When I first travelled to Asia, I was shocked by the amount of garbage I saw everywhere: the beaches were filled with it and even in the water there were pieces of plastic floating around. It seemed like people just didn't care!
Thankfully, I heard other stories and did some research into ways to support the environment whilst I was there. I saw people organizing beach clean-ups and local schools trying to find ways to teach locals as well as foreigners about sustainability.
We can all do little things to make our trips less damaging to the environment, and taking the right accessories with you on your next trip is one of them. In this blog, I will share five of my favourite eco-friendly travel accessories.
#1 Bamboo toothbrush
Most toothbrushes are made out of plastic, and while our recycling game has been improving over the past years, only 8.5% of the plastics eventually do get recycled. About 2 billion toothbrushes end up in landfills or the ocean each year! A bamboo brush is completely biodegradable.
#2 Eco-friendly and reef-safe sunscreen
Protecting your skin from sunburn is a part of the daily holiday life, but did you know that most sunscreens contain chemicals that are harmful to life underwater? But don't worry, the good news is that brands are now developing alternatives to these unsustainable sunscreen chemicals, and many of today's best sunscreens are certified 'reef-safe', so you can shield your skin while saving the shores.
So, whether you're sunbathing by the sea or in a hot city this summer, invest in an eco-friendly sunscreen to see you through the heatwaves.
#3 Shampoo bar
This to me is a win-win! A shampoo bar not only better for the environment (it'll last you longer and doesn't come in a plastic bottle), but it'll save you lots of space in your backpack. byHumankind offers gender-neutral shampoo bars with delicious scents. Made ethically using organic and all-natural oils.
#4 Solar charger
The sun is always there to provide you or in this case your charger, with energy. This accessory fits into a daypack easily and you never have to worry about not being able to charge your phone anymore.
#5 Menstrual cup
This one is for the ladies! Tampons, pads and panty liners along with their packaging generate more than 200,000 tonnes of waste per year, and they all contain plastic – in fact, pads are around 90% plastic! The average women throw away an astonishing 125 to 150kg of tampons, pads and applicators in their lifetime. Crazy right! So what's the alternative?
Menstrual cups! It's designed for comfort, it will save you money and what I love most about the menstrual cup, is that you only need to clean it twice a day. This means you don't have to worry about changing tampons or pads in a toilet in the middle of nowhere. Check out My Pixie Cup who offers menstrual cups if you're thinking of trying them!
That's it! These five eco-friendly travel accessories are valuable and essential, no matter what kind of trip you go on.
If you would like to learn more, head over to my blog - haveafablife.com
Really loved reading this!