Top 12 Sustainable Travel Products Every Traveler Should Know About
We all know by now that making better choices when it comes to our Earth is super important. But sometimes, it’s tough to know where to start. Swapping out everyday products to more sustainable ones is an easy way to be more environmentally conscious, which can also apply to travel products.
I’ve been making small steps on my own sustainability journey, and today I want to share my top 12 sustainable travel products you should know about.
Food Items
I started using LifeStraw in 2018 on a backpacking trip to South America, and legitimately not a day went by where I didn’t say the words, “how did I not start using this sooner?!” LifeStraw is a water filtration system built into a straw, but it’s not your average water filter that just makes your water taste better, LifeStraw removes 99.9% of bacteria, parasites, and micro-plastics. AKA the things that make you sick when drinking non-potable water. Plus, many of their products have carbon filters, which ALSO makes the water taste better.
On previous trips, when I stayed in places where the water wasn’t safe to drink, I would buy bottled water. This can get expensive, and constantly using single-use plastics didn’t feel great either, especially when there wasn’t a guarantee that I’d be able to recycle it somewhere. On more than one occasion on my trip to South America, we would get back late from a day of sightseeing and then have to leave at the crack of dawn the next day for our next destination, which sometimes meant there was no time to run to the store and buy bottled water for the day ahead. This wasn’t a problem for me because I could grab water from the bathroom sink and have peace of mind knowing that it wouldn’t make me sick.
I will never travel without my LifeStraw again.
LifeStraw has a lineup of products, and they have a handy comparison chart on their website so you can see which are right for you. But my two favorites have been LifeStraw Universal, which is what I took to South America. This is the straw and a lid, which fits many popular water bottles you may already have in your home. My second favorite is the LifeStraw Go, which is the straw built into their own bottle, and I just found out they now make a stainless steel version which I am dying to get my hands on. Both of these have a membrane filter lifetime of 1000 gallons, which will last a long time.
The cherry on top about LifeStraw is that for every LifeStraw product sold, a school child in need receives safe drinking water for an entire school year.
Since buying a home with well water, I’ve also been loving their water filter pitcher!
Reusable Water Bottle
If you’re not traveling somewhere that you have to worry about the water, a regular reusable water bottle is the way to go. I prefer insulated water bottles to have nice cold water at all times. This didn’t use to bother me, but on a recent trip to Arizona, my ice water turned warm within a few minutes of being left in my car, and now I’ll never go back.
My favorite ones are the liter bottle by HydroFlask, or the 24L straw bottles from Contigo, which fit in my car’s cup holders.
If you’ve been trying to go green for a while now, it’ll be no shock to you what this next item on my list is. A metal, reusable straw is a small item to have in your bag at all times so you can avoid single-use plastic straws.
This is the one I’ve been using, but I also recently heard about this wider silicone one which is excellent for bubble tea and milkshakes.
Reusable Grocery Bag
Many places worldwide now charge for plastic grocery bags, so bringing your own wherever you go is a great idea!
These come in handy on my travels all the time, for actual groceries, as an additional bag on travel days for snacks, or if my laundry didn’t fully dry the night before. I also like using this as a beach bag because it’s effortless to shake the sand out of. I’m constantly finding uses for a reusable grocery bag on my travels, and don’t leave the house without one!
My favorite kind is this one by Flip & Tumble. It comes in a ton of fun colors, holds up to 35 lbs, but the best part is the sewn in stretchy pocket which makes stowing the bag away a breeze!
Utensils
I used to travel with a spork, which always comes in handy for street food, but I found two problems with it. The first is that occasionally I really needed a second utensil to pull my food apart, and the second is that I didn’t particularly appreciate putting a used utensil back into my bag to get everything around it dirty.
Enter the GoBites Quattro! This utensil set comes with a fork, a spoon, chopsticks, and even a toothpick, all in a small case. I love having my own utensils when I travel to avoid using single-use silverware, and now I’m always prepared when I run across a delicious street food stall.
Not into chopsticks? Consider the GoBites Trio, which comes with a knife instead of chopsticks, and the blade even has a bottle opener built into it. Score!
Collapsible Cup
I’ve been traveling with the Sea to Summit collapsible cup for a long time. It’s marketed more towards campers, but I’ve found many uses for it while traveling.
On my trip to China, every room I stayed in had a kettle, but many times there were no mugs. Having my collapsible cup meant that I could make instant coffee the mornings we had an early start. I also found this cup to be helpful on overnight trains where boiling water is available because I could also use it as a bowl to make oatmeal and other “just add water” type of meals.
