This simple tip can help eliminate double that amount of plastic waste, and all it takes is 5 minutes tops of your time and a little bit of pre-travel planning.

182,500,000 plastic shampoo bottles are thrown into a landfill every year from hotels alone. Woah.

This simple tip can help eliminate double that amount of plastic waste, and all it takes is 5 minutes tops of your time and a little bit of pre-travel planning.

I have a bag for my toiletries that I use specifically for travel already set aside, stored in my bathroom cabinet. The night before flying, I check that all of my toiletries in that bag are stocked, filled, and ready to grab and go.

There’s three benefits to doing this and I’ll get into that in this blog.

BENEFIT 1: BUYING IN BULK (SAVE $)

Usually we will get bigger containers of shampoos and conditioners, and I always bring in oil. I have these little containers that I put them in. One, I have almond oil on this one. (I just love how almond oil fills on my skin!)

Or, I’ll usually bring coconut oil as well but I just fill it up. I don’t fill the containers up all the way because and I’m not going to use it all, and I’d rather just carry what I need, rather than extra baggage and weight.

Bringing my own oils and lotion keeps my skin hydrated and I don’t have to use whatever the lotion is at the hotel gives you, because it’s not always that great. Same goes for conditioners and shampoos, I use these little refillable containers, as shown in the video, and below.

BENEFIT 2: CREATE CONSISTENT CARE ROUTINE

When you’re using your own product and we’re using the containers one it helps to give consistency — for your skin, or for your hair. Both get disrupted a lot with travel. Giving consistent routines that will improve both your hair and your skincare.

BENEFIT 3: ELIMINATE SINGLE-USE PLASTICS

Sustainably, you’re cutting down and single-use plastics if you’re not using the ones that are in hotels, which, you know, they’re those little tiny bottles that you just toss at the end or you use half of and then the hotel tosses it. You’re cutting back on the lot of the plastics and waste. That’s something that I’m really passionate for.

As a conscious traveler, you’re reducing your consumption, and you’re improving your own well-being, just by planning and packing ahead.

BONUS TIP:

Here’s the bonus tip: I don’t bring my own soap when I go to hotels or resorts. Instead of tossing a perfectly good soap used two days at a hotel, I take the soap home with me and use the rest of it at home.

Especially when they smell so good! Most recently, I visited Sanctuary Cap Cana when I was in Punta Cana this past month. and it has like this olive oil moisturizing scent to it that I wanted to use it in my house too. Instead of tossing it, or letting housekeeping toss it, I took it home!

 ORGANIZATIONAL TIP:

Label the side of the containers “shampoo” “conditioner” “cream” “oil” “mouthwash” — whatever you want to use it for. Labels will prevent you from putting conditioner in your mouth, and mouthwash in your hair.

These little containers shown in the video were purchased years ago (since discontinued) from IKEA a while back. Here’s a few similar options below you can grab easily from Amazon Prime.

MORE SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL TIPS:

With the busiest travel time of the year coming up (including air, car and train), let’s offset all that travel with some eco-friendly and waste-less tips that are easy to implement. Click on the instagram link below to find out seven more tips to reduce your waste and care for the environment we love to explore:

 

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A post shared by SARA | Travel Wellness Expert (@livefreewarrior) on Nov 22, 2019 at 10:07am PST