How to travel without single use free plastic. That’s what this guide is all about. Whether you are a vacation maker or a vacation taker, the time has come to say no to plastic. Hashtag it, shout about it but most importantly, stop using it. Read more about how we are trying to change the way we all think about this important issue in our plastic free travel guide.
We have turned a blind eye to the impacts of single use plastic for too long, especially while traveling. It is time for the travelers of the world to say “no” to plastic.
There was a time when the word ‘plastic’ was associated with the bank card that you used to pay for a vacation. Nowadays, it is associated with costing the earth. Especially in its single use form, such as drinking bottles, baby wipes, plastic drinks cups, straws, nappies and so on. Manufacturers and consumers have taken the positive, practical uses of plastic and turned it into an omnipresent pollutant, which leaks its petrochemical ingredients back into the earth’s groundwater or directly into the sea when disposed of. But we are aiming to dispose of the disposable at Responsible Travel. As well as being a plastic free vacations guide, this is also a call to action to the tour operators whom we represent, to see if they can rise to the challenge of becoming free of single use plastics. If you would like to join our movement, don’t just cut up your plastic; cut it out altogether.
Some companies are really working hard to ban single use plastic on their trips. We highlight our top ones in the map on our guide to top single use plastic free vacations, but there are many more waiting in the wings. We also encourage customers to push tour operators: ask them what their policies are, do their hotels have mini toiletries, how do they pack picnic lunches, do they avoid plastic bottles? Ask and keep asking.
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Drinking water
Sometimes we think that tap water anywhere outside our home country is not drinkable, but this is a myth in so many places. Also, there are easy ways to filter or purify the water if needs be. Always ask your tour operator in advance so that you can avoid plastic drinking bottles when possible. See a list of plastic free items to avoid on our responsible tourism and plastics page
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Anti plastic parents
As well as reusable nappies and baby wipes, parents are eliminating plastic in so many areas. There are plastic free, insulated baby bottles, sun cream in tins, collapsible stainless steel drinking cups and reusable cloth snack bags. Using coconut oil to wipe bums is also a good trick. You don’t need to have children to love the drinking cups and bamboo washable wipes, by the way; both are favourites with travelers of all ages.
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Surfers Against Sewage
We want to give a big shout out to this UK organisation which has been leading the way in raising awareness about beach pollution and the impacts of plastic for years now. Sign up to one of Surfers Against Sewage’s regional clean ups, donate to their cause, and check out their shop for a load of plastic free or BPA free travel products.
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Blue Planet
David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II blew us all away, as well as the top off single use plastics issue. Particularly in the last episode with his rallying cry for action. To quote the great man, “Plastic has become an integral part of our everyday lives. But every year, some eight million tones of it end up in the ocean. And there it can be lethal.” Watch and learn. You’ll never buy bottled water again.
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Scuba diving & conservation
Our responsible diving companies were on the case of plastics long before everyone else, and can see the damage caused by this waste, not only in the stomachs of seabirds or fish, but also on the coral reefs and mangrove swamps. Our marine conservation vacations are superb for making a start to help make a difference in plastics.
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Stainless steel straws
We know that scrapping plastic straws is the way to go, but some people still love drinking from a straw. In which case, seek out the alternatives: stainless steel, bamboo and even glass. Not only is it a cool way to drink in style, but also a brilliant way to show off your objection to plastic straws. They come with mini brushes for cleaning them too, in case you wondered.
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Filtering water bottles
If you are going somewhere adventurous such as hiking in Nepal or cycling in the ‘Stans, drinking bottled water is sometimes considered unavoidable, as potable water is rare. However, you can buy filtering or purifying water bottles, which aren’t cheap, but a lot kinder to your bodies and the planet. Check out LifeStraw and Water to Go as excellent filtration systems. Another excellent option, although pricey, is the Steripen UV water purifier.
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Single use anything
From cling film to cotton buds, drinks bottles and baby wipes to plastic cutlery, cups and stirrers – single use plastics are so last year. There is just no excuse anymore to use these toxin emitting, petrochemical nasties. Seek out a cool utensil case to bring your own cutlery for food on the go, buy biodegradeable dental floss and pack a cool, metal bento style box for sandwiches.
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Nappies & wipes
Often overlooked in the single use plastics debate, nappies are single use no no’s. Most are made of 50 percent plastic and 50 percent wood pulp. We throw away a lot more of those than we do disposable coffee mugs and yet they still manage to stay off the single use criminals list. Use your vacation time to start trying out reusables; they really are not that hard. You can also get eco washable wipes nowadays.
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Airline size toiletries
Most of us are guilty of having done that last minute dash to buy 100ml size this and that to cram into our baggage. Think of the piles of single use plastics you are dumping on that destination when you leave, and then think again. There are so many other options, starting with refilling your own small glass containers of course. And lots of products come in tins now too.
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Hotel bathroom minis
Why, oh why? You can stay at the most eco of eco, five star accommodations, and they will still give you small plastic toiletries in your bathroom. As if we are too posh to push a dispenser, or too snobby for soap. The more we and tour operators tell vacation accommodations that we can live without these mini treats, the more they will listen. Bin them, forever.
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Hats off to the companies that have signed up to our movement of single use plastic free vacations. We salute them and invite many more to join our cause...
A selection of inspirational things our operators are doing when it comes to taking on the plastics issue in all its forms, be it packaging, water, waste or campaigning for wider changes.
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