6 Eco-Friendly Sustainable Travel Products That Will Change Your Life

Whenever you book a vacation, there are several sustainable travel products to lower your carbon footprint. While an incredible rewarding experience, it is essential to prioritize sustainability whenever you vacation. Recent studies reported that the tourism sector is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse emissions annually. Even worse, irresponsible travel practices lead to the death of over one million marine animals every year, including sharks, sea turtles, birds, fish, and other mammals.

The issue has become so serious that roughly only 1 out of 1000 sea turtles survive until adulthood. Endangered sea turtles often mistake plastic bags, cups, and straws as prey, leading them to get caught up in unsustainable materials. Luckily, there are dozens of sustainable travel products to lower your carbon footprint whenever you take a trip. If you are interested in how to increase sustainability on your next solo-trip, group trip, or family vacation, read on to learn about the essential sustainable travel products to lower your carbon footprint.

Eco-Friendly Water Bottles

Eco-friendly, reusable water bottles are excellent sustainable travel products to help you lower your carbon footprint on vacation. Whenever you travel, you always need to stay hydrated, especially when traveling in warmer weather. Carry a reusable water bottle with you whenever you travel. These bottles are refillable, allowing you to help avoid the waste of thousands of plastic bottles every year. Water bottle companies like Nalgene make a wide range of BPA free reusable bottles and containers to suit your sustainability preferences. Other companies like Klean Kanteen prioritize measuring, offsetting, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable water bottles. These containers are super affordable, fit right in your suitcase, and can always be carried with you. With these products, you can always have water on hand. This way, you never run into common travel mishaps due to lack of water. Purchase environmentally friendly water bottles in order to reduce your carbon footprint on your next vacation.

Reusable Utensils

Reusable utensils are one of the simplest and most sustainable way to reduce your vacationing carbon footprint. Since it is often recommended to bring your own utensils if you are planning a trip around food allergies, these products may be an excellent investment. In the United States alone, roughly 40 billion plastics utensils are disposed of every year. After a single use, disposable forks, knives, spoons, and their packaging often end up in a landfill. Even worse, many disposable utensils often end up in our waterways when improperly disposed, presenting the possibility to harm our sea life. Luckily, there are a number of sustainable travel utensils that you can keep with you at all times.

These materials are often made from bamboo or stainless steel to ensure that they can consistently be washed and reused. Before your next trip, be sure to purchase a set of reusable travel cutlery. These kits often come with spoons, forks, knives, straws, chopsticks, and a tool to clean your silverware. Bring your reusable silverware with you whenever you go out to eat at restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, or any other cities you visit. Purchase reusable utensil kits in order to reduce your carbon footprint on your next vacation.

Safe Sunscreen

To ensure sustainable vacationing, you need to purchase safe sunscreen to lower your carbon footprint. Sunscreen is essential when you are traveling to warm, sunny, and beachy locations, like hidden California beach towns. Without high-quality sunscreen, you risk painful sunburn or even skin cancer. When you select a sunscreen brand, there are several things to look out for. Many sustainable sunscreen brands have branded themselves as zero waste, ocean and coral reef safe. These sustainable sunscreens have been proven and tested to prevent coral bleaching, coral death, and the pollution of ocean life. At the same time, you should look for sunscreen options that are free of zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Many safe sunscreen companies even ensure that the bottles, containers, and packaging for their products are 100% recyclable.

Sustainable Clothing

As sustainability continues to grow as a priority, modern travelers can even reduce their carbon footprint through the clothing they wear. In the United States every year, over 30 million pounds of textile waste are generated. Look for clothing brands and fashion designers that prioritize sustainability and environmentally friendly production. These businesses manufacture clothing with sustainable, natural fabrics, low-impact dyes, along with organic and recycled materials. Other clothing manufacturers prioritize carbon-neutral practices, recycling, and green production facilities. Be sure to pack your suitcase with sustainable brands and articles of clothing whenever possible. If you are visiting major fashion cities like London, Los Angeles, Paris, or Milan, be sure to check out some of the sustainable clothing brands right in the city.

Environmentally Friendly Coffee Cups

Reusable coffee cups are essential to reduce your traveling carbon footprint. For many travelers, you need a strong cup of coffee to successfully start your day. Unfortunately, the single use cups at businesses like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts are incredibly wasteful. Every year, over three billion disposable coffee cups and lids are thrown into landfills. By purchasing a reusable, refillable, sustainable coffee cup you can easily help the environment and lower your carbon footprint. To ensure safety and sustainability, the best reusable coffee cups are 100% BPA, lead, and cadmium free. Purchase an environmentally friendly coffee cup in order to reduce your vacationing carbon footprint. Of course, these coffee cups are one of the best travel safety essentials for your next trip.

Solar Power Travel Products

Sustainable solar powered travel products are an excellent accessory to limit your carbon footprint on your upcoming slow travel vacation. If you are planning for an outdoor excursion, a bright solar lantern will certainly be an effective tool for your next camping or backpacking trip. Of course, a solar powered battery pack or charger is an excellent device to ensure your devices constantly have sufficient power. For music lowers, consider a portable solar powered Bluetooth speaker for your next getaway. These products are equally as effective, and an excellent way to limit your emissions and lower your carbon footprint.

There are several sustainable travel products to reduce your vacationing carbon footprint. Before you travel, you should consider purchasing reusable materials like coffee cups, water bottles, and utensils. Reusable water bottles are essential to keep you hydrated when you visit extremely warm place like New Orleans. At the same time, you need to heavily consider the ingredients in the sunscreen you rely on for vacationing. Even more, be sure to look for more sustainable clothing to wear whenever possible. Consider the points mentioned above to learn about the essential sustainable travel products to lower your carbon footprint.