Helping the environment when you travel doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, there are several ways that you can make sustainable tourism more of a priority when you head out on your next adventure. By traveling plastic-free, you are going a long way toward minimizing your waste and keeping your chosen location pristine for the next generation of travelers.
Here are some easy ways you can lessen the amount of plastic that you use on your next journey.
Do everything local
You should try to make your adventures as local as possible. This means heading to local eateries, shops, and using local companies. Items at shops and ingredients at restaurants don’t have to be imported from anywhere else, using plastic that could have been avoided by choosing some more local options. Not only are you keeping plastic items from coming in, but you are also supporting businesses that need your help as a tourist in order to survive.
This is also something to think about when you are considering whether you should order takeout food or not. Because of the containers, it comes in, it can be better to choose a sit-down place rather than to take something to go. When looking at your food options, you might want to consider whether or not you will create excess waste by eating there, and if there isn’t a spot that will have less impact on the environment.
Avoid using toiletries at hotels
Many accommodations want to offer their clients access to items that they may have forgotten on their trips. Some of these might include an extra toothbrush, razors, and other items made of plastic. While these can be useful if you have forgotten something, they shouldn’t be things you rely on for one-time use. They are immediately thrown into the garbage after you are done with them, and since most are made of plastic they only serve their purpose once or twice before being discarded.
This is also true for the bottles given to you in showers. While many hotels are now looking to incorporate dispensers into their showers in order to save on the number of small bottles thrown away. However, the best thing you can do to ensure that there won’t be any items thrown out after your stay is to bring your own toiletries if you can.
There have also been a number of innovations to make it easier for you to take your items with you. If you don’t want to check your shampoo and conditioner, it’s now easy to find smaller, reusable bottles at your local convenience store for travel. This way you can bring the products you love without throwing away plastic that you would use only once or twice.
These are some very simple ways you can end up making a big impact. Knowing what you use when you travel can help you to narrow down which ways you can find alternatives so you don’t end up using as much plastic overall.