Since it’s collapsible, it takes up very little room in my bag and is a no-brainer for me to travel with.
Silicone Food Storage Bags
I bought these on a whim, but they’ve come in handy more than I thought possible. Available in all shapes and sizes, reusable silicone zip-top bags are great for bringing food on the go. If my hotel offers breakfast, but I need to grab and go, these bags are great for food on the run. It can also save you money to grab some extra food for later in the day.
If you take road trips, Zip Top brand bags are shaped to fit in cup holders perfectly. This doesn’t have to be just for travel - my nieces use these for their daily snacks on the go!
In addition to food, you can use these for any odds and ends you may have. I use the “pocket” sized bags to store bobby pins and hair ties in my purse.
Toiletry Items
LastSwab Reusable Cotton Swab
A recent addition to my toiletry bag, LastSwab is meant to replace 1000 single-use cotton swabs. Made of a stiff nylon core and soft medical silicone on each end, LastSwab can be used to clean your ears and then quickly washed with water and soap. It even comes in a corn-based carry case to keep it clean in your toiletry bag.
True, these don’t feel the same as a regular cotton swab, but it’s one less thing I need to replace while on the road when I run out and one less thing that ends up in a trash can.
LastSwab even makes a “beauty version” with a tapered tip for makeup touch-ups and cleaning tight spaces.
Diva Cup
This one is for the ladies! A few years back, I went on a trip to Europe, and my cycle went off the rails and decided that one week just wasn’t long enough. Needless to say, I didn’t bring enough supplies with me to have my period last that long. While I could find pads, finding tampons was a bit more tricky, and when I did find them, they had no applicator. I wasn’t a huge fan.
When I got home from that trip, I did some research and came across menstrual cups. While there are a few brands out there, I went with Diva Cup and never looked back! It took some getting used to initially, but now I use the Diva Cup every month, whether I’m traveling or not. I find it convenient since I don’t need to worry about running out of tampons, and I appreciate that it’s reusable, saving me money in the long run. Make sure to do a bit of research, as there are a few different size offerings.
MakeUp Eraser
Speaking of saving money in the long run, the MakeUp Eraser does just that! I have used single-use makeup wipes for years, and while they are convenient, they’re not great for the planet. Plus, I always had to worry about running out of them on longer trips.
Enter the MakeUp Eraser, a super soft towel that you just add water to (yay for no chemicals!), and it takes off even my most stubborn waterproof mascara. Then add it to your laundry; it can be washed/dried with the rest of your clothes. I prefer to put mine in a small delicates bag, so they don’t get lost.
Every MakeUp Eraser lasts for 3-5 years or 1000 washes. It’s not tested on animals and 100% vegan.
I have purchased two 7-day sets so I don’t constantly need to do laundry to clean them. I use the small size since I mostly wear eye makeup, but they have larger sizes if you’re a full-face makeup kind of person!
Nalgene Liquid Bottles
I travel carry-on only, which means all of my liquid toiletries are 3oz or less. While many brands sell mini-versions of their products, many of those bottles can only be used once and aren’t ideal for airplane pressure (you only have to clean up one bottle of exploded shampoo in your bag to know you never want to do it again!).
Many brands are making this type of product, but my favorite is Nalgene. Nalgene is known for their tough water bottles, and their small liquid bottles are just as tough in my opinion!
Made in many shapes and sizes, I can transfer any products from their full-sized bottles into these mini bottles, with peace of mind that I won’t have to clean up any spills once I get to my destination.
I reuse these bottles trip after trip and recommend them to all my friends! I prefer to get these at The Container Store since they have a large selection of sizes in their travel aisle, but they have them on Amazon, too!
And if you have OCD like me, print off a label on a label maker so you'll always know what's inside your bottle.
Reef-Safe Sunscreen
Not all sunscreen is made the same; many include harsh chemicals that are detrimental to our oceans. As an avid scuba diver, I take that very seriously because I want our coral reefs and marine life to be around well beyond my lifetime.
Many destinations (Hawai’i, for one) are imposing restrictions on what kind of sunscreen is allowed on their beaches. Many big-name brands are coming around to this idea and are selling their own reef-safe sunscreens.
I am a fan of a brand called Raw Elements, which makes natural sunscreens for your face and body. Not only do I like their sunscreen, but they are also dedicated to using plastic-free packaging, including reusable tins and other plastic-free applicators made from compostable and biodegradable materials.
I like their face and body tin since it’s 3oz, perfect for my carry-on, and convenient enough to have in my purse for daily use.
Wherever you are in your sustainability journey, I hope these 12 sustainable travel products will help you going forward, both for travel and every day.