever catches your fancy and pack it in your bag. Insist on not taking a plastic bag and use your own carry bag instead.
You can easily stuff your shopping in your backpack and put them in bags later on at your hotel. Local markets often have farm produce and more authentic rates than soulless convenience stores. However, if you do end up at a convenience store, skip the half euro plastic bag and make sure you carry your own bag for your grocery items.
Also Read: 5 Lesser Known Flight Websites To Book Your Next Ticket
Refuse straws and plastic items while eating out
Lastly, make sure that you make your eating choices clear. Don’t ask for straws with your juice and buy food as less plastic usage as possible. For example, buy baguettes in France and Vietnam instead of processed breads in plastic bags. Drink out of glass bottles or cans rather than PET bottles. Adopt airlines and travel companies that are pro-planet. Eat out at hygienic places that don’t use plastic as a measure to cover or keep food warm. Don’t use one-time use sachets for items like sauce, oregano, paprika etc. If you take tours or transport that offer complimentary bottles, resist the urge to pick them up. The more you avoid plastic and let your preferences be known, the more it’ll impact the surroundings you travel in. You can even carry these bamboo straws on your travels to avoid the temptation of using plastic straws.
Our choices as travelers will determine the beauty of places to visit. There is a clear give-and-take relationship we need to work on when it comes to travel. And unless we make a conscious decision to save our planet, we’d ultimately find ourselves swimming in plastic sooner than we think.
Reading Resources:
Read about NatGeo’s Initiative Planet or Plastic.
Take the pledge to save our planet here.
Full coverage of the #PlanetorPlastic.
Here’s how deep the plastic problem really is, quite literally.
Some heartbreaking images of the plastic pollution we’ve caused around the world.
And finally, a small ray of hope to end this story with.
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